Nov. 8, 2023 – Suspected counterfeits of a popular weight loss drug are linked to the hospitalization of at least three people, federal data shows.
A U.S. government database that compiles cases listing harmful outcomes while taking a medicine indicated that the three hospitalizations were connected to suspected counterfeit semaglutide drugs, CBS News reported. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in the diabetes drug Ozempic and its counterpart Wegovy, which is specifically approved for weight loss. Both drugs are made by the Danish company Novo Nordisk and have been in short supply.
One of the three hospitalized cases specifically mentioned Ozempic.
The hospitalizations are among 42 cases in the database that mention semaglutide counterfeits, and 28 of those cases are classified as serious, CBS News reported, noting that outcomes listed on the database included death and all of the reports were submitted to the FDA by Novo Nordisk.
“The records do not prove whether the counterfeits caused the complaints or might have been incidental to the report,” CBS News reported.
The FDA, Novo Nordisk, and companies that help distribute semaglutide medications have been working to crack down on counterfeits of the drugs. Last summer, a fake Ozempic pen was sold at a U.S. retail pharmacy. Hundreds of fake Ozempic pens were seized in the United Kingdom in October.
In an email to the news outlet, an FDA spokesperson told CBS it investigates reports of suspected counterfeit drugs.
"The FDA will investigate any report of suspect counterfeit drugs to determine the public health risks and the appropriate regulatory response. The FDA remains vigilant in protecting the U.S. drug supply from these threats," FDA spokesperson Jeremy Kahn wrote in an email.
