Is it too easy to access to Ozempic-like drugs online?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2026-07-07 01:00

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US researchers used a made-up patient profile to work out how easy it was to access glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) - the class of drugs  that includes Ozempic and Wegovy - online, and say they might be a bit too easy to access. The 'simulated patient' was able to get a prescription from 45 of the 49 websites tried, with the four remaining websites requiring either blood work, or rejection due to an existing prescription on one of the other websites, while one cancelled a prescription when a mismatch between the patient photo and reported weight came to light. The team says nine of the websites issued the meds after receiving an upper-body photo only, despite 'requiring' a full-body photo or a photo standing on a scale. Thirty-four websites (75.6%) automatically charged and sent the meds after prescription approval without the patient's confirmation, say the researchers, and three clinicians prescribed the drugs to the patient via two or more websites.