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The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has urged people not to buy fake weight loss injections – as shortages of Ozempic are expected to continue into next year.
The association warned of a possible “explosion in the unlicensed sale of medication online” and said people were risking their health by purchasing Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) without proper checks.
Ozempic is available on the NHS for people with type two diabetes, while Wegovy can be prescribed for weight loss via specialist weight management services, with strict criteria around who can get the drugs.
But the jabs have exploded in popularity, with social media showing before and after pictures of fat loss, and some celebrities have endorsed their use.
Ozempic, made by Novo Nordisk, helps people with type two diabetes regulate their blood sugar levels but its ability to suppress appetite has also led to people using it to lose weight.
Pharmacists are seeing a shortage of the drug, fuelled by high demand – plus the fact some medics are prescribing it off-label for obese people.
This has led to a shortage for those with diabetes, while also fuelling a rise in counterfeit jabs.
Risk rising due to ‘precarious state of supply’
The NPA, which represents more than 5,000 independently-run community pharmacies, is urging patients to speak to their pharmacist or GP instead of buying medicines online from sellers who are not registered and regulated in the UK.
Nick Kaye, chairman of the NPA, said that pharmacists remain “deeply concerned”.
“Stocks of Ozempic are very depleted in community pharmacies in the UK and it is important that these…
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