Calorie Report: New Fake Obesity Drugs have appeared on the internet
Manufacturers of dietary supplements that falsify the anti-obesity drug Orlistat have become more active on the Internet, the international Anti-Counterfeit association told Izvestia. This prescription drug is prescribed to overweight and diabetic patients. In addition, new dietary supplements have appeared on the Internet using the Ozempic brand in their names — Ozempic and Ultra Ozempic. Some claim that semaglutide is a medicinal substance, on the basis of which the original "Ozempik" was created. The law prohibits the addition of medicinal compounds to dietary supplements, such pseudo-medicines can adversely affect health, and their sale constitutes a crime, experts warned.
How sellers fake Orlistat
Manufacturers of counterfeit products have begun to actively forge the well-known anti-obesity drug Orlistat, Izvestia found out. A dietary supplement with a similar name, Orlistat, has appeared on the Internet for free sale.
The real Orlistat is registered in Russia, it is produced by various pharmaceutical companies, including Russian ones. Endocrinologists prescribe it for obesity and diabetes strictly by prescription.
A dietary supplement named Orlistat is sold online by Alexander Kozlov, an individual entrepreneur from Armenia. The product is allegedly of foreign origin, the card says that it is an original product of the German manufacturer of dietary supplements and superfoods Libenskraft.
However, at the bottom of the plastic jar in which the capsules are packed, you can see the logo of the Moscow Protey plant (a Russian manufacturer of plastic packaging), buyers noticed.
According to the product card, Orlistat promotes "weight loss, obesity treatment, and increased energy." The description of the composition of the "fat burner" reads as follows: "Orlistat 360 mg, 100% of the daily value."
Izvestia has studied the declaration of conformity referred to by the sellers. It follows that the food supplement contains ashwagandha, a preparation from the root of the vitania plant. In accordance with the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union "On Food Safety", ashwagandha in Russia is prohibited for use in dietary supplements as a plant containing psychotropic, narcotic, potent or poisonous substances, Ivan Dyndikov, Director of Development at the Union of Dietary Supplement Manufacturers, told Izvestia.
— In addition, ashwagandha is very dangerous for its nephrotoxicity (toxic effects on the kidneys. — Ed.), — said the expert.
All medicines in civil circulation in Russia are subject to mandatory registration, the project manager told Izvestia, "Don't take any chances. Check it out!" by Sergey Zelenets of the International Anti-Counterfeit Association.
— There is no information about the registration of Orlistat in the state Register of medicines, — said the expert.
Declarations of conformity for dietary supplements sold on the Internet often contain false information, pharmaceutical safety expert Alexander Nosenko told Izvestia. In particular, data on product tests, which are actually carried out only on paper, may be unreliable.
— Meanwhile, in the sellers' cards, the buyer sees the note "Goods checked" or "Documents checked" and believes that this is a safe product, — said the expert. — Such a scheme has already largely discredited the existing rules for confirming the quality and safety of products sold on the Internet.
The cargo customs declaration on Orlistat, the number of which is indicated in the product card, is not being searched, a law enforcement source told Izvestia.
Izvestia sent a request to Rospotrebnadzor and Roszdravnadzor about the permissibility of selling such goods on the Internet, after which the product card was promptly blocked (Izvestia has scans).
How to falsify "Ozempik"
Orlistat is not the only cure for obesity that unscrupulous entrepreneurs are speculating on. Sellers who pass off their dietary supplements as "Ozempik" have also become more active on the network. Their names in various variations imitate the name of a famous Danish medicine.
Among the latest such "novelties" are Ozempic, allegedly from the same German company Libenskraft and Ultra Ozempic.
Ozempic is being sold by Dmitry Levitsky, an individual entrepreneur from Krasnodar. The product specifications say that the dietary supplement contains the active substance semaglutide, the very analogue of the glucagon‑like peptide-1 (GLP‑1), which is part of the original Ozempik preparation. 200 capsules cost 7.5 thousand rubles.
The product card says that semaglutide "regulates the feeling of fullness and promotes healthy eating habits. The remedy maintains normal glucose levels, slows down gastric emptying and helps reduce food cravings." And the tablet form is supposedly "suitable for those who prefer oral administration instead of injections."
At the same time, the declaration of conformity attached to the card says that it was issued for a "Food ingredient. Ascorbic acid SternVit Ascorbic Acid K-100".
