FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Contact: Ben Conroy
(984) 383-9038
RALEIGH – Today, Attorney General Jeff Jackson and 37 bipartisan Attorneys General called on the Food and Drug Administration to stop bad actors from selling harmful counterfeit versions of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound or illegally selling active ingredients of those drugs online.
Attorney General Jackson released the following statement:
“Counterfeit versions of these drugs are flowing into North Carolina from all over the world. The potential for harm to unsuspecting buyers is significant. Unregulated active ingredients of these drugs are also being illegally sold online. The FDA needs to take immediate action to guard consumers against this new threat, and we’re here to work with them to make sure that happens.”
In their letter to the FDA, the Attorneys General warn that counterfeit GLP-1 drugs containing contaminants or unregulated active ingredients have entered the United States from countries such as China, Turkey, and India. Online retailers, often using social media, are illegally selling the active ingredients in GLP-1 drugs – which may contain harmful substances – to consumers without a prescription. The Attorneys General are asking the FDA to increase enforcement actions against these unlawful actors and partner with state pharmacy boards to ensure that our residents are protected from these practices.
Attorney General Jackson was joined in signing onto this letter by the Attorneys General of Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
You can read the full letter here.