FDA investigates as three Americans ‘are hospitalized after taking fake Ozempic’ – as shortages see slimmers turn to black market

At least three Americans have been hospitalized after taking black market weight-loss injections, according to official data.

A huge spike in demand for Ozempic and Wegovy over the past year has led to shortages, with consumers increasingly turning to counterfeit semaglutide, the active drug in those injections.

The hospitalizations are listed in the Food and Drug Administration’s open monitoring system for adverse drug reactions, called FAERS, which was last updated in late September.

In total there were 42 reports of ‘side effects’, of which 28 were classified as ‘serious’.

Only a few mention Ozempic specifically, including one of three U.S. hospitalizations. All were submitted to the FDA by Novo Nordisk, the company that makes Ozempic and Wegovy, citing reports to the company from consumers or healthcare providers.