Buying counterfeit weight-loss drugs from illegal online pharmacies that don't require a prescription is a very bad idea, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open.
The counterfeit drugs are being marketed as equivalents of the blockbuster semaglutide drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, which are only available by prescription. When investigators obtained three illegal versions, they found that the counterfeits contained low-purity semaglutide, had dosages that exceeded the labeled amount, and one showed signs of bacterial contamination.
The three substandard drugs tested came from three different illegal online pharmacies, which sold them as generic semaglutide drugs for weight loss, appetite suppression, diabetes, and cardiovascular health. However, the researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Pécs in Hungary, had initially tried to purchase counterfeit drugs from six such sellers.
Three of the illegal pharmacies, which specifically sold Ozempic knockoffs, never delivered the drugs after investigators paid for them. Instead, investigators were faced with a “nondelivery” scam, in which the sellers demanded extra, hefty payments, supposedly needed to clear customs. These extra fees ranged from $650 to $1,200, far more than what investigators paid for small doses of the counterfeit drugs, which ranged from $113 to $360 for the six sellers.
Rogue Pharmacies
The Ozempic scam was operated from the rogue online pharmacies: weightcrunchshop.com, puremedsonline.com, and genius-pharmacy.com. The three pharmacies that supplied the questionable medications were semaspace.com, uschemlabs.com, and biotechpeptides.com.
Two of the vendors, semaspace.com and uschemlabs.com, have already received warning letters from the Food and Drug Administration for selling unapproved, misbranded drugs. At the time of publication, Semaspace’s website was down. US Chem Labs’ site was still available, but its semaglutide vials were all listed as sold out.
The study's findings, while not surprising, highlight the risks people can take in trying to obtain the popular medications. Steep prices, lack of insurance coverage and drug shortages have put the drugs out of reach for many who could benefit from them. Compounding pharmacies have stepped in to make imitation versions. While these are legal and can be sourced from legitimate pharmacies — those that are properly registered and require prescriptions — they also come with risks. Compounding medications are not approved by the FDA and can carry safety and efficacy risks. Last week, the FDA warned of increasing reports of people overdosing on semaglutide products made in compounding pharmacies, leading to hospitalizations of some patients.
