NBC NEWS – Consumers who try to buy popular weight loss drugs online without a prescription risk being scammed or receiving unsafe products, a new study shows.
About 42% of online pharmacies that sell semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s anti-obesity drug Wegovy, are illegal, operating without a valid license and selling medications without prescriptions, according to a study published Friday in JAMA Network Open.
People who shop online for weight loss drugs “face serious consumer risks” of receiving “ineffective and dangerous products,” said Tim Mackey, an author of the report and professor of global health at the University of California, San Diego.
Shortages of the popular weight loss medication, which belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1s, have led to “a black market of illegal knockoffs,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, the founder, medical director and research director of True You Weight Loss, a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina.
“This is absolutely terrifying,” said McGowan, who wasn’t involved with the research.
Illegal pharmacies are “exposing patients to risks related to unregulated, low-quality, potentially contaminated products.
“The average person cannot be expected to safely navigate this online medication minefield, which is why it’s best to stick to brand-name, FDA-authorized medications,” he said.
Illegal pharmacies pose safety risks
The popularity of semaglutide has surged in recent years, with more than 2.5 million prescriptions filled in the U.S. by December 2023, according to a separate study published Friday in JAMA Health Forum.
Manufacturers can’t keep up with the demand for drugs, which can cost up to $1,300 a month out of pocket, and many who can’t find the drugs in their local pharmacies turn to online vendors and telehealth.
