The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has urged people not to buy fake weight loss injections – as shortages of Ozempic are expected to continue into next year.
The association warned of a possible “explosion in the unlicensed sale of medicines online” and said that people were risking their health by buying Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) without proper controls.
Ozempic is available on the NHS for people with type 2 diabetes, while Wegovy can be prescribed for weight loss through specialist weight management services, with strict criteria on who can get the medicines.
But the jabs have exploded in popularity, with social media showing before and after photos of fat loss, and some celebrities have endorsed their use.
Ozempic, made by New NordicIt helps people with type 2 diabetes regulate blood sugar levels, but its ability to suppress appetite has also led people to use it to lose weight.
Pharmacists are seeing a shortage of the drug, fueled by high demand — plus the fact that some doctors are prescribing it off-label to obese people.
This has led to a shortage of people with diabetes, while also fueling a rise in counterfeit vaccines.
Increased risk due to the “precarious state of supply”
The NPA, which represents more than 5,000 independently run community pharmacies, urges patients to speak to their pharmacist or GP rather than buying medicines online from sellers who are not registered and regulated in the UK.
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, said pharmacists remained “deeply concerned”.
“Stocks of Ozempic are heavily depleted in community pharmacies across the UK and it is important that these continue to be prioritized for those with the greatest clinical need,” he said.
“Given the precarious state of supply of this and other vital medicines, there is a much greater risk that people will seek to order supplies from disreputable online suppliers.
“Wegovy stock isn’t that bad at the moment, it’s Ozempic that’s problematic.”
“We have been informed that these stocks will not return in doses of 0.25 (mg), 0.5 mg or 1 mg until December 27th,” he added.
“This is the current date projected by the manufacturers themselves.
“In all our experience, it is much less likely to be before that date and much more likely to be later.”
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‘We really care about fakes’
People usually start Ozempic at the lowest dose of 0.25 mg before increasing levels if necessary.
In January, the Department of Health and Social Care told healthcare providers not to prescribe off-label weight loss medicines, and said existing stock should be reserved for patients with type 2 diabetes.
It stated that “supply issues were caused by an increase in demand for these products for licensed and off-label indications” and that “supply is not expected to return to normal until at least the end of 2024.”
Kaye added: “We are really concerned about counterfeits in the supply chain.
“People want to have access to these medicines and when they can’t because they are out of stock, they may end up going elsewhere.
“In the UK we have regulated and secure online provision in some places.
“We’re not saying everything online [sales] it should be banned, but we want to make sure it’s the right kind of organization and accredited.”
See more information:
What are the injections and do they do?
Stephen Fry reveals Ozempic made him vomit
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Unauthorized sales ‘can be dangerous’
Kaye said people can check to see if an online supplier is registered and regulated by the General Pharmaceutical Council or the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland.
The NPA also intends to see a reintroduction of rules that would make it mandatory to make a list of regulated online medicine sellers in the UK publicly available.
In June, the World Health Organization issued a medical product alert about fake semaglutide stocks detected in Brazil, the UK and the US.
He said there have been increasing reports of fake semaglutide since 2022.
Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration has warned against people overdosing on the drugs, with reports of some people suffering severe nausea, vomiting, headaches, dehydration, pancreatitis and gallstones.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We strongly advise the public not to buy regulated medicines from online retailers or unauthorized beauty salons as they can be dangerous.
“The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency works continuously to identify those who illegally market medicines and will use its powers to take appropriate enforcement action, including, where necessary, prosecuting those who put people’s health at risk.
“Separately, we are taking action to tackle the obesity crisis head-on – shifting our focus from treatment to prevention – which will ease pressure on the NHS and help people live well for longer.”
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