NOVEMBER , 2023 | THE HEALTH

The US-based Pharmaceutical Security Institute ( PSI ), an industry-backed organisation that counts drug manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly ( LLY . N ) as members , stated that it is working with security agencies such as Interpol , Israel ’ s BrandShield and US Homeland Security to help identify counterfeit products .

Their combined efforts include opening inquiries into complaints of fake drugs , trolling e-commerce and social media for purchase offers or advertisements and teaching customs officials how to spot counterfeits .

Novo ’ s Ozempic , approved to treat diabetes , contains the active ingredient semaglutide , which is also used in the company ’ s weight loss drug , Wegovy . Both are used to lose weight by people , as is Lilly ’ s Mounjaro , which is currently approved for diabetes and expected to get a green-light from the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) to treat obesity in the coming months . All three medicines are in short supply amid a global obesity epidemic and high rates of diabetes .

“ These weight loss drugs are a hot topic right now because they ’ re on TV and getting a lot of media attention . If I ’ m a criminal organisation , that ’ s the next opportunity I go ahead and exploit ,” said director of the US Department of Homeland Security ’ s Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Centre , Jim Mancuso .

Mancuso added that the agency is also working with Europol , Interpol and around 23 other law enforcement agencies on tracking weight-loss drugs to quell what they believe could become the worst tide of counterfeit lifestyle medicines .

Though Novo Stresses that its medicines Ozempic and Wegovy are

A 0.25 mg injection pen of Novo Nordisk ' s weight-loss drug Wegovy is shown in this photo illustration in Oslo , Norway

indicated for the treatment of diabetes and weight-loss respectively , the weekly injection drugs have become household names in America for their use off-label as lifestyle treatments .

In Europe , Ozempic is the

ROCHE , a Swiss healthcare company , recently announced it would acquire Telavant Holdings in a US $ 7.1 billion deal .

Telavant manufactures drugs for people suffering from inflammatory and fibrotic disease and is in the process of developing a “ promising new therapy ” for patients with Crohn ’ s disease .

The terms of the transaction include a near-term milestone payment of US $ 150 million .

Roche aims to start global Phase 3 trials for the drug RVT-3101 – a therapy under development for inflammatory bowel disease ( IBD ), including ulcerative colitis and Crohn ’ s disease – once they are given full rights to . The trials would involve clinical testing on thousands of patients with the target sickness .

“ Based on the very promising data , we strongly believe in the first-in-

Boxes of Ozempic are seen at a Rock Canyon Pharmacy in Provo , Utah .

biggest target so far according to an anonymous Europol official . The official said that fake weight-loss drugs will be a key focus in the agency ’ s annual counterfeit medicines report , due next year .

“ We have counterfeit products and stolen products . We have so many cases ,” the official added .

Counterfeit Ozempic had already been found in at least 14 countries , including the UK , Germany , Egypt and Russia . Several have issued warnings to pharmacies and consumers to be vigilant about counterfeits , since their ingredients are unknown .

Germany ’ s federal drug regulator had also urged pharmacies and drug distributors to be vigilant following the discovery of wholesale batches of fake Ozempic .

Britain ’ s regulator , the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency ( MHRA ) also said that injection pens falsely labelled as Ozempic had been identified at two UK wholesalers .

class and best-in-disease potential of this late-stage antibody to treat people living with IBD ,” said Roche Pharmaceuticals CEO , Teresa Graham .

“ We are eager to develop this antibody further and bring it to market and patients in the US and

Japan as soon as possible ,” Telavant is currently owned by

Pfizer and Roivant Sciences .

In another recent announcement , Roche stated that they would also obtain an option to collaborate with Pfizer on a new IBD drug .