The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has issued a warning about the rising prevalence of counterfeit weight loss products, including those falsely claiming to be the diabetes drug Ozempic, circulating in the South African market. These counterfeit items are being sold through various online platforms, including websites, social media, and informal channels.
SAHPRA emphasized that these unverified products pose significant health risks, as their quality and safety have not been established. Mokgadi Fafudi, SAHPRA’s Regulatory Compliance Manager, noted that while certain types of medication compounding are legally permitted, the online sale of medicines remains prohibited.
"Compounding is allowed, but online sale of medicines is prohibited because this is a complex molecule,” Fafudi explained. “All medicines must be registered with SAHPRA or authorized by SAHPRA for sale in the market. Those that are being sold online lack verified sourcing and may contain unknown ingredients. Currently, SAHPRA has not approved or verified any compounded versions of Ozempic for sale."
SAHPRA is urging the public to avoid purchasing medications from unofficial online sources and to only use products that have been reviewed and authorized by the regulatory authority.