Counterfeits sold via fraudulent websites, promotion by influencers on social media, sham prescriptions in teleconsultations — in recent weeks, multiple alerts have emerged concerning illegal online sales of falsified drugs marketed as GLP-1 analogues for weight loss and diabetes. Medscape’s French edition spoke with health authorities, patient associations, pharmaceutical companies, and medical regulatory bodies to understand how the fight against this trafficking is being organized.

Illicit Trafficking Over the Internet

The runaway success of antiobesity medications has brought an unintended consequence: a surge in illicit online trade of counterfeit products. The global popularity of GLP-1 receptor agonists has fueled a thriving black market on the Internet.

On September 3, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and national health agencies operating under the Heads of Medicines Agencies issued a joint warning about falsified treatments — including Ozempic/Wegovy (semaglutide), Saxenda/Victoza (liraglutide), Trulicity (dulaglutide), and Mounjaro (tirzepatide). These products, the EMA said, “are often sold via fraudulent websites and promoted on social media, are not authorised and do not meet necessary standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.”

The agency reported finding “hundreds of fake Facebook profiles, advertisements, and e-commerce listings, many of which are hosted outside the EU.” Some of these sites even misused official logos to deceive consumers into believing the products were legitimate.

Dozen Fraudulent Sites Reported Through Pharos

Health authorities are intensifying efforts to dismantle illegal sales networks, remove counterfeit products, and block websites. In France, the problem has reportedly worsened since June 23, 2025, when new regulations allowed all physicians to prescribe antiobesity drugs.

On September 11, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (ANSM) warned of a sharp increase in online advertisements and sales offers for products claiming to be GLP-1 analogues. The agency had already referred the issue to the public prosecutor back in April.

Speaking with Medscape’s French edition, ANSM said it had filed around 20 reports targeting roughly 10 merchant sites through Pharos, the French Ministry of the Interior’s official platform for reporting illegal online content. While declining to name the platforms involved, citing ongoing legal proceedings, ANSM noted that the targeted sites were ordinary consumer goods websites being used to sell counterfeit drugs.

While legitimate GLP-1 analogues, available only by prescription, come exclusively in injector pen form, ANSM investigators recently seized patches containing microneedles designed to be applied to the skin. “These are counterfeit products with no guarantees of quality, efficacy, or safety, and they expose patients to potentially serious risks,” the agency warned.

ANSM added that it plans to introduce “sanitary police measures” in the coming weeks, aimed at banning advertising and all online sales of the products in question.

Patient Associations Step In

Patient advocacy groups are also voicing deep concern over the rise in counterfeit GLP-1 drugs. “The trafficking of falsified aGLP-1 [GLP-1 analogues] medicines is extremely worrying,” said Jean-François Thebaut, vice president of the French Federation of Diabetics (FFD), in an interview with Medscape’s French edition. He recalled that 3 years ago, black-market sales and resale using forged prescriptions led to a temporary drug shortage. “Now, even more counterfeit products are being sold by fraudsters — often with no way of knowing what they actually contain,” he added.

The FFD is actively involved in efforts to combat the circulation of falsified GLP-1 drugs. “We work with the French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, the ANSM, and media-regulation authorities such as Arcom,” said Thebaut. “But our response is mostly reactive. Each time we identify an illegal site, we report it for closure — yet we’re always one step behind. When one site is shut down, another appears almost immediately.”

In this ongoing cat-and-mouse game, counterfeiters continue to stay a step ahead of regulators.

Prevent, Detect, Respond at Novo Nordisk

Pharmaceutical companies are also helping to monitor and report counterfeit activity online, often through dedicated internal teams. Novo Nordisk, which markets Ozempic and Wegovy, is one such company. “We prioritise external stakeholder engagement, education, and awareness and support law enforcement and health authorities through capacity-building activities and information sharing,” the company stated.

While Novo Nordisk declined to share operational details, it said its global anticounterfeiting strategy follows three principles: Prevent, Detect, and Respond. The company encourages patients to report any suspected fake products by email or by phone. Patients are asked to provide a photo of the suspected product, along with its name and lot number.

Physician Influencers Urged to Be Cautious

The National Orders of Pharmacists and the National Council of the Orders of Physicians (CNOM), France’s professional regulatory bodies, are also taking action and issuing warnings. “The CNOM supports the fight against illicit distribution channels,” said Hélène Harmand-Icher, president of the Public Health Section of CNOM. She noted that the organization has received reports of doctors promoting antiobesity treatments on social media and YouTube.

In January 2025, the CNOM signed a charter with YouTube outlining ten core principles for medical content creators. “The document specifies that physicians who present products online must tailor their messaging to their audience and avoid any form of advertising,” Harmand-Icher told Medscape’s French edition. If a physician violates the charter, their regional medical council may summon them to justify or correct their statements; in more serious cases, the council can request that the content or channel be shut down.

Reports of Sham Prescriptions

The CNOM was also alerted following an investigative report by France 2, one of France’s main public television channels known for its national news and in-depth current affairs coverage. The broadcast featured a Paris orthopedic surgeon who, during teleconsultations, issued prescriptions as a general practitioner and prescribed GLP-1 drugs outside official guidelines. Current French recommendations limit use to patients with a BMI above 30 or above 27 with a comorbidity.

“Any situation where a physician prescribes without appropriate follow-up during teleconsultation and issues a sham prescription is unethical and subject to disciplinary action by the Order,” said Harmand-Icher. “Fortunately, we’ve received few such reports, and our stance is zero tolerance.” She added that issuing a false prescription is a criminal offense, punishable by suspension and up to 3 years in prison.

While calling for vigilance, Harmand-Icher cautioned against “witch hunts” targeting these treatments. “The goal is to ensure that patients who genuinely need these medications continue to have safe and legitimate access to them,” she concluded.

This story was translated from Medscape’s French edition.