More and more fake weight loss pills flooding into Georgia
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - As common weight loss drugs become more popular, so are attempts to counterfeit them, often with dangerous outcomes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have been coming across more and more shipments of fake cosmetic and weight loss drugs, with the bulk of the shipments making their way from China.
“This could have very potentially harmful stuff that could either hurt you or kill you,” said Customs and Border Protection Officer James Randazzo. “It’s all alarming because we don’t know what’s in it.”
The agency is responsible for stopping the fake drugs and other dangerous or counterfeit items from entering the American marketplace, but they do work with other federal agencies like the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Food and Drug istration to test and prevent the spread of fake medications.
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Elsewhere around the country, officials have found substances like antifreeze in knockoffs of common weight loss drugs.
Inside a cargo building at the airport, Randazzo showed off several dozen vials of human growth hormone and boxes of fake Botox. The boxes bear a striking resemblance to real doses of the cosmetic drug.
“They’re trying to make you think that it is this real company,” said Randazzo. “They use the same print, the same font, the same kind of emblem.”
But he also pointed out something else that helps officers spot the real shipments from the bogus.
“If this says it’s Botox, it shouldn’t be going to a private residence,” Randazzo points out on the box. “It should be going to a doctor.”
Pharmacist Ira Katz with Little Five Points Pharmacy always advises his customers to stay away from buying pharmaceuticals online. Katz said you just can never be sure what’s inside if you don’t get it from a legitimate source.
“Buyer beware, that’s what I tell people,” he said. “God only knows what’s in there. That’s why I say buyer beware, you just don’t know what you’re getting.”
Price may have something to do with so many people ignoring the obvious signs. As is the case with most black market items, the high cost of the real thing drives cheaper fakes. Whereas some of the more popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Monjaro and Rybelsus can cost thousands of dollars for only a few doses, the counterfeits are much cheaper — sometimes under $100 for a dose.
“A good rule of thumb is: think safety over savings,” said Randazzo. “The price of this stuff is going to be far less than the price of the real stuff.”
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