Replica Ozempic weight loss drugs were ordered without a script via text. Source: Chemist4U, Flickr.
A Four Corners investigation has found that replica Ozempic weight loss drugs were being illegally shipped from Australia across the world.
The replica Ozempic is characterised by its unusual bright red colour, and was found to contain ingredients such as semaglutide, which causes serious loss of sensations in the hands and feet.
The vials also contained 10 times the amount of B12 than on the label.
One patient reported severe cases of diarrhoea and vomiting.
“We don’t know what is actually in there, let alone if it is the drug and then how it was made,” said pharmacist Adam Reinhard.
“All the information led, to me, that someone in the compounding world is part of this.
“The way they’ve set up the operation, only someone with the intricate detail in compounding would understand how to do.”
To track the seller down, Four Corners ordered some replica Ozempic from the number on the fake ads sent to doctors, GP clinics, and specialists through fax machines.
The package was sent from four different unregistered pharmacies, and included postage locations that didn’t exist.
Four Corners found a lead when PayPal provided the return address to an unhappy consumer in Kansas City who had claimed a refund.
The address matched the south-west Sydney house of registered pharmacist Emad Azzer.
His NSW license states that he is banned from compounding drugs or investing in any compounding pharmacy.
Mr Azzer reportedly operated underground for years under a list of fake pharmacy names, including Total Compounding Pharmaceutical (TCP).
Neighbours reported a stream of delivery trucks backing into and out of the driveway, with large boxes of equipment being unloaded into the garage.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) raided Mr Azzer’s house within 48 hours, finding evidence of tiny red vials.
Mr Azzer was nowhere to be seen.
