The United Nations health agency issued a warning about fake semaglutides used to treat diabetes and lose weight
Counterfeit semaglutides – of a specific brand Ozempic – were found in Brazil, the UK in October 2023 and the US in December 2023 and were distributed through the usual supply chain.
The WHOOur official announcement follows reports of “counterfeit semaglutide products” across all geographies from the Global Surveillance and Surveillance System (GSMS) since 2022.
Dr. Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Essential Medicines and Health Products Calling all stakeholders ARRIVE “Stop using suspicious drugs and report to relevant authorities.”
Risk
The actual manufacturer of Ozempic confirmed to WHO that the semaglutides were counterfeit based on batch and serial numbers.
Semaglutides is thought to help people reduce their blood sugar and appetite levels as well as their risk of cardiovascular disease. WHO said reports of counterfeit products have increased as demand for the products has grown.
Consuming fake or counterfeit products can cause harmful and life-threatening effects on the body.
Semaglutides is not recommended by WHO for the treatment of diabetes due to the expensive product cost.
Stay away from fake products
Dr Nakatani said the UN health agency had advised healthcare professionals, regulators and the public to “be aware of these batches of counterfeit medicines”.
It added to it healthcare professionals”Any incidents of side effects should be reportedlack of effectiveness and suspicion of tampering with the National Regulatory Authority/National Pharmacovigilance Center.”
WHO also advises individuals who may have counterfeit products not to use them and to seek medical help if they have used them and experienced side effects.
Avoid unfamiliar sources
To avoid any such scenario, WHO urges people to buy prescription products from licensed physicians rather than online or from unfamiliar sources.
WHO added that people should use products as prescribed and should check the batch number, serial number, check the product itself and evaluate the quality of the label to ensure the product being used is not counterfeit.
