NEWS RELEASE
ATTORNEY GENERAL DANA NESSEL
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LANSING – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined a 38-state and territory bipartisan coalition requesting that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) take swift action against bad actors who are endangering consumers with counterfeit forms of the weight loss and diabetes drugs Mounjaro, Zepbound, Ozempic, and Wegovy (GLP-1 drugs).
“As weight loss and diabetes medications grow in popularity, scammers are taking advantage of the demand,” Nessel said. “To ensure you receive the medication you need and avoid counterfeit products, always get your medications prescribed by your doctor and the prescription filled at a licensed pharmacy. I urge the FDA to take action against counterfeiters to protect Michigan consumers.”
The letter states that “online retailers are illegally selling the active ingredients of GLP-1 drugs directly to consumers without a prescription. These retailers claim that the active ingredients they sell are “for research purposes only” or “not for human consumption.” In reality, these companies advertise directly to consumers on social media, claiming their products are an easier and more affordable way to obtain GLP-1 drugs. Much like with counterfeit versions, these active ingredients come from unregulated, undisclosed sources” and pose risks of contamination and inclusion of foreign substances.
The letter declares that the Food and Drug Administration has the expertise and resources to stop the bad conduct and deceptive practices by counterfeit drug manufacturers and that they should increase enforcement actions against compounding pharmacies illegally participating in this market. It also encourages the FDA to partner with state pharmacy boards to ensure compounded GLP-1 drugs are produced safely and in sanitary environments.
Attorney General Nessel joined this bipartisan letter, co-led by South Carolina, Colorado, Illinois, and Tennessee and joined by Alaska, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
You can read the full letter here (PDF).
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