Welp, we all knew it was just a matter of time before black market Ozempic became a thing. Now, thanks to a recent bust by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), we know that it is.
Ozempic, as most people know by now, is Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.
That’s it.But, rather than following its prescribed use, many people over the last few years have been trying to get their hands on it because it’s also a killer weight loss drug.
All of which leads back to why Customs and Border Protection officers in Cincinnati recently seized 11 shipments packed full of the pre-filled prescription medication. Most of the shipments held over 100 pre-filled Ozempic injection pens.
Consumers buying prescription medications from other countries thinking they are getting them at a discount, are in fact buying an inferior product w/ unregulated ingredients. Cincinnati CBP has stopped shipments of unregulated Ozempic pens. @DFOChicago https://t.co/3M0Yl42i9m pic.twitter.com/XZbRZDxGUg
— CBP Chicago (@CBPChicago)
According to a CBP press release, “Officers at the Port of Cincinnati were conducting inspections on freight out of Colombia when they discovered shipments containing pre-filled injection pens containing Ozempic.”
CBP states that the illegal Ozempic shipments were destined for New York, Massachusetts, and Texas.
“Had all 11 shipments been legitimate with FDA approval, they would have had a combined value of $887,000,” the CBP press release stated.
The statement continued, “Unfortunately, very few online pharmacies are compliant with the U.S. pharmacy standards. This poses health risks to consumers who purchase what they believe is a genuine product at a much lower cost. The product they receive may be inferior. Risks posed by using medications from unfamiliar sources include unknown ingredients, unusual side effects, and lack of effectiveness of the product.”
“Prescription drugs that are smuggled from outside the U.S., particularly injectable products that should be sterile, can present a serious health risk to those who use them. The drugs have not undergone the proper import processes and may contain unknown or dangerous ingredients,” said Dan Solis, FDA Assistant Commissioner for import operations.
The post Border Patrol Seizes Almost A Million Dollars Worth Of Illegal Ozempic In Major Bust appeared first on BroBible.