LONDON (DPA): People who are using anti-obesity medication for cosmetic weight loss are driving a global shortage of the drugs, leading health experts have suggested. Medics warned that the shortages could lead to “serious consequences,” with continued high demand potentially leading to fake versions of the drugs. They have now called on industry, regulators, clinicians, patients and the public to “step up actions now” to resolve the issue.

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are a family of medications that help manage blood sugar and include the Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda. There have been global shortages of some of the drugs since 2022, with reports that people who are not obese or overweight are using them to lose weight. Continued high demand has also increased the risk of fake products entering the market, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) suggests, leading to “serious consequences” for public health.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a medical product alert on falsified semaglutides, specifically the brand Ozempic. It said three batches of the fake drug had been detected in Brazil and the U.K.

in October and in the U.S. in December.

The EMA and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) outlined a number of measures to help tackle shortages across the European Union. The EMA and HMA, through the Executive Steering Group on Shortages and Safety of Medicinal Products (MSSG), have advised EU member states to consider measures to control .