The Food and Drug Administration is currently investigating a series of fraud schemes that appear to be trafficking in counterfeit Ozempic products, an industry group recently warned its members.
New warning about counterfeit Ozempic and similar drugs. Rapid increase in demand on top of them use for weight lossThe move follows the discovery of counterfeit Ozempic injection pens being sold in US pharmacies earlier this year.
According to one report, FDA investigators found that fraudsters were impersonating employees of pharmaceutical wholesalers, effectively taking over the accounts of legitimate licensed companies. caveat It was sent to supply chain industry members of the Pharmaceutical Cargo Security Coalition and obtained by CBS News.
They then target unsuspecting pharmacies seeking discounts on the drug, the alert states.Some formulations still lacking Due to the increased demand for medicines, they are sold nationwide.
“The seller has provided sufficient information and documentation to make the transaction appear legitimate,” the alert warns. “These transactions require full or partial upfront payment through wire transfers, nondisclosure agreements, and establishment of purchasing accounts, and in some cases may include fraudulent transaction statements.”
Where do fake Ozempic products come from?
Investigators have found that some victims received counterfeit Ozempic pens or versions sourced from other countries, the alert said. Some people don’t get it at all.
Please be careful about importing counterfeit products using . Semaglutide Ozempic and Wegovy are also popping up around the world.from health authorities Nigeria to Australia It was announced that the illegal import of counterfeit products had been discovered.
Some of the scams being investigated include: Ozempic Because the products were diverted from overseas, the warnings do not indicate whether the counterfeits were also smuggled into the country or were manufactured by fraudsters in the United States.
“This illegal activity was detected at both the retail and pharmacy levels,” the alert reads.
A spokesperson for the Healthcare Distribution Alliance confirmed to CBS News that the alert was shared with coalition members, but deferred further questions about the investigation to the FDA.
An FDA spokesperson said there were no details to share about the counterfeit report.
Fewer fakes and side effects
The fraud alert sheds new light on how counterfeit Ozempic pens ended up being filled as prescriptions at legitimate pharmacies earlier this year.
News of the expanded FDA investigation comes on the heels of the Novo Nordisk incident June warning The discovery of counterfeit products in the United States is linked to reports of people experiencing side effects after using the products.
photograph Documents released by the company show how counterfeit pens and cartons attempted to imitate the genuine product. However, the company said there were several errors, including typos on the box and poor quality labels.
“The counterfeit product appears to have contained insulin glargine injection, a different type of diabetes drug that works differently than Ozempic,” the company said in a statement.
Following the June warning, we wonder how many more counterfeits were reported to drug companies by U.S. pharmacies, or if other unsuspecting pharmacies filled Ozempic prescriptions with supposedly genuine fakes. It is unknown whether it was filled out or not.
A Novo Nordisk spokeswoman did not respond to questions about how many other counterfeits had been reported.
The company said in a statement that it is working “in close collaboration” with the FDA to raise awareness about the risks of counterfeiting of its products.
“We provided communications to a number of stakeholders, including wholesalers and pharmacists, to make them aware of the situation and to help identify potentially counterfeit semaglutide injections,” Novo Nordisk said in a statement.
Investigation into illegal sales of semaglutide
Separately, the alert said the FDA is also investigating online sales of semaglutide and illegal sales of tirzepatide, another diabetes drug that Eli Lilly & Co. has used for weight loss under the brand name Mounjaro.
The FDA has said that some pharmacies are allowed to prepare “compound” versions of drugs while the agency lists drugs in short supply, but the FDA also Concerns previously expressed Over companies selling counterfeit products that used the wrong version of semaglutide compared to the one used by Wegovy and Ozempic.
novo nordisk also filed a lawsuit Some medical spas and compounding pharmacies were accused of overstepping their bounds when selling combination versions of semaglutide.
“These illegal marketing and sales practices, including the use of Novo Nordisk’s trademarks in connection with these practices, raise consumer concerns as well as potential safety concerns,” the company said in a June news release. “This creates a high risk of confusion and deception.”
