Guyana's health authorities issue warning against fake ozempic drug

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Health authorities in Guyana on Wednesday warned against the use of falsified drugs to treat diabetes.

The Analyst-Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD) in a statement said that fake batches of Ozempic may possibly be on the local market and that its alert is based on information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), regarding three falsified batches of Ozempic (semaglutide).

Ozempic is a drug to treat diabetes, which has also been found to lead to weight loss.

The statement noted that the falsified products have been detected in Brazil, the United Kingdom and the United States between the months October to December last year and were supplied within regulated supply chains.

The statement said Guyana is among the countries that may be affected by the distribution of the fake medication and that the batch carrying the number LP6F832 is not recognised, and additionally, the combination of batch number NAR0074 with serial number 430834149057 does not correspond to genuine manufacturing records.

The statement said while batch number MP5E511 is genuine, the product is falsified.

It warned that the use of falsified Ozempic may result in ineffective treatment of patients due to incorrect dosage, contamination with harmful substances, or use of unknown or substituted ingredients.

It poses serious health risks because of its subcutaneous injection administration, which could be life-threatening, the release warned.

The Government Food and Drug Analyst Department also reminded that Ozempic is not registered in Guyana, and therefore should not be marketed locally.

Consumers are reminded that it is unsafe to use an unregistered medicine that has not been given the necessary approvals by the GA-FDD.

Healthcare professionals and the general public are being encouraged to report any suspected cases of adverse events related to the use of this falsified medicine to the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department or the product's manufacturer, distributor, wholesaler, or retailer.

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