"If you think you're buying the acclaimed semaglutide, you're wrong," one customer writes in the reviews. In response, the seller expresses regret "that your experience did not meet expectations" and promises to "definitely take into account the comments."
Another customer who complained that the dietary supplement with semaglutide did not help her in any way, the seller advises her to eat right, lead an active lifestyle and drink plenty of water. "The effect may not appear immediately — it depends on the characteristics of the body. But our capsules will become a reliable assistant on the way to the goal and speed up the process!" the seller wrote.
Another similar dietary supplement, Ultra Ozempic, contains forskolin extract, which, as stated in the description, stimulates fat burning. The customs declaration for such a drug is also not in the database, the source told Izvestia.
These dietary supplements have nothing to do with the international pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, said Sergey Zelenets.
—The seller identifies Ultra Ozempic as a food additive, but in Russia, retail sale of such additives is prohibited, with the exception of a number of names," the expert added. — Judging by the composition indicated on the card, we have an unregistered dietary supplement in front of us.
Earlier, Izvestia had already written about the Turbo Ozempic and Azempic+ dietary supplements from Russian manufacturers Umbrella LLC and Atrium LLC, which also mimicked Ozempic.
As the study showed, the supplements have nothing to do with the popular Danish drug.
What the doctors say
Orlistat and Ozempik have different mechanisms of action, Darya Rusakova, a nutritionist at the N.V. Sklifosovsky Research Institute of Emergency Medicine of the Moscow Department of Health, told Izvestia.
"In Orlistat, the active ingredient blocks enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract that break down fats," she explained. — Unsplit fats are eliminated from the body, so the calorie load is reduced. Unlike Ozempika, Orlistat does not affect appetite or blood glucose levels and does not slow down gastric emptying.
The doctor reminded that dietary supplements cannot contain medicinal substances, the law explicitly prohibits this.
— If dietary supplements are positioned as an analogue of medicines with these components, this is a fake. Medicines must necessarily have a registration certificate," the expert emphasized.
Such dietary supplements, according to the doctor, can harm health up to a fatal outcome.
Ashwagandha, which contains the Orlistat dietary supplement, is contraindicated in pregnancy, autoimmune diseases and sedation, Daria Rusakova noted. Side effects of ashwagandha may also include diarrhea, headache, lethargy or nausea, and liver problems, she said.
In a year, you can lose 10-15% of your initial body weight on Orlistat, and 15-20% on Ozempika, Ulvia Gulizade, an endocrinologist at the UNI Clinics Medical Center, told Izvestia.
"Orlistat, Semavik, and Ozempika have no analogues that could be used in dietary supplements," the doctor emphasized. — So, the effect that these drugs have is impossible when taking dietary supplements.
According to Ulvia Gulizade, when taking certain medications, the dosage is increased gradually so as not to provoke acute pancreatitis and other gastrointestinal problems.
— In dietary supplements, we cannot estimate the dosage of the active substance, — said the doctor. — There, the dose is likely to be large initially for the exact effect, which can provoke vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, pancreatitis and other undesirable reactions.
The doctor recommended that patients avoid taking dietary supplements, which contain the active ingredients of the drugs.
Medicine or dietary supplement
The law categorically prohibits the inclusion of pharmaceutical substances in dietary supplements, the Public Consumer Initiative (OPI) reminded Izvestia. Such a product falls under the totality of two criminal offenses: falsification and trafficking of an unregistered medicinal product, they added.
"A manufacturer adding a medicinal substance to dietary supplements is invading the sphere of drug circulation," said Oleg Pavlov, chairman of the OPI. — At the same time, he bypasses the entire system of state control created to protect the population. Such a violation poses a direct threat to public health.
In this case, the name acts as a hook that catches the consumer's attention, exploiting the already formed loyalty and trust to a well-known pharmaceutical brand, Oleg Pavlov added. It creates an expectation of a certain therapeutic result. And the medicinal substance in the composition is designed to create the illusion of effectiveness and encourage repeat purchases.
Orlistat is sold as a dietary supplement, but no one knows what is actually contained in its composition, Ivan Dyndikov, Director of development at the Union of Dietary Supplement Manufacturers, told Izvestia.
"There may be any kind of substances, including prohibited substances," the expert emphasized. — For example, sibutramine was previously added to weight loss medications, which has many serious side effects, from high blood pressure to stomach upset. Sibutramine can also cause death.
According to the estimates of the Union of Dietary Supplement Manufacturers, currently more than 120 thousand units of biologically active additives do not pass safety and authenticity checks.
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