The media talked about the risks of replacing weight loss drugs with cheaper analogues.

When choosing a more affordable analogue of an expensive weight loss drug, patients often focus solely on the active ingredient, overlooking the auxiliary components. <url> warns about this in a material on the risks of using analogues of GLP-1 drugs.

As the newspaper notes, the difference in price between the original and an analog drug is most often explained by differences in composition. One of these components is benzyl alcohol, a preservative that allows manufacturers to reduce costs and use multi—dose forms. With prolonged use, which requires the treatment of obesity, this substance can accumulate in the body with impaired liver and kidney function and cause metabolic acidosis, a dangerous violation of the acid—base balance.

That is why the American regulator, the FDA, has not approved the use of benzyl alcohol in American versions of such drugs. Other drugs with benzyl alcohol in the United States are prohibited for a number of categories of patients with impaired kidney and liver function, children under 12 years of age, pregnant and lactating women.

The publication also draws attention to the scale of the problem: the GLP-1 drug market will exceed $100 billion in the next decade, and the number of affordable versions with various formulations continues to grow. The FDA has now shut down more than 250 websites selling counterfeit weight loss products.

The <url> article refers to a recent publication by the American International Business Times. IBT describes the story of Mikhail, an American of Russian origin, who, during a trip to Russia, purchased Sedjaro, an analogue of the drug prescribed to him based on tirzepatide, hoping to save $ 1.2 thousand— $1.4 thousand per month compared to the American price.

After returning and starting taking the drug, Mikhail was hospitalized — doctors diagnosed a serious kidney dysfunction. It is assumed that it is associated with the accumulation of benzyl alcohol from the composition of the acquired analogue. As IBT notes, Mikhail's story is "almost certainly not the only one."

The authors of the material emphasize that before changing the prescribed drug to a cheaper analogue, it is necessary to consult a doctor. The composition of the auxiliary components is no less important characteristic of the drug than the active substance.