Counterfeit Ozempic Is on the Rise in the US

There’s now yet another hurdle to losing weight—the weight loss drugs you procured could be fake. In a press release, the FDA warned that counterfeit versions of Ozempic are on the rise.

Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company behind the weight loss drug, informed the FDA that several hundred units of counterfeit Ozempic injection 1mg were in the U.S. drug supply chain. The products were distributed outside the Novo Nordisk authorized supply chain in the U.S. Days after learning of the issue, the FDA seized the counterfeit products.

In response to the situation, the FDA warned patients and suppliers who carry the drug to check their product. If it is labeled with lot number PAR0362 and has a serial number that begins with 51746517, the product is counterfeit.

On its website, Novo Nordisk noted that lot number PAR0362 is an authentic lot number. It is a counterfeit product only when that lot number has those eight digits in the serial number.

What to Do If You Have Fake Ozempic

Patients, the company believes, are unlikely to encounter the counterfeit product if they fill their prescription through a legitimate retailer who uses authorized distributors.

If they do come into contact with the fake product, patients are urged to contact the FDA and Novo Nordisk. They should also report any adverse side effects to the FDA’s MedWatch Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program.

FDA and Novo Nordisk are testing the seized products. They do not yet have information about the identity, quality, or safety of these drugs. 

It’s not the first time the FDA has warned of faux Ozempic. Back in 2023, the department said they’d uncovered thousands of units of the counterfeit product.

In that instance, the needles in the fake product were found to be counterfeit. That led the FDA to question if the drug was sterile. That particular lot was also found to contain counterfeit pen labels, accompanying health care professional and patient information cards, and cartons.