“There is no evidence that any falsified pens have been dispensed to patients from legal pharmacies and there are no reports of harm to patients in relation to the falsified medicine,” the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said. 

Its UK counterpart, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), confirmed that falsely labelled pens of Ozempic have been identified at two UK wholesalers. 

Novo became one of Europe’s most valuable companies this year on surging demand for its weight-loss drug Wegovy and diabetes drug Ozempic amid a global obesity crisis. 

Though only Wegovy is approved for obesity, the fact that Ozempic also leads to dramatic weight loss has led people in the United States and Europe to use the drug “off-label”, meaning not for its approved use. That has attracted illegal traders who may put user health at risk.