Authorities and public prosecutors are concerned about suspected counterfeits of the diabetes drug Ozempic. Based on information, checks were carried out with the support of the police, the Freiburg regional council announced on Friday. The suspicion was confirmed that the products were counterfeit. “The goods were confiscated and the public prosecutor’s office in Lörrach was informed.”
The regional council had already announced on Thursday evening that the counterfeits most likely pose “significant health risks”. It cannot be ruled out that several counterfeit packages are being sold in Germany. The seized preparations are currently being analyzed and the results should be available in the coming days. The Lörrach branch of the Freiburg public prosecutor’s office announced that “due to the ongoing investigation, no further information can be provided at the moment.”
Ozempic is a preparation based on the active ingredient semaglutide from the manufacturer Novo Nordisk. It is approved as a diabetes medication in Germany. The active ingredient can also be used as a weight loss aid, especially in people who are very overweight. In Germany, doctors have been able to prescribe the semaglutide-containing drug Wegovy from Novo Nordisk for this purpose since the summer. The active ingredient is also more widely known because some celebrities claim to have lost weight with it.
According to its own information, the regional council is in close contact with, among others, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM), with the Danish manufacturer Novo Nordisk and with pharmaceutical authorities in other countries. There are indications that the supply chain also affects these countries.
If counterfeit medications appear, they would have to be taken to a pharmacy, the regional council said. The original preparations from the manufacturer Novo Nordisk are not dangerous. The originals are visually easy to distinguish from the counterfeits, the regional council writes about the corresponding photos. Ozempic is given as an injection under the skin. On the original syringe, the rotating ring at the back is light blue. In the fake it is gray. The injection button at the end of the syringe is gray on the original syringe and blue on the counterfeit.
In Germany, the monitoring of drug traffic lies with the responsible authorities in the federal states. You can issue warnings about counterfeits sold throughout Germany.