June 25, 2024: WHO alert about counterfeit Ozempic; a warning about fake Mounjaro and Zepbound
Major Stories
A WHO alert and new research on counterfeit medicine and medical devices
The World Health Organization issued a public warning about counterfeit Ozempic being found in Brazil, the U.K. and Northern Ireland, and the U.S.
A paper published in Health Care Science reviewed scholarship about counterfeit medicines and medical devices and suggested that implementing traceability systems like the DSCSA would improve medicine safety worldwide.
The FDA warned about fake Ozempic found in the U.S. in December 2023. PSM is tracking news about the black market in GLP-agonists here.
Domestic News
Eli Lilly warned the public about fake and compounded tirzepatide medicines. Former CEO sentenced for health care fraud.
Good Morning America ran a segment about Eli Lilly's warning. Watch it here.
Eli Lilly released a letter about the dangers posed by counterfeit and compounded versions of Mounjaro and Zepbound being sold to the public.
Laura Perryman, the former CEO of Stimwave, received a six-year federal prison sentence for health care and wire fraud. Between 2017 and 2020, Stimwave added a fake implant to a device for chronic pain patients. The plastic component, which was fraudulently called a receiver, raised reimbursement rates so that Stimwave could charge physicians more for the product.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned a company in Florida about manufacturing pills containing tianeptine.
International News
Counterfeit pet medicines in Thailand and a case in South Korea going to trial
Law enforcement in Thailand seized over $2 million in counterfeit pet medications.
Two brothers in South Korea will be tried in court for allegedly selling 1.5 million counterfeit erectile dysfunction pills.