Many people overdose on alternatives to Ozempic and Wegovy because of the semaglutide dosage they take themselves.
Ozempic is an FDA-approved prescription drug for people with type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy is FDA-approved for people with chronic obesity. The drugs – taken once a week by injection into the thigh, abdomen or arm – are the brand names for semaglutide, which works in the brain to make you feel full. However, the drugs have gained popularity over the past year as many use them to lose weight when it is not medically necessary.
Because of this increase in demand, the drugs were previously affected by drug shortages across the country. But before the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk was able to increase production, many counterfeit and complex versions of the injections appeared on the market, causing health consequences for those who turned to them.
Becky Cheairs, 66, told The New York Times that she was prescribed the alternative Ozempic through the telehealth service. Unlike Ozempic, which comes as injections that are pre-filled with a certain dose, Cheairs was given a vial of the drug and a bag of syringes to draw the drug herself with written instructions.
She accidentally injected herself with five times the amount she should have taken, telling the outlet that the wrong dose was “such an easy mistake to make, especially for a layperson”.
US poison centers report 1,500% increase in calls involving accidental overdoses of weight loss drugs
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A few hours after taking the medicine, Cheairs started vomiting and spent the next day throwing up at least once an hour.
The US Food and Drug Administration states that these accidents are becoming more common. In some cases, patients reportedly received five to 20 times the intended dose of semaglutide. The agency notes that it does not review, test or approve these compounded drugs for safety.
In addition, there have reportedly been 159 calls to national poison control centers this year involving GLP-1 compounds, a class of drugs that includes semaglutide, according to time.
“FDA encourages patients to speak with their healthcare provider or compounder about how to measure and administer the intended dose of compounded semaglutide,” officials wrote.
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Fake Ozempic Leads to 3 Hospitalizations in US, Prompts FDA Investigation
In December 2023, the FDA issued a warning about counterfeit products that had infiltrated the “legitimate US drug supply chain”.
“The agency advises wholesalers, retail pharmacies, healthcare professionals, and patients to verify the product they received and not to distribute, use, or sell products marked with serial number NAR0074 and serial number 430834149057,” the alert said. “Some counterfeit products may still be available for purchase.”
The warning came after a number of people were hospitalized due to the ill effects of consuming counterfeit products.
In a statement on its website, Novo Nordisk said: “Counterfeit or counterfeit products pose a real risk to public health today. The effect or lack of effect in the body can be very harmful to people who are exposed. To protect the health and safety of patients around the world, we are actively involved in the fight against counterfeiting.”
If you suspect you have a counterfeit product, the FDA invites you to submit a report online on the MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form — or you can contact Novo Nordisk via this contact form.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education