Overview
- The 31-year-old bought the product without a prescription from a wellness website that was not an authorized pharmacy.
- Toxicology at the Padova hospital verified the pen held insulin, and packaging showed telltale counterfeit signs including printing errors and missing EU Braille.
- Emergency crews found her with blood glucose below 40 mg/dL; she recovered after intravenous glucose and a short hospitalization.
- The hospital notified AIFA and other competent authorities, who launched investigations into the product’s origin and the online seller.
- The case was documented in the European Journal of Hospital Pharmacy, with clinicians warning that high demand for semaglutide is driving falsified products on unregulated platforms.