Suspected fake Ozempic puts several in hospital in Austria

[October 24, 2023]  By Miranda Murray and Ludwig Burger

BERLIN (Reuters) -Several people were hospitalized 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.

Regional regulator, the European Medicines Agency (EMA), last week warned about pre-filled injection pens falsely labeled as Ozempic, which has seen surging demand for its weight-loss benefits.

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 organizations to bring counterfeits of Ozempic to market," said BASG.

The 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.

A box of Ozempic, a semaglutide injection drug used for treating type 2 diabetes and made by Novo Nordisk, is seen at a Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S. March 29, 2023. REUTERS/George Frey

EMA and authorities in Germany and Britain, including prosecutors in southwestern 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 German authorities. BASG said it would not comment further on the case, to protect the investigation.

Austria's criminal intelligence service said on Monday that 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 1-milligram strength, it cannot be ruled out that pre-filled pen packs with different nominal strengths are also affected, the service said.

(Reporting by Miranda Murray in Berlin, Ludwig Burger in Frankfurt and Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich in Vienna; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Bernadette Baum)

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