Ozempic is not only effective against diabetes but also against obesity – therefore the demand for the drug has become enormous. Now the Swedish Medicines Agency warns of fraudsters who market products that claim to contain the drug – in the actual case, they may contain insulin.
– It can be very dangerous, says Elin Maria Bergsten, investigator at the Medical Products Agency.
Ozempic is not only effective against diabetes but also against obesity. And just over six months ago, videos of celebrities and influencers in the US using Ozempic began to circulate – after that, the drug Ozempic ran out as soon as it entered the pharmacies.
To catch up with the rampant demand, the company Novo Nordisk has increased production, but deliveries of the drug to Sweden have, on the contrary, decreased. TV4 Nyheterna has previously told about Per-Erik having to travel eighteen miles for his diabetes medicine.
At least ten Swedish websites
Now the Swedish Medicines Agency warns that counterfeit Ozempic is rampant on the black market. It is often promoted on social media and on websites posing as online pharmacies. On the online forum Flashback, various ways to get hold of Ozempic via the internet are discussed.
– We have found at least ten Swedish websites that are anonymous and you don’t know who the sellers are, but you can find the websites via these discussion forums. says Elin Maria Bergsten, investigator at the Medical Products Agency.
“Very dangerous”
In Switzerland, several people have ended up in hospital after using drugs marketed as Ozempic – but which turned out to contain completely different substances than what was claimed. In the actual case, the package contained a rebranded insulin pen and the subjects suffered from acute low blood sugar, according to a press release from the Swiss Medicines Agency.
– It is very dangerous to ingest these medicines if you do not need them.
Ozempic is a prescription medicine and the Swedish Food Agency strongly advises against going online to get hold of it. Elin Maria Bergsten emphasizes that it is important to have ice in your stomach and not to buy from a seller who seems suspicious.
– You have to buy from a real pharmacy and all other ways are unsafe.