Fake Ozempic jabs have left Brits desperate to lose weight in a COMA: Urgent ‘do not use or buy’ alert over fat-fighting injections sold online

Fake versions of Ozempic have left Brits desperate to lose weight in a coma, health chiefs warned today. 

The once-a-week jab, made by Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk, is offered on the NHS to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels.

Semaglutide — the generic name for Ozempic — also triggers weight loss, earning it praise as a ‘miracle’ slimming injection. 

Huge global demand have seen counterfeit versions flood the market.

Officials have already seized 369 potentially fake Ozempic pens since the start of the year.

Bogus versions of Saxenda, another similar weight loss drug, obtained through ‘non-legitimate routes’ have also been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Watchdogs said Brits have been hospitalised after using potentially fake jabs.  

It did not state how many people were sickened, only revealing it was a ‘very small number’.

Buying prescription-only drugs online without a prescription poses a ‘direct danger to health’, the MHRA said. 

‘With any medicines bought outside of the legal supply chain, the contents may not match the ingredients on the label,’ a safety alert said. 

‘Serious side effects reported of those hospitalised, including hypoglycaemic shock and coma, indicate that the pens may contain insulin rather than semaglutide.’

If too much insulin is injected into the body, blood sugar can drop to dangerously low levels. 

Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA’s chief safety officer said: ‘Buying products such as Ozempic or Saxenda without a prescription, from illegally trading suppliers, significantly increases the risk of receiving something which is either fake or not licensed for use in the UK.

‘Products purchased in this way do not meet our strict quality and safety standards, and taking such medicines may put your health at significant risk.

‘We are advising all members of the public not to use any pre-filled weight loss pens they may have bought online and instead to report it to us so that we can investigate and take any necessary action.’

Health minister Will Quince added: ‘No one should put profit before the needs of patients, but fraudsters selling black market medicines like this are extremely dangerous and can put people’s health at risk.

‘The medical advice is clear: patients should only use medicines like Ozempic or Saxenda where they’ve been prescribed it by a legitimate source, such as their GP or another legitimate prescriber.

‘The MHRA have our full support in cracking down on these illegal online suppliers to ensure that patients are protected.’

All pharmacies in Great Britain, including those online, must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and meet their standards.

Anyone concerned about their health should visit a GP or pharmacist for a correct diagnosis, the MHRA urged. 

European Medicines Agency bosses last week announced that counterfeit versions of Ozempic had entered the market.

The fake jabs had batch numbers, barcodes and unique serial numbers copied from genuine Ozempic packs.

But when scanned as part of an EU-wide electronic system, the serial numbers were shown to be inactive, alerting authorities that they were potentially fake.

A separate warning from Germany’s Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices also stated that the fake versions came in packs of three and had an expiry date of July and December 2025. 

It shared the serial and batch codes for the affected products but warned that they were copied from real Ozempic boxes.

As a result, it warned it was nearly impossible to tell apart the real and fake versions from the boxes they came in.

However, the fake injectable pens have a clear rather than grey lid, and the base of the pen is a slightly darker shade of blue than the original. Markings on the label and dose are slightly different, too. 

Semaglutide has ushered in a new era in the war on obesity. The treatment, loved by Hollywood stars, spur weight loss by mimicking the actions of a hormone released in the gut after eating, called GLP-1.

As well as telling the pancreas to make more insulin, the GLP-1 hormone feeds back to the brain and makes users feel full.

As a result, semaglutide can stop users from over-eating.

In July, the UK’s Department of Health urged doctors and pharmacists to stop prescribing Ozempic to people who simply want to lose weight.

Health officials warned the clamour to get hold of it — and similar medications — was fuelling the national shortage, putting diabetics’ lives at risk.

Ozempic is available on the NHS as a treatment for managing blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

In May, another version of semaglutide was approved for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy. It is not yet widely available in the UK due to supply issues.

The delay has led to a rise in ‘off-label’ prescribing — where medications are issued for something other than its intended use — which is exacerbating shortages.

Despite patients being eager to take the drugs, it is not without side effects.

Users commonly complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhoea after taking the medication. Less common side effects include altered taste and acute pancreatitis.

MailOnline revealed earlier this year Novo Nordisk is probing whether semaglutide could raise the risk of medullary thyroid cancer and pancreatic cancer.

But no evidence yet proves they are definitely side effects — even in extremely rare cases.

All Brits are urged to report any medicines side effects they notice to the MHRA’s Yellow Card Scheme. 

The EMA is already probing Ozempic and similar blockbuster weight loss jabs over concerns they may make users contemplate self-harm.

Health chiefs were spooked by reports from Iceland of three patients experiencing thoughts about self-harm and suicide after taking the injections. 

Suicidal thoughts are listed as a potential consequence in leaflets tucked inside the packaging already.