This picture combo offered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration exhibits an genuine Ozempic needle (left) and a counterfeit needle (proper). The FDA mentioned it has seized “hundreds of items” of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug extensively used for weight reduction, that had been distributed via authentic drug provide sources.
FDA through AP
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FDA through AP
This picture combo offered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration exhibits an genuine Ozempic needle (left) and a counterfeit needle (proper). The FDA mentioned it has seized “hundreds of items” of counterfeit Ozempic, the diabetes drug extensively used for weight reduction, that had been distributed via authentic drug provide sources.
FDA through AP
Thousands of counterfeit items of Ozempic injections have been found within the authentic provide chain and seized, the Food and Drug Administration says, however some pretend merchandise should still be in circulation.
Novo Nordisk, the Danish pharmaceutical firm that manufactures Ozempic, which has grow to be wildly standard 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 response to 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 recognized frequent hostile reactions to genuine Ozempic, that are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, belly ache and constipation.”
The FDA is warning wholesalers, pharmacies, well being care practitioners and sufferers alike to verify their product labels for counterfeit items 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 pretend items 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.
Photos 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 authorised for reducing blood sugar ranges in sufferers with Type 2 diabetes. However, its improve in reputation is credited to its means to quell meals cravings through its energetic ingredient, semaglutide, in response to the University of California-Davis.
The FDA has not authorised Ozempic for weight reduction, however one other Novo Nordisk drug using semaglutide, Wegovy, was authorised in 2021 for weight administration.