The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is warning the public not to buy pre filled pens claiming to contain Ozempic (semaglutide) or Saxenda (liraglutide) but to consult a healthcare professional qualified to prescribe medicines and obtain a prescription.
Article continues below
Semaglutide and liraglutide are prescription only medicines.
Saxenda (liraglutide), is authorised in the UK for weight loss, with diet and exercise.
Ozempic (semaglutide) has been authorised for the treatment of adults with type 2 diabetes, also with diet and exercise.
It is not authorised for weight loss, but it is commonly used off-label for that purpose.
The MHRA has seized 369 potentially fake Ozempic pens since January 2023, and has also received reports of fake Saxenda pens that have been obtained by members of the public in the UK through non-legitimate routes (any route that does not require a prescription from a qualified prescribing healthcare professional).
None were seized before January 2023.
Buying prescription-only medicines online without a prescription poses a direct danger to health. The MHRA has received reports of a very small number of people who have been hospitalised after using potentially fake weight-loss pens.
With any medicines bought outside of the legal supply chain, the contents may not match the ingredients on the label.
Serious side effects reported of those hospitalised, including hypoglycaemic shock and coma, indicate that the pens may contain insulin rather than semaglutide.
Health Minister Will Quince said: “No one should put profit before the needs of patients, but fraudsters selling black market medicines like this are extremely dangerous and can put people’s health at risk.
“The medical advice is clear: patients should only use medicines like Ozempic or Saxenda where they’ve been prescribed it by a legitimate source, such as their GP or another legitimate prescriber.
“The MHRA have our full support in cracking down on these illegal online suppliers to ensure that patients are protected.†■