New studies highlight dangers of counterfeit and poorly compounded diabetes and weight-loss medicines

August 2, 2024

The Partnership for Safe Medicines has been leading awareness and public education about the dangers of counterfeit and poorly compounded diabetes and weight-loss medicines. A study published Friday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) underscores the urgency.

Researchers conducted online searches for websites advertising weight-loss drugs to patients without a prescription. Of the 317 sites identified, about half (134) belonged to illegal online pharmacy operations. Test purchases from some of the sites returned samples with highly elevated levels of the drug – a serious risk for patients’ health – or returned nothing at all in a financial scam.

Partnership for Safe Medicines Executive Director Shabbir Safdar released the following statement in response to the JAMA publication:

“We’ve seen people hurt by illegal online pharmacies for almost as long as the Internet has been around. Fake drugs to treat cancer, HIV and diabetes have all been linked to online pharmacies. The difference now is the unprecedented popularity of the new diabetes and weight-loss injectables. Inevitably, bad actors see this scenario and look to profit. To stay safe, Americans should work with their doctor on a treatment plan that’s right for them and only get their prescriptions from a licensed U.S. pharmacy’s bricks and mortar or online storefront.”

PSM is an expert educational source for patients, providers, media, and the general public to learn more about rising counterfeit and compounding concerns with weight-loss drugs. For more information, check out the following materials:

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