Several land in Austria hospital after taking suspected fake Ozempic weight-loss drug
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European regulators have warned consumer of pre-filled injection pens falsely labelled as Ozempic.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BERLIN – Several people were hospitalised in Austria after using suspected fake versions of the diabetes drug Ozempic, the country’s health safety body said, the first report of harm to users in a widening European hunt for counterfeiters.
The patients were reported to have suffered hypoglycaemia and seizures, serious side effects that indicate the product contained insulin instead of Ozempic’s active ingredient semaglutide, the health safety regulator BASG said in a warning issued on Monday.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the regional regulator, earlier in October warned about pre-filled injection pens falsely labelled as Ozempic,
The maker of the drug, Novo Nordisk, has flagged a surge in online offers of fake versions of Ozempic, as well as its weight-loss drug Wegovy, both based on semaglutide.
The Danish company has been scrambling to boost output to catch up with overwhelming demand.
Extraordinary demand for Ozempic and other drugs used for weight loss has spurred a global surge in counterfeit versions, a Reuters report showed last week.
“It appears that this shortage is being exploited by criminal organisations to bring counterfeits of Ozempic to market,” said BASG.
BASG did not provide an exact number of people harmed by the fake Ozempic, or say how long-lasting the adverse effects would be on their health.
The EMA and the authorities in Germany and Britain, including prosecutors in south-western Germany, have been investigating a case where fake injection pens with German labels in genuine packaging were sold from a wholesaler in Austria to Germany and from there on to a British wholesaler.
BASG’s description of the wrong pens and their dosage are consistent with pictures and details provided by EMA and the German authorities. BASG said it would not comment further on the case, to protect the investigation.
Austria’s criminal intelligence service said on Monday the batch in question was provided by a physician whom it did not name. That person likely did not procure the fakes from an official pharmacy, it said, warning that fake injection pens may still be in circulation.
While the current suspected counterfeits are packs of 1mg strength, it cannot be ruled out that pre-filled pen packs with different nominal strengths are also affected, the service said. REUTERS
