OKLAHOMA CITY – Attorney General Gentner Drummond has asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take swift action against bad actors who are endangering consumers with counterfeit forms of the weight-loss and diabetes drugs Mounjaro, Zepbound, Ozempic and Wegovy.
In a letter last week to the FDA, Drummond and 37 other state and territory attorneys general noted that as demand for these GLP-1 drugs has skyrocketed, high costs have created opportunities for scammers to cash in and endanger consumers.
“As demand for these popular prescription drugs outpaces production by licensed manufacturers, counterfeit products from China, India and other countries are entering into our supply chain at great risks to consumers in Oklahoma and elsewhere,” Drummond said. “We need the FDA to help intercept these unsafe drugs before they reach unsuspecting individuals.”
According to the letter, “online retailers are illegally selling the active ingredients of GLP-1 drugs directly to consumers, without a prescription. These retailers claim that the active ingredients they sell are ’for research purposes only’ or ’not for human consumption.’ In reality, these companies advertise directly to consumers on social media, claiming that their products are an easier and more affordable way to obtain GLP-1 drugs. Much like with counterfeit versions, these active ingredients come from unregulated, undisclosed sources and pose risks of contamination and inclusion of foreign substances.”
Drummond and the coalition of attorneys general said the FDA has the expertise and resources to stop the bad conduct and deceptive practices used by counterfeit drug manufacturers and that the agency should increase enforcement actions against compounding pharmacies illegally participating in this scheme. They also encourage the FDA to partner with state pharmacy boards to ensure compounded GLP-1 drugs are produced safely and in sanitary environments.
Also joining the letter are Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Read the letter.
