GLP-1 weight-loss medicines are sold on prescription and legally dispensed only by a pharmacy. In October 2023 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) warned about falsified pens labelled as Ozempic 1 mg found at wholesalers in the EU, and at the same time stated that there is no evidence that the falsified pens reached patients through legal pharmacies. The Czech State Institute for Drug Control (SÚKL) states on its website, as of 9 Nov 2026, that it has no information about falsified Ozempic in the Czech legal distribution chain, and that falsified pens differ from the original in the appearance of the pre-filled pen (photographs on the SÚKL page).
Checklist
- Where did you get the medicine? Only on prescription and from a pharmacy; for online sales only from a legal pharmacy. Packs from other sources (social media, classified ads, "a friend with a pen") have no assured quality, safety or efficacy. That is the biggest risk.
- Packaging and package leaflet. Compare the pack and the pen with the description in the package leaflet. EMA states that the falsified pens look different from the original and that falsified products with other features may also exist.
- The pen. Compare the look of your pen with the photographs of the original and the falsified pen on the SÚKL page on Ozempic (in Czech).
- Code, batch and serial number. Falsified packs may carry copied batch numbers, 2D codes and serial numbers from genuine packs, and scanning showed that the serial numbers were inactive. Verification in the European system is carried out by pharmacies and wholesalers; the patient does not have to do it. Ask your pharmacist.
What to do if you suspect a counterfeit
- Do not use the pen.
- Take it back to the pharmacy and show it to the pharmacist. In the Czech Republic a suspected counterfeit can be reported to SÚKL, which publishes alerts on its pages about falsified medicines in the legal distribution chain and in its official guidance gives an e-mail address for reporting defects and falsified products: [email protected] (ideally with a photograph of the pack). In other countries, report to your national medicines authority.
- If you have already injected the medicine and feel unwell, contact a doctor or the emergency services.
Sources
- EMA: EMA alerts EU patients and healthcare professionals to reports of falsified Ozempic pens (18 Oct 2023, checked 8 Nov 2026)
- SÚKL: Alert on increasing cases of suspected falsification of Ozempic (checked 9 Nov 2026, in Czech)
- SÚKL: Falsified medicines in the legal distribution chain (overview of alerts, checked 9 Nov 2026, in Czech)
We do not publish batch numbers or sellers' names. Current batches and alerts can be found only on the authorities' official websites.
Information text, not medical advice.