NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti is leading a 38-state and territory coalition in asking the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take swift action against bad actors selling counterfeit, unsafe forms of the weight loss and diabetes drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound (GLP-1 drugs).
“Millions of Americans rely on GLP-1 drugs to improve their health, but bad actors are peddling dangerous fakes,” Skrmetti said. “These counterfeit or copycat drugs can be contaminated through shady supply chains running from China, Turkey, and other overseas suppliers, or they can contain entirely different drugs manufactured and packaged to look like GLP-1 drugs. We are asking the FDA to lead efforts to safeguard our American supply chain and to work with other federal and state agencies to stop bad actors from producing counterfeit drugs.”
According to the AG’s office, sky-high demand for the medications, plus a high price tag and tight supplies, has created opportunities for bad actors to take advantage of consumers by manufacturing and selling counterfeit, untested products that may risk consumers’ safety. Counterfeit versions pose not only a risk to public health but also to national security, Skrmetti’s office said in a release. There are reports that counterfeit GLP-1 drugs from India, Turkey, China, and other foreign sources have infiltrated the U.S. supply chain.
The FDA has the expertise and resources to investigate and halt unlawful conduct and deceptive practices by counterfeit drug manufacturers, online retailers, and compounding pharmacies that are illegally participating in the GLP-1 market, per the AG’s office.
The letter sent by the coalition urges the FDA to increase enforcement actions against the bad actors and ensure compounded GLP-1 drugs are produced safely and in sanitary environments.
The coalition is co-led by Tennessee, South Carolina, Colorado, and Illinois, according to the AG’s office. The letter was joined by the attorneys general of Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
