Steyr (dpa) – Two entrepreneurs are there Austria Convicted of selling counterfeit weight loss syringes. They were found guilty at the Steyr regional court of violations of the Medicines Act and grossly negligent grievous bodily harm. Both men were given fines and suspended sentences of six months in prison.
The public prosecutor accused the businessmen of selling 225 injection pens to a plastic surgeon at a price of 205 euros each Salzburg to have sold. The defendants, aged 57 and 46, are said to have obtained the medication through a contact in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Fake Ozempic pens
The pens were designed like the well-known drug product Ozempic. But instead of the original active ingredient semaglutide, they contained insulin. As a result, three patients suffered health problems after self-injections.
Ozempic is only approved to treat diabetes. However, it is also popular as a diet aid. Ozempic contains the same active ingredient as Wegovy, which is also produced by Novo Nordisk and is approved for the treatment of obesity. According to the Austrian Federal Office for Safety in Healthcare (BASG), criminals are taking advantage of the high demand for Ozempic to make money through counterfeits.
According to the judgment, which is not yet final, the first defendant must pay a fine of 720 euros (180 daily rates of 4 euros each), the second 6,600 euros (120 daily rates of 55 euros each). One of the companies involved was sentenced to a fine of 4,250 euros – partly on probation. The public prosecutor's office has initiated special proceedings against the doctor allegedly involved.
