Fake Ozempic and Mounjaro: what Panama’s MINSA flagged

Key points

• MINSA has issued alerts for counterfeit Ozempic (2023) and counterfeit Mounjaro, lot D881474 (2026) [1][5].
• Some fake Ozempic pens contained insulin and were associated with hypoglycemia and seizures in Austria [1][2].
• Panama’s drug regulator (DNFD) had issued 56 alerts on counterfeit medicines in the Americas since 2024 [7].
• The health minister called Panama a “vulnerable point” because of its logistics role. TRACIT’s 2026 illicit-trade report singles out the Colón Free Zone [6][8].

US status (October 2026): Semaglutide is approved as Ozempic, Rybelsus and Wegovy, and tirzepatide as Mounjaro and Zepbound. A 503A pharmacy may compound either only for a named patient inside FDA’s essentially-a-copy limits. See the semaglutide and tirzepatide status pages.

Counterfeits followed demand

Panama’s GLP-1 counterfeit problem is a supply chain story, and the same products and the same channels reach US patients. In 2023, the use of semaglutide for weight loss drove up demand and even caused shortages [1][2]. On October 31 that year, the National Directorate of Pharmacy and Drugs (DNFD) at Panama’s Ministry of Health (MINSA) warned of a side effect: the shortage “appears to be exploited by criminal organizations to place counterfeit Ozempic on the market” [1].

Eight days later the DNFD updated the alert with nine incidents reported to the WHO in eight countries. The imbalance between demand and supply, it said, had “probably favored” the spread of counterfeit product “through different commercial channels, including unauthorized sale over the internet” [2]. The same notice pointed out that Panama had only two sanitary registrations for Ozempic (110266 and 110267) [2].

Some fake pens contained insulin

The most alarming case came from Europe. German-presentation pens, according to Austria’s BASG as cited by MINSA, contained insulin instead of semaglutide and were associated with severe hypoglycemia and seizures in Austria. They had not been bought from authorized pharmacies. They came directly from an independent physician [1][2]. The notice described giveaways such as a needle labeled 31G (the original is 32G) and a dose ring that extends [1].

In June 2024 the WHO issued Medical Product Alert No. 2/2024: three falsified Ozempic batches found in Brazil (October 2023), the United Kingdom (October 2023) and the United States (December 2023), inside the regulated supply chain [3]. La Prensa covered the alert along with MINSA’s advice not to buy Ozempic from unauthorized outlets such as the internet [4].

Mounjaro followed in 2026

Tirzepatide followed the same path. In August 2026 MINSA flagged counterfeit Mounjaro, lot D881474 (exp. 04/2027), based on a notice from Brazil’s Anvisa and Eli Lilly do Brasil. The fake device carried a serial number that did not match the one registered on the original cartridge [5]. MINSA said the product is not registered in Panama and gave the 501-0306 line for reports [5].

• 9: incidents in 8 countries reported to the WHO (Nov 2023) [2]
• 56: counterfeit-medicine alerts issued by the DNFD since 2024 [7]
• D881474: counterfeit Mounjaro lot flagged in 2026 [5]

Panama’s logistics role makes it a vulnerable point

In September 2025, launching the campaign “Stop. Not everything that looks like health is,” Health Minister Fernando Boyd Galindo said the country “is a vulnerable point for the entry of these illicit products” [6]. The DNFD had by then issued 56 counterfeit-medicine alerts for the region since 2024 and announced inspections with support from Customs [7].

The reason is logistics. Presenting the latest TRACIT Illicit Trade Index report in July 2026, its director general, Jeffrey Hardy, described the Colón Free Zone as “a gateway for the distribution of illicit products throughout the region.” The report warns that criminal networks use it to hide, repackage and re-export goods, medicines included [8]. Customs director Soraya Valdivieso put medicines on the same list as tobacco, alcohol and fuel [9].

What we did not find. We found no Panamanian Customs seizure specifically of Ozempic, other GLP-1s or peptides between 2024 and 2026. MINSA’s GLP-1 alerts originated in reports from other countries and agencies (Austria’s BASG, WHO, Anvisa, INVIMA) [1][2][5][10].

Social media and WhatsApp are the common channel

The alerts share a thread. In May 2024 the DNFD relayed an alert from Colombia’s INVIMA about “semaglutide + vitamin B12” vials presented as compounded preparations, not registered in Panama, and warned that “many of these fraudulent products are sold on websites, social media and WhatsApp chains” [10].

The message repeated in every notice is traceability: a verifiable sanitary registration, a lot number that matches the manufacturer’s, and a known distribution chain [2][5]. Counterfeits reached the regulated supply chain of three countries, the United States among them [3].

What US clinics should take from it

The lesson travels. Buy approved pens only through licensed US distribution and pharmacies, and record lot numbers so you can match them against an alert. If you use a compounded preparation, document the patient-specific reason and know which pharmacy made it: see 503A vs 503B sourcing and compounded GLP-1s after the shortage. Before you onboard any supplier, run the checks in peptide supplier diligence.

References

1. Ministerio de Salud de Panamá, DNFD. Comunicado 067/23/DNFD: Advertencia sobre la falsificación del medicamento Ozempic (presentación alemana). 31 de octubre de 2023. Link
2. Ministerio de Salud de Panamá, DNFD. Comunicado 076/23/DNFD: Actualización sobre falsificación de Ozempic. 8 de noviembre de 2023. Link
3. World Health Organization. Medical Product Alert N°2/2024: Falsified Ozempic (semaglutide). 19 June 2024. Link)
4. Samaniego A. OMS advierte sobre falsificaciones de Ozempic, fármaco para la diabetes y obesidad. La Prensa (Panamá). 22 de junio de 2024. Link
5. Samaniego A. Minsa alerta sobre Mounjaro falsificado; este es el lote identificado. La Prensa (Panamá). 23 de agosto de 2026. Link
6. Caicedo K. Más de 50 alertas por medicamentos falsificados, ¿cuál es el riesgo en Panamá? La Estrella de Panamá. 8 de septiembre de 2025. Link
7. Telemetro. Minsa refuerza lucha contra medicamentos falsificados y subestándar. 8 de septiembre de 2025. Link
8. Rodríguez M. Zona Libre de Colón: punto crítico de Panamá en el Índice de Comercio Ilícito. La Estrella de Panamá. 9 de julio de 2026. Link
9. Hernández K. Piden mayor control en la Zona Libre de Colón y regular ventas en línea para frenar el comercio ilícito. La Prensa (Panamá). 9 de julio de 2026. Link
10. Ministerio de Salud de Panamá, DNFD. Comunicado 050/DNFD-2024: Alerta sobre el producto Semaglutida + Vitamina B12. 2 de mayo de 2024. Link

This is general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules vary by state and change. Confirm your own facts with counsel.