Fake Ozempic: the risks and what to look out for

Most people have heard of weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro, which are now being hailed as a way to lose weight easily. However, the company has warned that fake versions of the drug, which is usually prescribed for diabetes, are now more common. 

As medications can now be purchased online, some of the Ozempic products are coming from unlicensed sources, making them easy to misbrand. The risks are that they could be counterfeit, contaminated with other substances, or not stored or transported properly. 

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Ozempic, has warned that some cheap counterfeits of the product often contain a different type of diabetes medicine that works differently. This can cause an adverse reaction in some cases, as well as potentially being unsafe or ineffective. 

In a statement, the company warned consumers about the risks of fake products, saying, “The safety or efficacy of counterfeit products cannot be assured and they should not be used. Potential risks of taking a counterfeit medicine include serious adverse events.”

How to spot a fake Ozempic product

Novo also detailed some of the ways consumers can spot a fake product. 

It says that genuine products don’t extend when the dose is being set and the dose dial window only shows the intended doses, which should be: 

• -0-, 0.25, and 0.5 for the 0.25/0.5 mg dose pen
• -0- and 1 mg for the 1mg dose pen
• -0- and 2mg for the 2mg dose pen

These are the only doses available in genuine products, so those with other doses are likely to be fake. Additionally, the 1mg and 2mg products include 4 needles and the 0.25/0/5mg products should always contain 6 needles. 

Some other signs that a product is a counterfeit include: 

• The label might be poor quality and not stick well to the pen
• There might be spelling mistakes on the box
• It might not include a tamper-resistant/ perforation
• The batch number on the box might not match the product strength