Big Take Podcast
Cheap Ozempic Copycats Are Suddenly Everywhere. Are They Safe?
Listen to the Big Take podcast to find out why knockoff weight-loss drugs are flooding the market, fueling a billion-dollar industry that’s largely unregulated.
Injection pen parts at a weight loss drug production facility.
Photographer: Carsten Snejbjerg/Bloomberg
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Cheaper, knockoff versions of Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound are flooding the market, often promoted by telehealth companies in online ads and by influencers on TikTok and Instagram. These versions of the drugs are made by so-called compounding pharmacies, an obscure corner of America’s pharmaceutical market which makes drugs that aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration.