July 22, 2024: A Michigan pharmacy sues supplier over fake Ozempic
Major Stories
A Michigan company is suing a telepharmacy that allegedly supplied fake Ozempic. New resources about compounded medicines.
The FDA warned Americans about counterfeit Ozempic found in U.S. pharmacies in December 2023.
Michigan pharmacy owner Central Pharmacy Management (CPM) is suing an Iowa-based telepharmacy after a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agent identified the Ozempic the pharmacy had sold them as counterfeit. CPM paid SmartScripts over $130,000 for 168 units of Ozempic in December 2023, and is claiming breach of contract because they have not been refunded for the counterfeit medicine.
The demand for injectable diabetes and weight-loss injectables like Ozempic has led to a boom in compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, which can post risks to patients. The Partnership for Safe Medicines published new resources about compounding medicine and the safety risks associated with compounded prescription weight-loss drugs. Download our summary and see the rest of the materials here.
Domestic News
It’s still not safe to buy medication on eBay. The FDA warned a Chinese manufacturer over substandard syringes.
FDA maintains a list of adulterated weight loss products.
Recent coverage in Forbes Magazine underscores the dangers of buying medicines or supplements on third-party marketplaces. The FBI is investigating the sale of adulterated diet supplements after consumers discovered that their diet pills were made with methamphetamine. As many as 2,000 bottles of diet supplements made with methamphetamine have already been distributed to consumers.
The FDA issued a warning letter to Jiangsu Caina Medical Co over their failure to correct problems with syringes that were incompatible with pumps that deliver food, medicine and fluids to patients. These syringes, which the company sold to Cardinal Health, were the subject of a class I recall in March 2024.
Authorities seized counterfeit pills and pill presses in Michigan City, Indiana, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Kearns, Utah.
International News
Investigation shows that counterfeiters sold fake Indian cancer drugs on IndiaMart.
A New Delhi ring that sold fake injectable cancer treatments in secondhand vials supplied by oncology staff in major hospitals also sold their products on IndiaMart.
Police in Pretoria, South Africa reported the seizure of counterfeit prescription medicines, including painkillers and sleeping pills.
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PSM first covered this counterfeiting ring in March 2024.