Ozempic, Wegovy knockoffs subject of Novo Nordisk suit

Novo Nordisk on Tuesday sued five medical spas and wellness clinics for allegedly selling cheaper, unauthorized versions of the corporate’s weight reduction drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. 

The Danish drugmaker initiated the lawsuits in federal courts in Recent York, Texas, Florida and Tennessee,  in line with complaints obtained by CNBC. 

The suits accused the spas and clinics of promoting and selling “compounded” drug products that claim to contain semaglutide, the energetic ingredient in each Ozempic and Wegovy. Compounded drugs are custom-made versions of a treatment that aren’t approved by the Food and Drug Administration. 

Novo Nordisk is the only real patent holder of semaglutide and doesn’t sell that ingredient to outside entities. It’s unclear what the spas and clinics are literally selling to consumers.

Novo Nordisk asked the courts for orders blocking the sales of the unauthorized drugs and an unspecified sum of money damages.

“These illegal marketing and sales practices, including using Novo Nordisk trademarks in reference to these practices, have created a high risk of consumer confusion and deception in addition to potential safety concerns,” the corporate wrote in a press release Tuesday. 

The spas and clinics named within the lawsuits include Pro Health Investments, Champion Health & Wellness Clinics and Flawless Image Medical Aesthetics. 

It also includes Effinger Health, which operates as Nuvida Rx Weight Loss, and Ekzotika Corp., which is doing business as Cosmetic Laser Professionals Med Spa. The latter clinic offers a $30 Groupon for a one-week “semaglutide weight management program.”

The spas and clinics didn’t immediately reply to CNBC’s requests for comment.

The suits come amid a shortage of Wegovy and Ozempic, which has led to a boom in compounded alternatives that claim to be the favored injections. 

The FDA last month warned in regards to the safety risks of unauthorized versions of Ozempic and Wegovy after reports emerged of opposed health reactions to compounded versions of the drugs. 

Several states have also threatened to take legal motion against compounding pharmacies that make or distribute unapproved variations of Novo Nordisk’s weight reduction treatments.