Suspected fake Ozempic hospitalizes several people in Austria

BERLIN, Oct 24 (Reuters) – Several people were hospitalized in Austria after using suspected fake versions of Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic, the country’s health safety body said, the first report of harm caused to users while the European hunt for counterfeiters expands.

The patients reportedly suffered hypoglycemia and seizures, serious side effects that indicate the product contained insulin instead of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, the health safety regulator said Monday. , BASG.

The Austrian judicial police warned on Monday that fake injector pens could still be in circulation.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned last week of the existence of falsely labeled Ozempic pens.

The drug’s Danish maker, Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO), had reported an increase in online offerings for counterfeit Ozempic as well as its weight-loss drug Wegovy, both based on semaglutide.

The company has been working to increase production to meet the overwhelming demand.

“It appears that this shortage is being exploited by criminal organizations to market counterfeit Ozempic,” BASG said.

When asked to comment on the Austrian cases, Novo said in a statement that it investigates and reports every case of counterfeiting brought to its attention.

It reiterated that it has increased efforts to monitor and remove illegal online offerings.

“We recognize the limitations of this exercise and conduct physical investigations where warranted,” Novo said, adding that this sometimes involved specialist companies “on the ground” to help authorities track counterfeiters.

The Austrian BASG did not provide the exact number of people affected by the fake Ozempic, nor the duration of the adverse effects on their health.

The organization that runs the European Union’s medicines verification system, which carries out digital monitoring of medicines dispensed by pharmacists, confirmed the EMA’s findings on Tuesday that no counterfeits had been detected in pharmacies Retail.

The EMA and German and British authorities, including prosecutors in southwest Germany, have investigated a case in which fake injector pens bearing German labels and packaged in genuine Ozempic packaging were sold by a Austrian wholesaler to Germany, then from there to two British wholesalers. .

BASG said it would not make further comments on the matter, to protect the investigation.

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.