Novo Nordisk Sues Pharmacies Over Impure Drug Knockoffs

The Danish pharmaceutical company alleges that the pharmacies' products, claiming to contain the active ingredient in its weight loss and diabetes medications, contain potentially harmful impurities.

Novo Nordisk has sued two Florida-based compounding pharmacies, Wells Pharmacy Network and Brooksville Pharmaceuticals, for allegedly selling impure and potentially unsafe drugs claiming to contain semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk's weight loss treatment Wegovy and diabetes medication Ozempic.
The Danish drugmaker found that all the products tested from the two pharmacies were impure, containing unknown and unauthorized substances other than semaglutide, with one product's level of unknown impurities being 33%.
The impurities in the products potentially pose safety risks to consumers, including possibly serious and life-threatening reactions.
Novo Nordisk is not seeking monetary damages but is asking the court to bar the pharmacies from selling their products.
This legal action is part of Novo Nordisk's ongoing battle against compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and weight loss clinics allegedly selling unauthorized versions of Wegovy and Ozempic.