Health

Unsafe Ozempic Knockoffs Are Flooding the Market

FDA says these drugs ‘not approved’ but allowed for shortages
Unbranded weight-loss drugs likely $1 billion-a-year market

Health insurers aren’t racing to cover the roughly $1,000-a-month brand-name drugs, causing people to seek cheaper alternatives. Photographer: Nick Lachance/Toronto Star/Getty Images

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By Ike Swetlitz and Madison Muller

July 22, 2024 at 6:00 AM EDT

Updated on

July 22, 2024 at 10:49 AM EDT

This article is for subscribers only.

The first dose of a copycat weight-loss drug Lindsay Posey took from a new pharmacy worked well. The second didn’t quite suppress her appetite. It was the third dose that she thinks caused her trouble.

Acne erupted on her cheeks, nose, chin and forehead. “My skin just went absolutely crazy,” said the 38-year-old who works in online customer service. Acne isn’t listed as a side effect of the FDA-approved formulation.