➡️Livingston County Sheriff Michael Murphy Warns Of Brewing Epidemic Over Fake Weight Loss Drugs

(By Michael J. Murphy, Livingston County Sheriff)

Please allow this to serve as notice of a brewing epidemic.

Having served in Law Enforcement for over 37 years, I do not use this term flippantly.

I am referring to counterfeit and compounded GLP-1 drugs sold online, marketed through social media and distributed "wellness clinics" that often have no proper licensing at all.

These drugs were legitimately developed for diabetes and weight loss treatment and when prescribed by a licensed medical professional and dispensed through a legitimate pharmacy, can be powerful tools for better health.

However, every day, ads pop up offering "discount Ozempic" or "affordable weight-loss injections"-no real doctor visit, no real pharmacy, and no guarantee of what's in the syringe. They're selling directly through social media, shipping products from overseas, or compounding substances in facilities that wouldn't pass even the most basic safety inspection.

Unlicensed providers write prescriptions after a quick online quiz. Beauty spas and strip-mall clinics are mixing and injecting powerful drugs without any oversight and counterfeit products are shipped through the mail, mislabeled as the real thing.

I'm not alone in raising the alarm. 

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with attorneys general from 37 other states and territories, have urged the FDA to crack down on this dangerous pipeline of counterfeit and illegally compounded GLP-1 drugs.

I ask that you use your influence and resources to help slow down this brewing epidemic before it's too late.

Michael J Murphy

Livingston County Sheriff