Tennessee woman accused of selling fake weight loss drugs as counterfeit concerns grow
A Tennessee woman was accused of selling counterfeit versions of popular weight loss drugs including Ozempic. Experts say fakes have exploded in the U.S.
The first tip came into West Tennessee law enforcement about two months ago: A resident in the area was selling cheap versions of Ozempic and other weight loss drugs.
According to officials with the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, the tipster believed the products couldn’t be legitimate due to their unusually low prices: A 10-milligram vial of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, sold for about $100, for example, and a 15 mg vial costs $140. The brand-name versions, from drugmaker Novo Nordisk, sell for around $1,000 for a month’s supply.
Last week, officials said they raided Emily Arnold’s home in Medina, Tennessee, and found more than 300 vials of counterfeit versions of semaglutide, tirzepatide — the ingredient in the weight loss drug Zepbound and the diabetes drug Mounjaro — along with other drugs used for weight loss. Syringes, alcohol preps, mailers and other materials were also confiscated.
Officials confiscated more than 300 vials of counterfeit weight loss drugs. West Tennessee Drug Task ForceOfficials learned that she allegedly had also been supplying the drugs to two med spa clinics in the state. Some people who used the counterfeit drugs reported rashes and other pain from the injections, officials said.
“We stumbled into one room that was set up, sort of like a lab,” said Johnie Carter, the director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force. “We even found three packages that were already packaged up and ready to go.”
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