Demand for Ozempic and Wegovy increases illegal sales of weight-loss drugs

Business

By Shannon Thaler

Growing demand for Ozempic and Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk, has fueled a rise in illegal sales of weight-loss drugs in Denmark, where the pharmaceutical company is based, the Danish Medicines Agency reported.

The agency said in a statement released Tuesday that authorities are aware of 26 websites illegally selling what they claim to be Ozempic and Wegovy.

These drugs, initially prescribed as weekly injections to treat type 2 diabetes, have since gained immense popularity among the general public due to their miraculous effects on weight loss.

There are no surprises or new trends that we weren’t already aware of. Due to the high demand and media attention, we unfortunately expected an increase in the illegal supply of the semaglutide preparations Ozempic and Wegovy, said Jeanna Majland, director of the Danish Medicines Agency. the statement, which was reported earlier by Bloomberg.

The US Food and Drug Administration has also reportedly launched an investigation into so-called fake-Zempic after health authorities became aware of numerous fraudulent schemes to traffic counterfeit Ozempic in the US.

Additionally, the European Medicines Agency issued a warning last month against counterfeit Ozempic pens, which the organization said bore German-language labels falsely labeled as diabetes drug Ozempic containing 1 milligram of semaglutide for injection.

Ozempic and Wegovy are both semaglutide injections, a powerful type of medication that mimics the actions of the hormone GLP-1, which the pancreas releases after eating, making you feel full.

A representative for Novo Nordisk told the Post that the company has filed lawsuits against medical spas, medical and weight-loss clinics, and pharmacies that engaged in the illegal sale of compounded products claiming to contain semaglutide.

Additionally, we have sent and will continue to send cease and desist letters to entities engaged in similar conduct, the spokesperson said.

Since the Ozempic and Wegovy craze took hold, their appetite-suppressing benefits have taken Hollywood and non-celebrities so much by storm that even Walmart said the drugs were causing shoppers to cut back on their shopping.

Customers don’t seem to mind the series of bizarre side effects that have emerged, including Ozempic’s buttocks, where users claim their behinds flattened along with their stomach.

Users then warned about the Ozempic finger, whose fingers and wrists were also rapidly shrinking in size, making women fear their engagement rings would fall off.

The final, much more serious side effect was patients reporting that the drugs triggered thoughts of suicide and self-harm.

Last month, the pharmaceutical giant overtook French luxury empire LVMH as Europe’s most valuable company.

Novo Nordisk saw its market capitalization rise to $424.7 billion on September 1 in London, beating the luxury retail conglomerate owned by Bernard Arnault’s family.

The same day, LVMH, which has been Europe’s most valuable company for two and a half years and includes brands Louis Vuitton, Dior and Sephora, had a market capitalization of $420.1 billion, according to Refinitiv data cited by the Reuters news agency.

As of Wednesday, the Danish multinational’s market value had fallen to $333 billion.