Counterfeit injection pens for Ozempic, a hugely popular diabetes drug popularized on social media as a way to lose weight, are circulating in Europe, drug authorities have warned.
Ozempic is a once-weekly injection from a prefilled pen and was originally developed to treat type 2 diabetes.
But as the drug has proven effective for weight loss, the drug’s “off-label” use has led to massive demand and shortages.
According to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), pre-filled pens falsely labeled as Ozempic are currently being spotted at some wholesalers in the EU and UK.
“As a precautionary measure, we call on all actors in the supply chain to be vigilant against counterfeit products,” France’s ANSM medicines authority said on Sunday.
The EMA said in a statement last week that the counterfeit pens had German labels and were sold by wholesalers in Austria and Germany.
“There is no evidence that counterfeit pens were dispensed to patients from legitimate pharmacies and there are no reports of patient harm related to counterfeit medicines,” the EMA said.
It added that police and the European Union’s drug regulator were investigating the matter.
Germany’s medicines regulator BfArM released photos of the fake pen, showing it looks quite different from the official one.
The counterfeit product was first discovered because the serial number was invalid.
Semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, is approved for prescription in the EU and UK under the brand name Wegovy for weight loss purposes.
Both products are made by Danish pharmaceutical group Novo Nordisk, whose profits have soared due to demand for the drugs.
Earlier this month, researchers found that this class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists (which also includes the liraglutide drugs Libersus and Saxenda) is associated with an increased risk of certain serious gastrointestinal disorders, including gastroparesis. he warned.
Although rare, the researchers stressed that the side effects demonstrate how important it is to take drugs only when prescribed by a doctor.
Pan/DL/IMM
