“Life was lost while trying to lose weight”… 10 people die and 100 are hospitalized after taking ‘counterfeit’ weight loss pills in the US

In the United States, it was claimed that 10 people died and 100 were hospitalized after taking drugs that mimicked the diabetes treatment Ozempic and the obesity treatment Wegobi.

According to the British daily The Times on the 6th (local time), Lars Froergaard Jergensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk in Denmark, which produces Ozempic and Wigobee, said that semaglutide, the chemical ingredient in Ozempic and Wigobee, was used last year. It was claimed that this was discovered after investigating the side effects experienced by people who took the imitation drug made using the drug.

Last month, CEO Jergensen asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of Ozempic and Wigobi copycat drugs in the U.S., saying that the manufacturing method for Ozempic and Wigobi is too complicated for other pharmaceutical companies to manufacture them safely at the correct dosage. requested.

The FDA responded that it had received reports of incidents requiring hospitalization due to medication errors in imitation drugs and that it was reviewing Novo Nordisk’s request. However, CEO Jergensen stated that he cited the FDA’s data, but the FDA drew a line if Novo Nordisk’s report was not verified.

CEO Jergensen said, “Given the U.S. regulatory scrutiny of both drugs, I was frankly surprised by the situation in the U.S. that consumers could inject themselves with products that had not been tested or approved. “It is concerning that imitation drugs can be obtained from so-called ‘health spas,’” he said. “We are working with the FDA, and we believe that oversight of copycat drugs will change over time,” he added.

In the United States, despite the high cost of $1,000 (approximately 1.39 million won) per month, the popularity of Ozempic and WeGobee has soared, leading to shortages. Ozempic and Wigobi have been listed on the FDA’s list of drugs in short supply in recent years.

Accordingly, other pharmaceutical companies are producing and distributing generic drugs of Ozempic and WeGobee. Under U.S. law, the FDA has the authority to approve Ozempic and WeGobee, but some states regulate the production and distribution of generic drugs by other pharmaceutical companies in case of supply shortages.

Novo Nordisk announced in its fourth quarter earnings report that WeGobee’s global sales increased by 79% compared to the same period last year. In particular, Wegobee sales in the U.S. showed rapid growth, increasing 22% compared to the same period last year. He added that the company is increasing the supply of Ozempic and Wegobi to the market through investment in production facilities.

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