Demand for weight-loss drugs fuels global rise in counterfeits

Oct 20 (Reuters) – Extraordinary demand for Novo Nordisks (NOVOb.CO) Ozempic and other drugs used for weight loss is fueling a global surge in counterfeit versions, according to Reuters interviews with law enforcement officials , the fight against counterfeiting and public health.

The US-based Pharmaceutical Safety Institute (PSI), an industry-backed organization whose members include drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly (LLY.N), said it was working also with agencies including Europol, Interpol and US Homeland Security. as well as companies that help identify counterfeit products, such as BrandShield in Israel.

Their combined efforts include investigating complaints about counterfeit drugs, searching for purchase offers or advertisements in e-commerce and social media, and teaching customs officials how to spot counterfeits.

Novos Ozempic, approved to treat diabetes, contains the active ingredient semaglutide, which is also used in the company’s weight-loss drug, Wegovy.

Both are used by people looking to lose weight, as is Lillys Mounjaro, which is currently approved for diabetes and expected to get the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat obesity within months future. All three drugs are in short supply amid a global epidemic of obesity and high rates of diabetes.

These weight loss drugs are a hot topic right now because they are on television and getting a lot of media attention. If I’m a criminal organization, that’s the next opportunity I’m going to exploit, said Jim Mancuso, director of the Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Mancuso said the agency is also working with Europol, Interpol and about 23 other law enforcement agencies on tracking weight-loss drugs to quell what they say could become the worst wave of counterfeit drugs linked to lifestyle since erectile dysfunction drugs like Viagra.

Although Novo emphasizes that its Ozempic and Wegovy drugs are indicated for the treatment of diabetes and weight loss, respectively, the weekly injectable drugs have become household names in America for their off-label use as a lifestyle treatment.

Novo said in a statement to Reuters that it was working closely with PSI and other organizations to accurately share data and provide an informed picture of the status of these crimes, and that it was collaborating with the forces law enforcement and other authorities.

Lilly said its strategy includes deterring major counterfeiters of its products through investigations, Internet monitoring and legal action, as well as partnerships with government and non-government organizations and trade associations.

“SO MANY CASES”

Ozempic is the biggest target in Europe so far, according to a Europol official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak. Fake weight-loss drugs will be the focus of the agency’s annual report on counterfeit drugs, expected next year, the official said.

We have counterfeit products and stolen products, the official said. We have so many cases.

Counterfeit Ozempic has already been found in at least 14 countries, including the UK, Germany, Egypt and Russia. Many have warned pharmacies and consumers to be vigilant about counterfeits because it’s unclear what they actually contain.

Germany’s federal medicines regulator last week urged pharmacies and drug distributors to be vigilant following the discovery of bulk batches of fake Ozempic.

The UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), then said on Wednesday that injector pens falsely labeled as Ozempic had been identified at two UK wholesalers.

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization said the use of these drugs could pose significant health risks.

“We’ll look online and if we find something that infringes (on obesity drug trademarks), we’ll have it removed,” said Yoav Keren, CEO of BrandShield. “Sometimes PSI and its members buy samples “, did he declare. When a consumer buys these counterfeits, they get expired medicines, counterfeit medicines or nothing at all, he added.

An Interpol official said that counterfeit obesity drugs, due to their high prices, are widely sold in rich countries, including North America, Europe and the Middle East, unlike most counterfeit medicines which tend to be marketed in poorer regions.

The MHRA said reports linked to potentially falsified GLP-1, the class of drugs that includes Wegovy, Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Mounjaro, had risen from two in 2022 to up to 20 this year. year.

Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority told Reuters it had confiscated 233 units of counterfeit semaglutide, up from 32 units in 2022.

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