Attorney General Bird Urges FDA to Crack-down on Dangerous, Counterfeit Weight Loss Drugs

DES MOINES—Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird today announced a multistate letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to take immediate action to stop the surge in dangerous, counterfeit weight loss drugs.

Bad actors have taken advantage of the skyrocketing demand for weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, and Mounjaro. Unsafe and unregulated counterfeit drugs from countries including China, Turkey, and India are now flooding the U.S. These fake drugs are nearly indistinguishable from real ones and may contain dangerous contaminants or unknown substances. There are even examples of injectable insulin being repackaged and falsely sold as Ozempic. Injecting these fake medications can have serious consequences, including hospitalization.

Matters are made worse when online retailers sell people active ingredients without a prescription. Someone’s health could be jeopardized if they are forced to formulate the medication themselves—especially if they do not have the proper supplies or knowledge of how to safely combine ingredients or inject medication. Leaving patients to self-dose has deadly consequences and contributes to the rise in overdose deaths. Iowans may also be at risk if they do not properly store ingredients or sterilize equipment.

“No one should be at risk for trying to improve their health,” said Attorney General Bird. “But bad actors are selling people fake treatments and unknown substances to mix at home. It’s a recipe for disaster. And these fake drugs hurt real lives. If left unchecked, these unsafe and unregulated drugs could lead to hospitalization, and even overdose. I am urging the FDA to take action to stop the counterfeit drug epidemic and keep Americans safe.”

The States are urging the FDA to take immediate action to intercept dangerous counterfeit drugs and hold pharmaceutical companies accountable for any illegal conduct.

Iowa joined the letter with Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, District of Columbia, and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Read the full letter here.

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For More Information:

Alyssa Brouillet | Communications Director

(515) 823-9112

alyssa.brouillet@ag.iowa.gov