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The Federal Drug Administration is warning consumers against using counterfeit Ozempic, a diabetes drug that is now widely used for weight loss.

According to the agency, the US government has already seized thousands of units of the drug and some of the products may still be available for purchase.

The FDA has released a warning advising wholesales, retail pharmacies, health care practitioners and patients to check their products and not distribute, use or sell ones with a lot number NAR0074 and serial number 430834149057.

The needles in the sample are also counterfeit, according to health officials, posing a risk of infection for patients who use the fake products.

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of the drug, and the FDA are testing the seized products but don’t yet have information regarding their identity, quality or safety, the release states.

“FDA takes reports of possible counterfeit products seriously and works closely with other federal agencies and the private sector to help protect the nation’s drug supply, the FDA said in a statement.

“FDA’s investigation is ongoing, and the agency is working with Novo Nordisk to identify, investigate and remove further suspected counterfeit semaglutide injectable products found in the US.”

The agency has identified five adverse events from the seized products, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and constipation. The symptoms are not serious and consistent with reactions to authentic Ozempic.

According to an analysis released earlier this year by Trilliant Health, US medical professionals wrote more than nine million prescriptions for Ozempic and other diabetes and obesity drugs in the last three months of 2022.

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