By rssfeeds-admin The coalition, consisting of 38 states and territories, is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take action against those who are endangering consumers with fake forms of weight loss and diabetes drugs. Specific counterfeit drugs are being sold as Mounjaro, Zepbound, Ozempic and Wegovy (GLP-1 drugs).
“The usage of GLP-1 medications continues to increase as millions of Americans seek tools to help them lose weight and live healthier lifestyles,” Raoul said. “However, scammers and bad actors are attempting to take advantage of individuals looking for more affordable and convenient means of obtaining GLP-1 medications by selling them directly to consumers.”
Raoul and the coalition raised concerns with online retailers who sell the ingredients of GLP-1 medications directly to consumers, illegally and without a prescription. According to his letter, retailers often claim that the active ingredients they sell are “for research purposes only” or “not for human consumption.”
However, the reality is that companies advertise directly to consumers on social media and say that their products are a more affordable and convenient way to obtain GLP-1 drugs. Raoul is warning consumers that these active ingredients are coming from sources that are unregulated and undisclosed, which means they pose risks of foreign substances and contamination to the users.
He also said that the FDA has the knowledge to stop deceptive practices by counterfeit drug manufacturers and fraudulent online sellers. Raoul is urging the agency to increase their enforcement actions against entities who illegally participate in this market.
Additionally, the coalition is also asking the FDA to partner with Illinois pharmacy boards to make sure compounded GLP-1 drugs are made safely and in sanitary environments.
“Consumers who purchase what they think is a product containing the active ingredients found in name-brand GLP-1 drugs run the risk of taking a counterfeit drug that was never intended for human consumption,” Raoul said. “I am proud to co-lead this bipartisan coalition calling on the FDA to use its resources to take immediate action to protect Americans from the dangers of counterfeit versions of GLP-1 drugs.”
This past December, Raoul’s office sent cease and desist letters to five med spas in the Chicagoland area over alleged misleading advertising that could result in consumers believing they are buying name-brand GLP-1 medications, when in reality that might not be true. In the letters, his office demanded the spas to stop using language that misleads consumers about the products they are buying.
Raoul is encouraging state residents to report any deceptive marketing or sale of unsafe productions to either the Attorney General’s website or by calling one of his Consumer Fraud Hotlines:
- 800-386-5438 (Chicago)
- 800-243-0618 (Springfield)
- 800-243-0607 (Carbondale)
- 866-310-8398 (Spanish-language hotline)
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