Global alert issued over dangerous fake Ozempic jabs found in the UK, US and Brazil...
amid reports of Brits hit by life-threatening side effects after using counterfeits READ MORE: Do not use fat jabs to be 'beach-body ready', UK's top doctor warns By Emily Stearn, Health Reporter For Mailonline Published: 10:28, 21 June 2024 | Updated: 10:32, 21 June 2024 e-mail View comments Fake versions of 'game-changer' slimming jabs have been discovered in the UK, US and Brazil , global health chiefs have warned. The once-a-week jab, made by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, is offered on the NHS to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels. Semaglutide — the generic name for Ozempic — also triggers weight loss , earning it praise as a 'miracle' weight loss injection.
But World Health Organization (WHO) bosses have announced three counterfeit batches falsely claiming to be manufactured by Novo Nordisk have entered the market. The UN agency detected the fake injectable pens, which could prove 'life threatening', in Brazil and the UK last October, and the US in December. Semaglutide has been shown to help users lose up to 33lbs (15.
3kg) on average over 68 weeks. The treatments trick the brain into thinking it's full, consequently slashing appetite and stopping users from overeating. Huge global demand, however, has seen counterfeit versions flood the market.
Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the s.