Well being Canada says it has not acquired any stories of counterfeit Ozempic within the nation after the World Well being Group issued a warning about faux batches of the favored diabetes drug detected in some nations.
The WHO warning on Thursday was about three falsified a lot of Ozempic that have been detected in america in December 2023, and the UK and Brazil in October 2023.
These faux injections, which have been discovered within the regulated provide chain, misrepresent their identification and supply as they weren’t manufactured by Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk, the worldwide well being physique stated.
Utilizing counterfeit Ozempic could lead to “ineffective treatment” and may pose different severe well being dangers that may very well be “life-threatening,” the WHO stated.
Tammy Jarbeau, a Well being Canada spokesperson, instructed World Information in an emailed assertion on Thursday that the company was conscious of instances of counterfeit Ozempic pens in different nations.
“Health Canada works in partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency to detect and stop unauthorized health products from entering the country,” Jarbeau stated.
“To date, the department has not received any reports or complaints of counterfeit Ozempic in Canada.”
Lately, Canada, like different nations, has seen excessive demand for drugs like Ozempic, which is primarily accepted for the therapy of Kind 2 diabetes however has been used off-label for weight reduction.
Wegovy, an on-label weight reduction medicine containing the identical drug as Ozempic however at the next formulation and made by the identical producer, additionally just lately turned obtainable to Canadians.
In its warning Thursday, the WHO stated it has been observing elevated stories of falsified semaglutides – the pharmaceutical identify for the drug in each Ozempic and Wegovy – in all geographic areas since 2022.
“WHO advises healthcare professionals, regulatory authorities and the public be aware of these falsified batches of medicines,” stated Yukiko Nakatani, the WHO’s assistant director-general for entry to medicines and well being merchandise.
“We call on stakeholders to stop any usage of suspicious medicines and report to relevant authorities.”
To keep away from any dangers, Well being Canada urged Canadians to get their medicines from a licensed pharmacy, solely purchase merchandise which are approved on the market and keep away from shopping for merchandise from unlicensed and unverified on-line sellers.
