Ozempic and other GLP-1 agonists can aid in blood sugar and weight management and function as treatments for for people with diabetes, obesity and some other health conditions. Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy.
With fake versions of these drugs increasing in number, distinguishing between what’s authentic and counterfeit can be fuzzy at times.
The World Health Organization released an alert about three falsified batches of Ozempic in Brazil — and a warning about counterfeit weight-loss and diabetes management medications in various countries. The Food and Drug Administration has also warned consumers to look out for fake versions of Ozempic, and Novo Nordisk — the company FDA-approved to manufacture Ozempic — has filed numerous legal actions against entities for engaging in harmful and misleading practices related to the marketing and sales of alleged “semaglutide” products. Additionally, cybersecurity firm BrandShield has taken down more than 250 websites that sold fake versions of Ozempic or other GLP-1 drugs used as weight-loss and diabetes treatments.
Authentic, FDA-approved semaglutide products are available nationwide by prescription and include Ozempic injection and tablets, Wegovy injection and tablets, and Rybelsus tablets. At this time, there is no FDA-approved generic version of semaglutide.
To help you see through the scams, here are five questions to ask yourself about your GLP-1 medication.
[READ: GLP-1 Side Effects: Expert Tips to Manage Nausea, Constipation and Weight Loss Fatigue]
1. Where Did You Buy Your Ozempic?
The best way to ensure your Ozempic is authentic is to first make sure you get it from a reputable source.
Dr. Antoneo Pashaj, a regional medical director at kidney-care company Strive Health who frequently counsels patients on obesity prevention, says that — as with many other medications — this means seeking a prescription from your doctor and filling it at a licensed pharmacy such as CVS or Walgreens.
If you acquired Ozempic or semaglutide online or from a compounding pharmacy without first seeing your doctor, don’t be afraid to check in with them after.
By letting your doctor know about online medications you are taking, you are assisting them in making informed decisions about your treatment going forward. They can also help you avoid potential complications of the weight-loss drug, or treat any that have already occurred.
“I think there’s this stigma that if your doctor didn’t prescribe (Ozempic), you (shouldn’t) disclose it,” Pashaj says. “No provider is going to get mad at you or upset at you for having them review it. We’d be happy to.”
[READ: Mounjaro for Weight Loss: Results, Side Effects and How It Works]
2. How Is Your Ozempic Packaged?
How your Ozempic is packaged can be a give-away as to whether it is authentic or counterfeit.
Correctly spelled labels and a design layout that matches the typical Novo Nordisk (which is the company that produces Ozempic) brand are green flags, Pashaj says. Product labeling red flags may include:
— Open seals
— Misspellings
— Funky colors
— Poor print quality
— Unusual fonts
Misspellings may be particularly troublesome, Pashaj adds.
“Gosh, if they can’t spell the word, how do you trust the quality of the medication that you’re about to inject in your body? I certainly wouldn’t inject anything if the spelling isn’t correct,” he says.
[READ: Exercising on GLP-1s: How to Stay Safe and Healthy]
3. Does Your Ozemic Have the Novo Nordisk Label?
Authentic Ozempic should have the Novo Nordisk label on its packaging. Novo Nordisk is the only FDA-approved company to sell medicines containing semaglutide in the United States.
[READ: How to Calculate Weight Loss Percentage.]
4. What Does Your Ozempic Pen and Needle Look Like?
After inspecting the exterior packaging and opening your medication, you’ll want to assess what’s inside — which should be a semaglutide injector pen and either four or six NovoFine® Plus 32G 4 mm disposable needles.
“That’s the first clue — (Ozempic pens) have to be given by injection,” says Dr. Mir Ali, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and the medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.
From there, you’ll want to make sure no seals have been broken or tampered with. And next, you can assess a few design and packaging nuances that the FDA says set authentic Ozempic injectors apart from impersonators:
1. The color of the pen’s dial and end cap An authentic Ozempic pen should have a blue dial and a gray end cap, and the dial should not expand out when you turn the dial to set your dose. According to the drugmaker, a counterfeit pen may have a purple end cap and a white dial that expands when turned.
2. The color and layout of the needle’s tabAccording to the FDA, a genuine Ozempic needle is sealed with a white and blue paper tab. The white part of the tab is on top and the blue is on the side, where it extends down over the needle. The blue part of the tab should be imprinted with the needle lot number — and no other text. If there is text other than the lot number, this is likely a counterfeit needle.
