According to a study published in the prestigious American Medical Association’s JAMA Network Open journal by researchers from the University of Pécs Faculty of Pharmacy (UP GYTK) and the University of California, people who buy drugs containing semaglutide online, which are in short supply because of their weight-loss effects, risk severely damaging their health and also losing money. Such drugs are also increasingly sought after in Hungary and, as a result, are often not available to those who need them most.
The Digital Health Research Group of the UP GYTK Department of Pharmaceutics, and fellow US researchersexamined popular websites that ranked high in Google and Bing search lists and conducted test purchases. The international research team from Pécs and San Diego found that almost every second (42%) of websites offering semaglutide products belong to illegal online pharmacies, and the products they sell can cause serious health risks due to contamination or inadequate active substance content. This poses a serious public health risk, as the drugs, which were initially used to treat type 2 diabetes, are widely used for losing weight but can cause permanent damage if not properly dosed or of the right quality.
We are better off if we just lose money
The most popular semaglutide-based drug, Ozempic, has been in short supply for years, often inaccessible to those who really need it, and researchers have found that websites offering it specialise in ripping off customers. The situation is different with illegal websites offering copies, where, in most cases, the drug can be purchased, but with even more risks.
As the testing of the products has shown, the purity of the active substance is significantly lower than expected, but the amount can be up to 39% higher than the expected dose, which carries the risk of overdose. This is important because semaglutide can cause gastrointestinal side effects even at the medically approved dosage, and exceeding this dosage can cause very serious health damage. As the authors of the study point out, there has been a 1500 percent increase in the number of emergency calls related to semaglutide in poison treatment centres in the United States.
There is also a shortage in Hungary
Increased demand for prescription Ozempic can also be observed in Hungary. According to data from the National Health Insurance Fund of Hungary (NEAK), 31,585 Ozempic products were sold nationwide in July 2024. According to the Hungarian National Centre for Public Health and Pharmacy (NNGYK), the increased demand is expected to lead to a shortage of certain Ozempic products from 18 July 2024, which is expected to last until 15 November 2024.
Dr. Ashraf Amir Reza, Dr. András Fittler, and Dr. Róbert Vida, research and teaching colleagues at the UP GYTK with degrees in pharmacy, are raising awareness to purchase drugs only from pharmacies with an official licence and to use them only as their pharmacist and doctor advise.
The findings of the study, which was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical School in Pécs, have been reported by around 80 major international news sites, including NBC News, the Los Angeles Times, the New York Post, The Hill, Scientific American, and Bussiness Insider. In Europe, Euronews, La Repubblica in Italy, Conecta 5 Telecinco in Spain, and Pharmazeutische Zeitung and Deutsches Ärzteblatt in Germany, have also reported it.
The study is available here: Safety and Risk Assessment of No-Prescription Online Semaglutide Purchases