Fake Ozempic Injections Hospitalize Several in Austria, Raising Counterfeit Drug Concerns Across Europe

Patients subjected to counterfeit Ozempic suffered hypoglycemic attacks and seizures, indicating the presence of insulin instead of the drug's active ingredient, semaglutide; authorities warn against "weight-loss injections" from unregulated sources as global shortages spur the black market.

Several people in Austria were hospitalized after being injected with counterfeit versions of Ozempic, a popular diabetes drug that is being used off-label for weight loss; authorities suggest that insulin was substituted for the active ingredient, semaglutide, causing hypoglycemic attacks and seizures.
The bogus Ozempic injections were reportedly supplied by a doctor in Austria; the fake syringes are identifiable by their darker blue color and transparent glass, with needles four millimeters in length as opposed to the genuine six-millimeter needles.
The European Medicines Agency has warned about a proliferation of fake Ozempic injections in the UK and the EU; the Federal Criminal Police Office in Vienna has noted that these counterfeit products typically bear labels in German.
A global shortage of Ozempic, due to its increasing use as a weight loss drug despite being primarily designed to manage blood glucose levels in Type 2 diabetes patients, has led to a surge in the black market activity and counterfeit drugs.
Other countries are urged to be vigilant for these counterfeit Ozempic pens, particularly those from dubious sources; affected batches from sources other than pharmacies may still be in circulation.
Belgium is planning on banning the off-label use of Ozempic as a weight loss drug due to a shortage; likewise, in the UK, prescriptions of Ozempic for non-diabetic patients have been halted.