Patients should also avoid known counterfeit labeling — per a December 2025 warning from the FDA, dozens of counterfeit Ozempic pens have been found under lot numbers NAR0074 and PAR1229.
3. The registered trademark on the top of the needle’s tabThe needles that come with a genuine Ozempic pen will display the registered trademark NovoFine® Plus, whereas some counterfeit needles have been found to display the NovoFine® trademark, sans “Plus.” The trademark should be in blue writing on the white part, or top, of the tab.
4. The description on the body of the pen The pen should display the words Ozempic® (semaglutide) injection “semaglutide” and a dosage that matches that of your prescription (0.25 milligrams to 2 milligrams).
Using this list may help you determine if your medication is — or isn’t — genuine Ozempic. However, you don’t have to rely on it completely. If you feel unsure, Pashaj says not to hesitate in calling your doctor or pharmacist to seek further clarity.
[READ: The GLP-1 Effect: Beyond Weight Loss and Into Longevity]
5. Is Your Ozempic Temperature Controlled?
One prescription Ozempic pen typically lasts four weeks — that is, if it is stored properly. Proper storage of Ozempic requires the drug to be kept refrigerated before you start using it. Whether you pick it up at an in-person pharmacy or receive a package in the mail, your Ozempic should arrive cool.
In person, it’s relatively easy for your pharmacist to hand you a temperature-controlled medication from a medical fridge. But via online delivery, it may be trickier to keep it cool. If your Ozempic is not packaged with any temperature control items — like using Styrofoam packaging or cold packs — Ali says that this could be a warning sign that it is not authentic.
After first use, you can store your Ozempic pen in the fridge or at room temperature for up to eight weeks.
“If they’re not coming in some sort of a protection from the temperature, that’s another sign that they may not be getting what they’re paying for,” Ali says. “Once the medication reaches room temperature, it’s only good for a few days or a few weeks depending on the formula. If you get medication that’s already achieved room temperature, it won’t be good for that whole four-week period.”
On the other hand, if your medication arrives frozen, you should not use it. Extreme temperatures can degrade the medication, as can exposure to direct sunlight.
[READ: Navigating Insurance Coverage for GLP-1 Medications: A Step-by-Step Guide]
Risks of Counterfeit Ozempic
At this point, you may be wondering if it’s worth it to spend all this time and effort verifying your Ozempic’s authenticity. Well, according to doctors and health agencies, it is. Depending on their formula, a fake version of Ozempic could be too weak to help you reach your health goals or too strong that it induces new health problems. It could also contain unknown harmful ingredients.
Potential risks can come from fake medications if they:
Contain the wrong formula
Because counterfeit semaglutide products are not FDA-approved, they may not contain the active ingredients you need to lose weight — at all or at the right doses — or could contain additional, harmful ingredients that could hurt your body.
Often, Pashaj says, fake Ozempic contains a lot of water — which will dilute the medication and work against your health goals.
The WHO warned in 2024 that using falsified Ozempic may subject people to an “unpredictable range of health risks or complications” from potential hidden ingredients or adverse health effects related to unmanaged blood glucose levels or weight. And according to Novo Nordisk, testing of drugs that marked themselves as “semaglutide” revealed up to 24% of impurities.
Contain the wrong doses
Fake versions of Ozempic may contain the wrong dose of the drug — be this too low or too high. Too high a dose can make you more vulnerable to the side effects of the drug, such as nausea, or even affect your blood pressure or heart rate.
In some cases, it could induce risks like a hypoglycemic episode, or severe drop in blood sugar.
Target the wrong patients
Semaglutide is not meant to be used for cosmetic reasons. The drug is FDA-approved under the brand name Ozempic for people with Type 2 diabetes. It’s also approved as Wegovy for people who need to lose weight for medical reasons — specifically those with obesity who have a body mass index, or BMI, of 30 or more, or for people who are overweight with a BMI of 27 or more who also have at least one weight-related ailment.’
But if you scroll through Instagram, you may notice actors and influencers who are perceivably thin marketing the drug. People who do not medically qualify for Ozempic may be at even higher risk for adverse effects like hypoglycemic episodes from taking counterfeit versions of the drug.
“My big concern is that these companies are going to prey on certain individuals who want to look ‘good,'” Pashaj says. “We’re such a culture driven by looks, and you see that in commercials, Instagram feeds and Facebook feeds.”
“People get desperate,” Pashaj says. “They want to look a certain way and they’re willing to do whatever it takes to get there — and it comes at a cost.”
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5 Tips for Spotting Fake Ozempic and Wegovy originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 04/30/26: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
