Fake Ozempic, Viagra among most sought after illegal drugs in Australia

Fake weight loss drug Ozempic, “herbal pills” packed with Viagra and an appetite suppressant that can cause heart attacks are among the most sought after illegal drugs in Australia.

“Snus” pouches, study pills, “herbal” remedies laced with banned medications, counterfeit drugs — including fake Ozempic — and a notorious poison were among the millions of illegal health products seized last year.

Australian authorities found a staggering 5.5 million unlawfully imported medications and medical devices in 2023, across more than 7,000 deliveries.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration vowed to continue to “disrupt” the trade of fake, often dangerous medicines in the coming months, particularly products with “higher risk substances that pose a risk to human health and/or safety”.

The TGA data revealed a spike in imports of various fakes, including for Ozempic or semaglutide, the diabetes drug famous for its weight loss side effects and now in serious shortage.

Since May 2023, at least 14 deliveries of semaglutide products that do not contain the drug have been found, prompting warnings for consumers to be cautious of online offers for “hard to obtain products”.

An example of the types of “snus” pouches seized en masse by authorities in the past year.

Victorian pharmacist and Monash University’s Dr Daniel Malone urged consumers to stop trying drugs because they’re trending in their social circle, warning multiple stores stopped selling a painkiller after it became a popular party drug ingredient in a community, promoted by several US rappers.

He said if a drug was prescription-only, it was for a “good reason” and not something for people to order overseas “just because they saw it on TikTok.”

A TGA spokesman said minor, first-time offenders were offered education but deliberate and serious noncompliance can attract criminal penalties, with 68 infringement notices — including a $500,000 fine across three Sydney vape stores — handed out last year.

The data, which spans January 1 to December 21 2023, shows more than 2.4 million nicotine pouches were seized, including a haul of 307,000 ‘snusses’ found in the year’s biggest therapeutic seizure.

Erectile dysfunction prescription drugs Viagra and tadalafil were the second most commonly seized medicine after authorities stopped 1300 imports with 1.9 millions units — including a large seizure of 108,500 pills.

ADHD and narcolepsy drugs, modafinil and armodafinil, sold on the black market as study pills despite a lack of evidence, were third, with more than 100,000 found across 740 imports.

Pharmaceuticals were also hidden in supposedly natural remedies and stopped at the border before they could dupe consumers.

Viagra hidden in products labelled “100 per cent herbal” supplements were also seized.

Multiple “100 per cent herbal” erectile dysfunction supplements sold under names including “BAIWEI maximum powerful”, “bigger longer more time sperms” and “Big Penis USA”, really just contained Viagra or tadalafil.

Various “herbal” weight loss products — such as Li Da Daihua capsules — contained an appetite suppressant, sibutramine, withdrawn from multiple markets including the United States and European Union, over cardiac arrest and stroke concerns.

There were also unregistered medications with “high risk ingredients” such as various EVE branded “headache fix” pills, which held a dangerous hypnotic sedative and schedule 10 poison, apronal, banned in most countries including Australia.

Other seizures included more than $11 million worth of nicotine vapes and “substandard” Ivermectin, the horse drug incorrectly touted as a Covid treatment.

Dr Malone said there was a reason medicine undergoes strict testing and undisclosed substances “absolutely” put consumers — oblivious to the dose they were taking — at risk.

“The possible presence of toxic substances … you don’t know the quality of the goods.”

He said some herbal products – such as aconite ‘wolf’s bane’ – were poisonous unless prepared in a specific way.

A “large increase” in melatonin — a sleeping pill — also worried authorities, with 35,000 units intercepted, up from 19, 500 the previous year.

Healthcare practitioners and beauty clinics were also caught importing cosmetic injectables – including prefilled syringes, local anaesthetic and Botox – without a permit.