How to check a medicine and report a suspected fake
Regulators advise buying from authorised suppliers, checking packaging and safety features, and reporting suspected falsified medicines to the national regulator. WHO alerts list the batch numbers and visual signs of each falsified product.
- WHO alerts advise obtaining medicines only from authorised or licensed suppliers and checking their authenticity and physical condition.1
- WHO alerts list signs found on falsified packs. For falsified OZEMPIC these included poor quality labels that do not adhere well and spelling mistakes on the carton.1
- In the EU, most prescription medicines carry a unique identifier, a 2D barcode, and an anti-tampering device since 9 February 2019, under Directive 2011/62/EU.2
- The European Medicines Agency says legal online pharmacies in the EU display a common logo, and that clicking the logo should lead to the national authority list of legal online sellers.2
- The US FDA asks people to report side effects through MedWatch and to report websites thought to be illegally selling medicine.3
- In the UK, the MHRA Yellow Card site says anyone can report an issue with a medicine, vaccine or medical device.4
- WHO asks anyone with information on the manufacture or supply of products in its alerts to contact rapidalert@who.int.1
Sources
- World Health Organization, Medical Product Alert N°2/2024: Falsified OZEMPIC (semaglutide) (19 June 2024)
- European Medicines Agency, Falsified medicines: overview (2026)
- US Food and Drug Administration, BeSafeRx: Your Source for Online Pharmacy Information (21 September 2020)
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, Yellow Card: reporting site (2026)