The prescription medication Ozempic Weight Loss contains the active ingredient semaglutide and is approved for the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes. Semaglutide increases the amount of insulin released and lowers blood sugar levels. At the same time, it increases the feeling of satiety and reduces food cravings. As a result, the drug was increasingly used off-label as a “slimming product”, which is problematic for several reasons.
Counterfeits in Circulation of Ozempic Weight Loss
Ozempic Weight Loss is available as a solution for injection in a pre-filled pen. Due to the increased off-label use as a “slimming injection” for obese people, the drug soon became scarce for diabetics. At the same time, more and more criminal organizations are bringing counterfeits onto the market, which can cause serious side effects such as hypoglycaemia and seizures. These quickly lead to death and must be treated immediately in hospital.
The Federal Criminal Police Office and the Federal Office for Safety in Health Care (BASG) therefore urgently warn against obtaining Ozempic from dubious sources (online stores, etc.).
Only purchases from public pharmacies and doctors with practice dispensaries are safe!
The picture below shows what the original Ozempic® pen looks like in contrast to the counterfeit.
How Do Counterfeits and Originals Differ?
According to the BASG, the features that distinguish the original from the counterfeit are as follows:
The counterfeit pen differs in color from the original, the “blue” is darker than the original.
The viewing window is different. On the counterfeit it is completely transparent, on the original it is covered with gray paint.
The dose adjustment ring is different. This can be extended on the counterfeit, which is not possible on the original.
The enclosed needles both have a length of 4 mm, the original needle is labeled 32G, the counterfeit needle is labeled 31G.
However, it cannot be ruled out that there are other, different-looking forgeries in circulation.
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