Ozempic is a Diabetic II medication that helps people lose weight. It’s one of the most popular ways for wealthy people to lose unwanted pounds. The full cost of a 30-day supply of four shots, one every week, can be as much as $1700.00 monthly. Ironically, the same Ozempic made in the U.S. is sold in Europe for less than $500.00. Insurance in the United States usually only covers those with a Diabetic II condition taking Ozempic.
The advertisement appears to be from Ozempic, but it is a hoax.
Massive advertising campaigns on Google Ads and legitimate news websites promote Ozempic for just $3.21 daily. This is fraud and may be life-threatening.
A San Diego, California company named FuturHealth is not shy about continuing to promote a product they cannot deliver.
Law enforcement and the attorney general also seem to let this company continue to mislead consumers, while the Better Business Bureau rated FuturHealth with a C- warning consumers of possible fraud.
When eTurboNews contacted FuturHealth and talked to their call center in the Philippines, they appeared helpful but agreed that the advertising was a “little” misleading.
Once a consumer orders FuturHealth and pays a fee of almost $300.00, the company delivers a questionable prescription for Ozempic or a similar weight loss medication. The fee is monthly, but a consumer wanting to add Ozempic has to pay another $1645 a month. This was never disclosed before.
Ozempic is available at legitimate pharmacies and a pharmacy coupon for about $800 a month. FuturHealth is offering an alternative for less money claiming it was the same as what Novo Nordisk is offering with Ozempic.
According to Novo Nordisk, however, they are the only company in the U.S. that has FDA-approved semaglutide, and the FDA has not approved any generic versions.
The BBB warns:
On April, 2024, BBB investigated Futurhealth Inc business practices. This investigation was prompted by the nature of consumer complaints and customer reviews received by BBB. Consumers allege in their reports to BBB that the business fails to inform consumers of additional charges added on to their original purchase and fails to deliver products.
On April 17, 2024, BBB sent the company a Business Practice Inquiry through email to request the following information:
- The details on how consumers are made aware of the terms and conditions related to their purchases;
- A copy of the fees associated with the services you provide;
- The details on the processes and procedures currently in place to ensure that consumers are informed of all charges associated with their transactions;
-The measures the business implements to ensure that consumers receive appropriate medical authorization from a medical professional before medication charges are applied;
Additionally, BBB asked the business to update their refund policy link on their website, as the current page is invalid and cannot be viewed.
As of May 15, 2024, the business has not responded to BBB’s inquiry.
Consumers with outstanding concerns are still encouraged to file a complaint for BBB records but may also wish to contact their local Attorney General.
Such advertisements pop up constantly on millions of websites, and most of them are from FuturHealth.
Who is Novo Nordisk
Novo Nordisk is the only company in the U.S. that has FDA-approved semaglutide, and the FDA has not approved any generic versions.
Telehealth providers and compounding pharmacies claiming to offer or sell unapproved compounded products containing “semaglutide” are sourcing their ingredients from entities other than Novo Nordisk.
Novo Nordisk has filed 49 lawsuits nationwide against medical spas, weight-loss clinics, and compounding pharmacies engaging in unlawful marketing and sales of compounded drugs claiming to contain “semaglutide.”
Novo Nordisk says it will continue to pursue legal action against other entities engaged in similar conduct.
Novo Nordisk also filed lawsuits against several medical spas, weight loss clinics, pharmacies, and other companies in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Montana, Tennessee, and Texas. These actions aim to protect US patients and consumers from deceptive marketing by these entities and potentially harmful and improperly compounded drugs claiming to contain semaglutide.
As of March 31, 2024, the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) data includes 442 cases of adverse events associated with compounded drugs claiming to contain semaglutide. Of those cases, 319 were classified as “serious” adverse events, 99 reported hospitalization, and seven involved death.
With these new lawsuits, Novo Nordisk has filed 21 legal actions against entities engaging in deceptive, unfair, unlawful, and dangerous practices regarding the marketing and sales of alleged “semaglutide” products. The latest round of legal actions is based on alarming new evidence collected by Novo Nordisk on the practices and products being sold by these entities. Some of these include:
- Mounting evidence of high levels of known impurities and the presence of unknown impurities in injectable compounded products claiming to contain semaglutide potentially exposes patients to significant health risks. In one instance, testing showed that a compounded product claiming to contain semaglutide consisted of more than 24% impurities, including unknown impurities.
- False claims that the compounded drugs are FDA-approved
- False claims that these products are sourced from and/or are equivalent to Novo Nordisk’s FDA-approved semaglutide medicines. In one instance, Novo Nordisk testing showed that an oral sublingual compounded product labeled as having 1 mg/mL of semaglutide contained no semaglutide whatsoever
- Novo Nordisk does not directly or indirectly provide or sell bulk semaglutide to compounding pharmacies or any other entity for the purposes of compounding semaglutide products
- Potentially dangerous advertisements by retailers on “how to make your own” injectable semaglutide at home and sales of” semaglutide” products without any prescription from a medical professional
“Non-FDA approved compounded drugs claiming to contain semaglutide with high levels of known impurities and unknown impurities pose significant risks to patients and may lead to serious and life-threatening reactions,” said Doug Langa, executive vice president of North America operations and president of Novo Nordisk.
“We will continue to pursue legal action against those who provide potentially unsafe and ineffective compounded “semaglutide” products and knowingly deceive patients seeking treatment, thereby eroding public trust in the safety of FDA-approved medicines.”
Among the prior 12 lawsuits brought forward by Novo Nordisk, courts have already entered five final judgments, permanently barring the defendants from engaging in deceptive, misleading, and unlawful marketing practices related to the sales of compounded “semaglutide” drugs. The other lawsuits are still in active litigation.
Novo Nordisk’s ongoing surveillance and testing of compounded semaglutide underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to patient safety and concerns about the dangers of improperly compounded products.
Novo Nordisk is the only company in the United States with FDA-approved medicines containing semaglutide and does not sell semaglutide to any entities for use in compounding. Novo Nordisk does not directly or indirectly provide or sell bulk semaglutide to compounding pharmacies or any other entity to compound semaglutide products.
Novo Nordisk stated that it was strongly committed to continuing to reinforce the responsible use of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide medicines—including on semaglutide.com—and to helping patients and providers understand the differences between our FDA-approved semaglutide medicines and unapproved compounded drugs claiming to contain semaglutide.
The compounded drugs claiming to contain semaglutide from two compounding pharmacies were tested, and the results revealed several concerning findings:
