Reuters reported on 1 November that NewZealand customs officials recently seized 14 injectable pens labelled as Fitaro and Orsema - semaglutide-based medications manufactured by Incepta Pharmaceuticals, a drugmaker from Bangladesh.
According to Medsafe, New Zealand’s medicines regulator, unapproved medications like Fitaro and Orsema (an affordable alternative to Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic) may pose health risks due to uncertain quality control standards.
These drugs, underscore a surge in demand for lower-cost versions of the popular diabetes and weight loss medication.
As demand for semaglutide drugs continues to grow, healthcare and regulatory authorities worldwide are ramping up efforts to monitor and manage the influx of unapproved semaglutide products.
Novo Nordisk, Europe’s most valuable company, is working to enforce its patent rights in countries like China, where some firms have manufactured and promoted semaglutide drugs for domestic and international sale.