Several hospitalised in Austria after using suspected fake diabetes drug

Health regulator says serious side-effects possibly caused by insulin in counterfeit versions of Novo Nordisk's Ozempic

Several people have been hospitalised in Austria after using suspected fake versions of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug Ozempic, the country's health safety body has said, the first report of harm to users as a European hunt for counterfeiters widened.

The patients were reported to have suffered hypoglycaemia and seizures, serious side-effects that indicate that the product contained insulin instead of Ozempic's active ingredient semaglutide, the health safety regulator Bundesamt fur Sicherheit im Gesundheitswesen (BASG) said on Monday.