Illegal variations of Ozempic seized from a South Yarra pharmacy

A pharmacy linked to disgraced Essendon supplements scandal figure Nima Alavi has been busted allegedly cooking up illegal variations of celebrity weight loss drug Ozempic.

Semaglutide seized from a pharmacy in South Yarra. Picture: Therapeutic Goods Association

The South Yarra pharmacy linked to disgraced Essendon supplements scandal figure Nima Alavi was raided by the Therapeutic Goods Administration on Thursday amid allegations it was cooking up illegal variations of celebrity weight loss drug Ozempic.

Alavi’s decomposing body was found in his Armadale home in December, shortly after the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency hit him with more than 2000 charges over the alleged illegal supply of prescription painkiller oxycodone.

A TGA spokesman on Friday said it had “serious concerns” about the safety of the medications seized in its raid on the pharmacy, Compo Compounding.

TGA investigators allegedly seized a “large amount” of unlawfully manufactured peptides, human growth hormones and semaglutide — the name for the diabetes medication now commonly used by celebrities a weight-loss drug.

TGA head Professor Anthony Lawler said there were serious consequences for those who illegally import, manufacture, advertise, supply or export therapeutic goods.

“It is important that pharmacists understand that they are most likely breaking the law if they are manufacturing or supplying medicines prior to receiving a prescription, except in very limited circumstances,” Prof Lawler said.

The drugs will be subject to further analysis and examination by the TGA.

Ozempic has become a popular weight loss drug.

Alavi was at the centre of the Essendon supplements scandal, which saw season-long bans for 34 Bombers players in 2016.

He was accused of manufacturing supplements from raw materials supplied by Shane Charter.

Notorious biochemist Dr Stephen Dank then oversaw the administration of the supplements to players.

The recent criminal charges stemming from Alavi’s alleged supply of oxycodone were able to be reported only after the Herald Sun fought his family’s attempt to have the court case suppressed.

The Alavi family’s lawyers argued any news reports on the case might impact their “psychological safety”.

They also argued the value of the pharmacy would plummet if it became widely known Alavi had allegedly been using it to illegally supply prescription drugs.

Pharmacist Nima Alavi supplied Essendon biochemist Stephen Dank.

The Alavi family were unable to produce any evidence to support their arguments.

It is not known what role, if any, the Alavi family had in the management of the pharmacy at the time of the raid, or who were involved in the alleged production of the blackmarket Ozempic.

The raid came just hours before the TGA announced it would consider shutting a loophole which had allowed pharmacists to produce their own versions of Ozempic for customers by making a compounded version themselves.

Prof Lawlor said: “Consumers need to understand that the safety of compounded medicines are not assessed by the TGA, and they are not subjectto the same controls over the quality or efficacy of the goods when compared with medicines approved for supply in Australia.”

Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute Professor Michael Cowley said he supported changing this loophole as the safety of compounded versions “had not been clinically tested”.

“The production facilities of the compounded versions are not inspected for safety in the same way as the manufacturing facilities of the approved versions are,” he said.

“In short, we cannot be sure that the compounded versions are as safe and effective as the approved versions, and there is no adverse event tracking of the compounded medicines.”

The pharmacy was contacted for comment.