A surge in demand amongst prosperous Indians for weight-loss medicines touted in showbiz circles has led to a regarding development — medication like Ozempic from Denmark’s Novo Nordisk and Mounjaro from America’s Eli Lilly are illicitly coming into Indian pharmacies, sidestepping regulatory checks, an India Right now investigation has discovered.
Pooja and her employer Amit Aggarwal of Aggarwal Pharma in Delhi’s Mehrauli space admitted to the unauthorized import and sale of Ozempic and Mounjaro with out correct documentation.
These medication, sourced from Egypt and Dubai, include various worth tags, with the Dubai variant linked to extreme uncomfortable side effects.
Pooja, talking to India Right now’s investigative reporter, revealed the shady practices, providing Mounjaro with out payments or MRP.
“We get Ozempic on demand. It’s imported actually. We don’t issue bills. There’s no MRP either,” she mentioned. “I can show you Mounjaro as well. Which one do you want?”
Pooja provided the drug in a packing of 4 injector pens.
She then linked the reporter to the shop on a video name, who disclosed the smuggling routes and the related dangers, cautioning in opposition to the Dubai variant resulting from reported problems.
“You can take those injections that are available. How many do you want?” requested Aggarwal. “It comes from Egypt, and you can see the Egyptian labelling on the packaging. It’s priced at Rs 102,000.”
One model, he added, is sourced from Dubai, which has no labelling like Egypt, however is priced at Rs 19,000-Rs 18,500.
“The Dubai variant has had complaints of severe side effects, leading to complications for patients. It’s not recommended. It significantly lowers patients’ blood pressure.”
Additional investigation led to related findings at AV Pharma in Chandni Chowk, Delhi, the place Vivek admitted to promoting Ozempic smuggled through Egypt with out correct labelling and MRP.
“Ozempic is priced at Rs 23,000 for one (pack of) injection,” Vivek mentioned.
“How many doses in it?” the reporter inquired.
“One injection carries four doses. We sell 2-3 pieces daily. It’s procured mostly on order and it’s not kept in stock. It carries the Egypt MRP, not the Indian MRP,” Vivek replied.
Manish at Maggu pharmaceutical retailer at Bhagirath Palace provided quite a lot of Ozempic at Rs 17,000 per injection.
“Will you be having Ozempic injections?” the reporter probed.
“It’s priced at Rs 17,000,” Manish replied, agreeing to produce 5 of them with out an bill.
REGULATORY APPROVALS IN US
The American drug regulator accepted Ozempic for diabetes therapy in 2017, with a higher-dose variant accepted in 2021 underneath the model Wegovy for weight problems therapy.
Nonetheless, Mounjaro, additionally accepted for diabetes, is commonly used off-label for weight reduction.
These medicines have widespread uncomfortable side effects, primarily gastrointestinal points.
Dr Ambrish Mithal, Head of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Max Healthcare, cautioned in opposition to the usage of these medication with out correct medical supervision, emphasising the dangers related to unauthorised procurement and off-label use.
NOT OFFICIALLY AVAILABLE IN INDIA
“The important part here is that the drugs you mentioned Wegovy, Ozempic or Mounjaro, are not yet officially available in India, and that’s quite important for us to understand,” mentioned Dr Mithal. “So you should not be choosing these drugs because you’re overweight and want to lose weight. You can then go back to your specialist, go back to the endocrinologist, and go back to your doctor and ask ‘are these drugs suitable for me?’”
Studies of counterfeit variations of those medicines have additional raised issues, prompting warnings from well being authorities and drugmakers in numerous elements of the world.
“They can cause significant nausea in many patients. Sometimes vomiting. Now, the other thing is that if someone has a history of pancreatitis, that person should not be attempting to take these drugs. Someone with a history of any thyroid cancer, dietary nodule should also not be taking these drugs,” Dr Mithal mentioned.