Warning over ‘genuine’ looking drugs caught at border

They look convincing and promise results, but these counterfeit drugs caught at the border are putting Aussies at serious risk.

Counterfeit drugs, including cosmetic injectables, weight-loss drugs, and ivermectin tablets, have been seized at Australia’s borders, prompting a fresh round of safety alerts from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.

The alerts follow the TGA detecting attempted imports of the counterfeit pharmaceuticals and instructing the Australian Border Force to seize and destroy any intercepted products.

The seized products were packaged in professional-looking branding designed to mimic legitimate medications.

Testing confirmed many of them contained incorrect doses of active ingredients.

Among the haul were “substandard” Fitaro-branded semaglutide syringes, an in-demand diabetes drug also used for weight loss that is experiencing a global shortage.

Substandard Fitaro semaglutide pre-filled syringes have been stopped at the Australian border. Picture: TGA

“We have conducted testing on several Fitaro-branded pre-filled syringes labelled as containing semaglutide,” the TGA alert said.

“Laboratory analysis found the following dosage strengths contain less than the stated amount of the active pharmaceutical ingredient semaglutide.”

The TGA has declared the syringes counterfeit and warned they may pose serious health risks.

Also seized were counterfeit versions of Laroscorbine Platinum, a cosmetic injectable claiming to contain vitamin C and collagen.

The products were labelled as if manufactured by Roche, a company that discontinued Laroscorbine production two decades ago.

Roche ceased Laroscorbine production two decades ago. Picture: TGA

“While these products appear genuine, Roche has confirmed they no longer manufacture Laroscorbine, and this, along with any product identified as Roche branded Laroscorbine is not genuine,” the TGA said.

The agency warned these fakes “to the untrained eye, may appear legitimate, highlighting the need to purchase your medicines from legitimate sources using the lawful supply chain”.

Packaging for the Laroscorbine counterfeit shows a “Beware of Counterfeit” label.

The border crackdown also uncovered new batches of counterfeit ivermectin, a drug that gained notoriety during the Covid-19 pandemic despite being widely discredited as a treatment for the virus.

Products labelled Iverjohn-12 and Ivervid-12 have been flagged in alerts since 2021.

“We have tested a further two imported, unregistered ivermectin products and found they are counterfeit under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989,” the TGA said.

“As with the previous warnings issued, these products were purchased online from an overseas website and were not bought from an Australian pharmacy.”

Imports of counterfeit ivermectin have been ongoing since they were first detected in 2021. Picture TGA

The TGA is urging all consumers to immediately stop using these products and take any remaining doses to a local pharmacy for safe disposal.

Anyone concerned about side effects should consult a doctor.

The TGA is warning consumers to be extremely cautious when purchasing medicines online, noting that products bought from overseas websites may be counterfeit, contain hidden or harmful ingredients, and often fail to meet Australian standards for safety, quality, and effectiveness.

Counterfeit drugs cannot be imported under the Personal Importation Scheme, and knowingly importing or distributing them is illegal.

Originally published as Warning over ‘genuine’ looking drugs caught at border