The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on June 19, 2024, about the appearance of the forged medicament Ozempic and the risks implied with the consummation of this forged product. The official communication of the WHO can be found here.
What is Ozempic and what does it serve?
The medicament Ozempic contains the active substance semaglutide, which helps the organism to reduce the high concentrations of sugar in the blood and it can be of use in the prevention of heart problems. However, this medicament is often misused by the healthy persons, without the approval of the doctor with the aim to reduce body weight.
Why is this medicament forged?
Sudden popularity of Ozempic in the public, as the means that helps loosing weight, resulted in the increased demand for this medicament, which further resulted in the appearance of forged copies usually sold on the internet.
Health risks
It has been disclosed that the injectors pencils of the forged Ozempic contained insulin instead of the semaglutide, thus exposing patients to the risk of hypoglycemia (very low level of sugar in the blood), which can be life-threatening. In a serial of cases, the persons that used forged Ozempic were urgently hospitalized, and some of them were in a state of coma.
All forged medicaments are highly risky to be used, because they often contain different components than the original medicament, insufficient amount of the active substance or dangerous components that can provoke serious health problems.
Illegal sale over the Internet
The most frequent manner of selling forged medicaments is over the Internet. According to the data of the WHO, every other medicament sold over the Internet is forged. In Serbia, the sale of medicaments over the Internet is forbidden by the Law.
Recommendation for the citizens
Do not buy medicaments over the Internet, even if there is a shortage of supply in the regular commercial channels in the pharmacies.
If you suspect that the medicament you used is forged, address your doctor, the inspection of the Ministry of Health or the Agency for the Medicaments and Medical Devices.