Traffickers of illegal Ozempic have named the sources of its supply to Russia

The main countries from where the slimming drug Ozempik is supplied to Russia for illegal sale are Turkey, Germany, several other European countries, as well as the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Izvestia found this out during control purchases as part of its investigation into gray drug shipments.

In order to be legally marketed, any drug must necessarily undergo laboratory tests and be registered in the "Honest Mark" system, lawyer Zara Gorbushina reminded Izvestia.

However, after the Danish company Novo Nordisk stopped official supplies of its drug to Russia at the end of 2023, it is imported into the country only illegally, experts explained.

Nevertheless, on the websites of some pharmacy chains there are many ads for the sale of "Ozempik". In particular, Izvestia had no problem negotiating the purchase of the drug with a representative of the LavandaPharm pharmacy located on Chertanovskaya Street in Moscow. The seller set up a meeting on the street and admitted that he was selling the drug without a receipt and the necessary permits. According to him, Ozempik is supplied to him by intermediaries from Germany and Saudi Arabia.

In addition, the Izvestia correspondent agreed to buy unlabeled Ozempik with representatives of pharmacies of Asna, Farmasphere, Apteka-Zdravnitsa and some others. None of their representatives demanded a prescription from the journalist. They named Estonia, Romania, Poland and UAE as the countries of origin of the medicine.

The illegal turnover of "Ozempik" in Russia for January - October 2024 may be from 1 to 1.5 billion rubles. Such an estimate "Izvestia" was given by Nikolai Bespalov, development director of the analytical company RNC.

Read the details in the exclusive material of "Izvestia":

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