Friday, February 21, 2025
Patients across the country, including in North Carolina, are widely using weight-loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. However, due to quickly rising demand and supply shortages, counterfeit versions of these drugs are flowing into the United States from countries including India, China, and Turkey. These fake pills will often contain dangerous amounts of active ingredients or other harmful foreign substances, posing a serious threat to North Carolinians. Consuming or injecting these fake medications can cause serious side effects or even hospitalization.
Online retailers are also selling unregulated active ingredients of these drugs on the internet and social media, giving them to people without a prescription. When only the active ingredient is distributed, consumers are often forced to concoct the medication themselves, posing an even greater risk of overdose or other negative health impacts. This week, Attorney General Jeff Jackson and a bipartisan coalition of Attorneys General urged the FDA to take action against unlawful fake drug producers and sellers.
Here are some tips to follow when obtaining or taking your medication:
- Always consult a doctor before taking a new medication. And when necessary, get a prescription through a trusted physician.
- Don’t buy prescription drugs from unfamiliar sellers online. It’s easy for online sellers to send you cheap fakes of the medications you’re looking for that contain incorrect dosages or harmful foreign substances.
- Always pick up your prescriptions in person or get them delivered from a trusted pharmacist, so you know the medications you’re getting are authentic and safe.
- Never formulate your medications yourself. The balance of ingredients is delicate and self-application or injection could lead to an overdose.
- If you start feeling irregular side effects or health problems from a medication you’ve taken, call 9-1-1 or seek medical help immediately.
- If you see someone illegally selling these counterfeit drugs or active ingredients online in North Carolina, report it to law enforcement.