Fake Ozempic: How Batch Numbers Help Criminal Groups Spread Dangerous Weight Loss Drugs

September 5, 2024

3 hypodermic needles

(Reuters) – The incident sheds light on a wider problem in the manufacturing of highly sought-after drugs, one that lets criminal organizations circulate potentially lethal fakes: forged drug batch numbers.

Pharmaceutical companies, including Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk, authenticate batches of drugs with combinations of letters and numbers printed on the packaging, which are then used to track the product in a given country. (Read More)