Overview
- A 31-year-old in Padova injected what she believed was Ozempic and collapsed with blood glucose below 40 mg/dL before recovering after IV glucose in hospital.
- Toxicology at the Azienda ospedaliera di Padova found the pen contained insulin rather than semaglutide, which explains the rapid, severe hypoglycemia.
- Clinicians noted counterfeit red flags on the packaging, including missing EU-required Braille, printing errors, a deformed logo, and non-Italian text.
- The hospital reported the case to Italy’s medicines agency AIFA and law enforcement, and authorities have opened investigations into the product and the seller.
- The case, detailed in the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, underscores how high demand and out-of-pocket costs drive purchases from unauthorized sites that are not licensed pharmacies.