Be careful for counterfeit Ozempic, FDA says : NPR

This picture combo supplied by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration exhibits an genuine Ozempic needle (left) and a counterfeit needle (proper). The FDA mentioned it has seized “1000’s of models” of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug broadly used for weight reduction, that had been distributed by means of professional drug provide sources.

FDA through AP

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FDA through AP

This picture combo supplied by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration exhibits an genuine Ozempic needle (left) and a counterfeit needle (proper). The FDA mentioned it has seized “1000’s of models” of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug broadly used for weight reduction, that had been distributed by means of professional drug provide sources.

FDA through AP

Hundreds of counterfeit models of Ozempic injections have been found within the professional provide chain and seized, the Meals and Drug Administration says, however some faux merchandise should be in circulation.

Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical firm that manufactures Ozempic, which has turn into wildly in style for weight reduction, is working alongside the FDA to check the seized medicine, however have but to announce any high quality or security findings, in keeping with a Thursday information launch.

The FDA mentioned it is “conscious of 5 hostile occasions from this lot, none of that are severe and are according to identified frequent hostile reactions to genuine Ozempic, that are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach ache and constipation.”

The FDA is warning wholesalers, pharmacies, well being care practitioners and sufferers alike to examine their product labels for counterfeit models and report questionable merchandise to the company. Fakes are labeled with lot quantity NAR0074 and serial quantity 430834149057, it says.

Even the needles within the faux models are counterfeit. The FDA says it can’t verify whether or not the needles are sterile or not, which poses an elevated threat of an infection for customers.

Images on the FDA information launch present examples of genuine and counterfeit merchandise so customers can spot the fakes.

Novo Nordisk reported over $24.5 billion in gross sales within the first 9 months of 2023, and a couple of third of that’s attributed to Ozempic. The weekly injection is permitted for decreasing blood sugar ranges in sufferers with Sort 2 diabetes. Nonetheless, its improve in reputation is credited to its capability to quell meals cravings through its energetic ingredient, semaglutide, in keeping with the College of California-Davis.

The FDA has not permitted Ozempic for weight reduction, however one other Novo Nordisk drug using semaglutide, Wegovy, was permitted in 2021 for weight administration.