Compounded semaglutide poses serious U.S. health issue, Novo Nordisk CEO says

Novo Nordisk's CEO on Friday said compounded semaglutide in the United States is a serious health issue. Demand for Novo's wildly popular weight-loss drugs, which use semaglutide as an active ingredient, has been far outpacing supply, increasingly giving rise to concerns about unregulated and counterfeit medicines. Jorgensen said Novo was collaborating with authorities in several countries to address the counterfeit issue.

Novo Nordisk's CEO on Friday said compounded semaglutide in the United States is a serious health issue.

Demand for Novo's wildly popular weight-loss drugs, which use semaglutide as an active ingredient, has been far outpacing supply, increasingly giving rise to concerns about unregulated and counterfeit medicines. "It's a serious health issue," Lars Fruergard Jorgensen told Reuters.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has received reports of compounded semaglutide causing adverse health events and has advised the public that the agency does not have enough data to know whether these drugs are harmful to humans. Jorgensen said Novo was collaborating with authorities in several countries to address the counterfeit issue.