Swissmedic warns against the multiplication of offers of falsified, deceived or unauthorized products intended for weight loss and referring to active ingredients of the GLP-1 type. These preparations may contain unstoppted, unsuccessful or harmful substances, be of insufficient or poorly dosed quality. The use of these products includes major health risks.
In addition to illegal weight loss injections, there are also “weight lidges” offered as food supplements. These offers use misleading names, exploit the Swissmedic logo abusive or affix dummy quality labels on packaging in order to deceive consumers in a targeted manner.
The agonists of the GLP-1 receptor are currently very popular on social networks, often going hand in hand with unrealistic promises of weight loss. Criminal counterfeiters and doubtful suppliers use this trend in a targeted manner and promote these products, sometimes in a very insistent manner, especially on social networks, on websites or through direct advertising. Swissmedic observes several disturbing developments concerning unauthorized and partly falsified products which use the reference “GLP-1”.
They are marketed as food supplements or in the form of drops; Logos of control authorities, such as that of Swissmedic, the FDA (United States) or BFARM (Germany), as well as other “fanciful certifications” can be affixed abusive, as well as dummy quality labels aimed at deliberately deceiving consumers. These presentations are misleading and fraudulent, because none of these products have been tested or authorized by these authorities. There is no evidence of medical efficiency, especially with regard to weight loss. Consumers are victims of a targeted scam.
Consequences that can be fatal
Products often presented as “natural” actually contain pharmacologically active substances, without any declaration or indication of dosage. Criminal suppliers falsify the labels of the usual injector pens or offer active ingredients still under study in the form of illegally manufactured preparations, in certain cases with potentially fatal consequences. Insulin self-injection by healthy people can lead to acute hypoglycaemia that can endanger their lives. Several medical emergencies have also been reported in Switzerland in this context. The resemblance of pens promotes deception on the substance actually present and has a high risk of confusion.
Such falsifications are illegally offered on online channels. A recent case concerns an injectable preparation seized in Hong Kong under the designation “Slimming King”. According to the declaration, this product contains only natural ingredients. However, the Swissmedic laboratory detected in the preparation the semaglutide, an active ingredient subject to prescription, to a therapeutic dosage. This can only be used under medical control.
In addition, Swissmedic recalls that injectable products can only be placed on the market as therapeutic products. The offers of injectable preparations from beauty institutes or similar establishments must be the subject of a particularly critical examination, because in many cases, these are illegal products.
Promoted by influencer
The illegal suppliers, which previously specialized in doping products and anti-aging preparations, now also sell analogues of GLP-1 such as semaglutide via online channels, generally pure in the form of powder or solution. They are often influencers who promote these products.
The active ingredients come frequently from Asia and are not subject to any pharmaceutical control. Even if the products seem professional conditioned, they do not provide any guarantee of quality, efficiency and safety. Laboratory analyzes reveal the presence of chemical and microbiological impurities that can present a health risk. The Swissmedic laboratory has detected in a sample an impurity likely to trigger serious hypersensitivity reactions in sensitive people.
Development substance
Some suppliers also market new peptide active ingredients whose efficiency has not been clinically proven to date. The “Retacitide injection kit” is an example: the substance it contains is still in the clinical development phase and is not authorized internationally, it is already available on the black market. The safety, efficiency and quality of such preparations cannot be verified due to their dubious origin and the lack of regulatory control.
The active ingredients intended to regulate blood sugar and to lose weight (agonists of GLP-1 receptors) are subject to medical prescription and should only be used under medical control. Their taking and use on recommendation of influencers, or ordering with uncontrolled and doubtful suppliers constitute a concrete danger to health.
Unauthorized or falsified drugs include major risks, especially when they contain unconcola, poorly dosed or contaminated substances. In general, Swissmedic strongly advises against the purchase of drugs and medical devices from unknown sources on the Internet and on social networks.
