There has been a significant surge this year in seizures by Irish authorities of packages of new weight-loss drugs which are being sold illegally on the black market.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) has seized 278 units of obesity medication ordered or sold without a prescription in the first seven months of this year. This is an increase on the 40 units of the prescription weight-loss drugs seized over the entire course of last year.
The rise in seizures of the drugs, often illegally sold online, follows huge demand in the last year for the new medications which have been hailed as treatments for obesity by medics, but also promoted as weight-loss drugs by celebrities and social media influencers.
There has been a major shortage of Ozempic, which is licensed for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in Ireland but is also prescribed as an obesity treatment, along with the weight-loss drug Saxenda.
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Both Ozempic, Saxenda and another weight-loss drug Wegovy, which is not yet available in Ireland, are produced by Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and administered by regular injections.
The HPRA has seized 159 units of semaglutide, which is sold under the Ozempic and Wegovy brands, up to the end of July this year. The regulator seized a further 119 units of liraglutide, including Saxenda brand products, according to figures released to The Irish Times.
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This compares to 32 units of semaglutide and eight units of liraglutide confiscated by the HPRA last year.
The health products watchdog said it was “closely monitoring” increased demand for prescription weight-loss drugs. In a statement it noted the overall amounts confiscated this year was still low, compared to seizures of other illegally sold medications, such as sedatives or steroids.
Many patients who have been prescribed the drugs have complained of frequent shortages in pharmacies as a result of global strain on supplies.
In a statement Novo Nordisk said it was continuing to deal with “stronger than anticipated demand”, leading to “periodic supply constraints of various doses” of Ozempic and Saxenda.
Amid the huge demand for the scarce medication, as well as strict prescribing requirements in Ireland, websites and social media accounts advertising the drugs for sale have become common online. One website claiming to sell Ozempic and Wegovy, seen by The Irish Times, is falsely listing a north Dublin pharmacy as its address in Ireland.
The website claims to ship the obesity and diabetes medication to Ireland from the US within nine days, without the need for a prescription. The Dublin pharmacy confirmed they had no connection to the website falsely using its address when contacted.
The HPRA has warned that advertising prescription medicine for sale online was not legal. It said it routinely takes action against websites and social media accounts, “which are advertising the sale or supply of unauthorised Ozempic and Saxenda into Ireland”.
The health products regulator cautioned members of the public to only buy medication from “regulated sources”, such as pharmacies.
In a statement, Novo Nordisk, which has an Irish office in Santry, north Dublin, said it was still dealing with “stronger than anticipated demand”, leading to “periodic supply constraints of various doses” of Ozempic and Saxenda.
A spokeswoman for the company said patient safety was its top priority and it was “not aware of any cases of counterfeit Ozempic in Ireland”. The drug manufacturer said it worked “closely with the pharmaceutical authorities and the relevant players in the pharmaceutical industry to ensure that patients do not receive counterfeit medicines”.
