Fake version of ‘The Next Ozempic’ for sale on Chinese website

• Knock-off versions of Eli Lilly’s retatrutide, hailed as a potential ‘New Ozempic’, are being sold directly to US consumers through Chinese websites
• Unapproved drugs are also finding their way to consumers through advertising on social media platforms and even partnerships with influencers.

Knock-off versions of Eli Lilly’s retatrutide, hailed as a potential ‘New Ozempic,’ are being sold directly to US consumers through Chinese websites despite being years away from regulatory approval. approval.

The Wall Street Journal reported that hundreds of merchants are offering this new drug to buyers in the US through websites such as Made-in-China.com and GorillaHealing.com.

According to the publication, several websites, including those that appear to be based in the United States, have been marketing their products through posts on LinkedIn and Reddit.

Unapproved drugs are also finding their way to consumers through advertising on social media platforms and even partnerships with various spokespersons, including a health influencer. bodybuilder, who advertised selling drugs through his newsletter.

“Never before has a drug in late-stage clinical trials been so blatantly advertised for direct sale,” George Karavetsos, former director of the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, told the Journal. line”.

Eli Lilly stoked enthusiasm about the future of retatrutide when it announced in June that Phase 2 trial results showed the drug produced an average weight loss of up to 24% over 48 weeks.

However, the mid-phase obesity trial of retatrutide included only 338 patients.

Three late-stage trials aimed at studying effectiveness and safety in more obese patients began this summer and are expected to last through 2026.

The FDA will not approve the unbranded drug for sale for several months after that, if the trials are successful.

It can also be copied quite easily with the right ingredients because Eli Lilly has disclosed its chemical structure according to patent protection records.

Meta Platforms, which owns Facebook and Instagram, as well as Google, LinkedIn and Reddit, said it removed ads or posts from flagged users according to internal policies.

The FDA said it will continue to investigate reports of suspected counterfeit drugs to determine the public health risk and appropriate regulatory response.

In a statement, Lilly said ‘Any product claiming to be a Lilly investigational product that has not been approved by the FDA, like retatrutide, could expose patients to serious health risks.’

Retatrutide along with Ozempic, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, is part of a new class of drugs that mimic hormones that regulate appetite.

Ozempic has returned to the spotlight in recent days because its link with suicidal thoughts is becoming ‘more credible’, a former US chief medical officer said.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received hundreds of reports of suicidal thoughts and depression from patients taking diet pills since 2010, as well as 36 deaths. ‘due to suicide or suspected suicide’.

Of the side effects, a significant number occur immediately after starting the drug or increasing the dose only to gradually subside when the patient stops taking the drug.

Patients included a mother of four who said she felt like she no longer wanted to be there and a nurse who wanted to shoot herself.

Dr. Erick Turner, who once worked for the FDA but is now at Oregon Health and Science University, said the fact that many patients stopped having suicidal thoughts when they stopped taking the drug makes it difficult to explain their behavior. suicide becomes ‘more difficult’.

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) received a total of 265 reports of suicidal thoughts and depression.

A woman with type 2 diabetes also revealed she feared for her life after Ozempic severely burned her genitals and caused ‘pieces of skin’ to fall off her body.

Dr. Maria Rosas, a professor in Texas, was prescribed the once-a-week medication for her type 2 diabetes in the hope that it might eliminate her need to take multiple medications twice a day.

She said the first week went well, with blood sugar levels well controlled. Although she felt a bit depressed, she said her condition improved quickly.

However, the following week, Dr. Rosas said she felt burning pain in her back, genitals and buttocks. These areas also began to turn a deep red as if exposed to the sun ‘for days’.

She then noticed ‘pieces of skin’ started appearing on the toilet seat and toilet paper every time she cleaned those areas.

Upon examining her genitals, anus and buttocks, Dr. Rosas said her skin appeared blackened and sunburned.

After just 20 days of using the drug in August 2023, she called her doctor to report her condition and he told her to stop using Ozempic immediately.