Insulin pens are recapsulated to mimic semaglutide pens, company warns; the police investigate the case
The pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, responsible for the production of the Ozempicoconfirmed that there are fake copies of the medicine being sold illegally and published methods for identifying the original medicine. Al the counterfeits had already been reportedbut received backlash after a woman was hospitalized after using the misleading product.
The victim was admitted last Thursday, the 17th, to the Copa hospital Painin Rio de Janeiro. The medical bulletin specifies that the patient was admitted “to the emergency room of the Copa D’Or hospital, presenting a serious clinical condition, difficult to identify. She was promptly assisted and the situation was duly treated and healed”.
“Since the patient is being treated with Ozempic, in consideration of the note recently released by the laboratory responsible for the production of the drug on the possible falsification of the medicine, there was a suspicion that the patient could be a victim of the effects of a counterfeit medicine”, concludes the communicated.
The patient was discharged the next day. Consequently, the Civil Police went to the pharmacy indicated by the woman as the place to purchase the medicine and seized three boxes of counterfeit medicines. The agency added that the owner of the establishment has already been interviewed and that other initiatives are underway to clarify all the facts.
Differences
According to Novo Nordisk, “there are indications that Fiasp FlexTouch insulin pens have been reprimed with Ozempic labels from lot NP5K174, perhaps improperly removed from the original drug pens.” The pharmaceutical company adds that it cannot guarantee that other batches have not also been falsified.
In addition to the capital Rio de Janeiro, the company has recognized other cases of replacing Ozempic with Fiasp FlexTouch in Paty do Alferes (RJ), Brasilia, Anápolis (GO), Curitiba and Belo Horizonte. Currently, an insulin pen can be purchased for less than R$50, while the semaglutide pen is sold for around R$1,000.
The main difference in the applicator of the two drugs is the color: the Ozempic pen is light blue, with a gray application button. The Fiasp insulin pen is dark blue in color, with an orange button.
It is also important to analyze whether the packaging is canceled or altered, in a foreign language, with a pharmaceutical appearance (presentation) different from the one registered and with incorrect information on the product. The available versions of Ozempic in Brazil are 0.25 mg, 0.5 mg and 1 mg, and there is no “new formula” – the medicine follows the same formulation and packaging since it arrived in the country in 2019.
Novo Nordisk also points out that its products follow the Medicines Market Regulatory Chamber’s table, which regulates the price of medicines in the country, so any discount or promotion that leaves the medicine priced well below the market price should serve as warning.
Finally, the pharmaceutical company recommends being wary of “sites and channels not authorized by Anvisa for the sale of medicines and which use brands and/or adopt sales applications and social networks to offer the products”.
Product analysis
If you are unsure of the origin of the product, do not apply it. The recommendation is to contact Novo Nordisk Customer Service (SAC) to report the incident and, if desired, deliver samples of the pen to the company for analysis in its laboratory in Denmark. From there a product report is issued.
“Novo Nordisk has already reported the cases to Anvisa, complying with pharmacovigilance requirements, and has closely monitored all cases reported on its channels, in the press and on social networks, as part of a risk management and minimization plan implemented by the company”, concludes the press release.
Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
