Two men charged with infiltrating fake Ozempic into US
Two Indian nationals are facing charges relating to the sale of counterfeit versions of Novo's diabetes treatment Ozempic to distributors in the US supply chain.
According to the Department of Justice, Swapnadip Roy (33) and Vicky Ramancha (37) obtained falsified versions of Ozempic (semaglutide) from unauthorised sources in China and sold them on to unsuspecting distributors at deeply discounted prices.
Their alleged activities were discovered in 2023 when the FDA seized some of the counterfeits – inveigled into legitimate US sales channels – after a tip-off from Novo. Since the seizure, the regulator has issued multiple warnings about the fakes.
Ramancha is chief executive of pharma and medical equipment trading company RNR Healthcare, while Roy is publicly identified as a Dubai-based businessman and entrepreneur and CEO of the RNR Group, which has close links to RNR Healthcare. Roy has been extradited to the US from Italy, appearing in court this week, while Ramancha remains at large.
Court documents and media reports note that their customers included Assure Global LLC, which ordered around 125,000 doses of the counterfeits, paying a reported $18.8 million.
The counterfeit Ozempic included counterfeit packaging, package inserts, pen labels, and needles that the FDA said were "meant to deceive downstream customers, including pharmacies and patients, into believing they were receiving authentic, manufacturer-authorised Ozempic."
Some of the distributed counterfeits used a real Novo lot number to try to divert suspicion, and were introduced into the US under the guise of parallel imports – original, brand-name medicine purchased legally in one country at a lower price and imported into another where it can be sold at a premium.
Previous cases of Ozempic counterfeiting have identified products with little or no active drug, impure semaglutide, and other unapproved ingredients, potentially life-threatening substitutions with drugs like insulin, as well as non-sterile needles.
Other drugs used for diabetes and weight loss, including Eli Lilly's experimental therapy retatrutide, have also been targeted by criminals seeking to make a fast buck. Last month, Lilly filed lawsuits against several companies it accused of participating in an illegal black market for the drug.
There have been reports that organised crime networks have started manufacturing counterfeit retatrutide products – complete with fake brand names and bespoke packaging – on an internationally industrial scale. The reports say that the products are often imported from China.
"Counterfeit prescription drugs – especially common ones – threaten the health and safety of every American who depends on the integrity of our pharmaceutical supply,” said Assistant Attorney General Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.
"These defendants allegedly exploited people’s health to pay themselves," he added. "We will keep pursuing anyone who seeks to deceive American consumers with counterfeit drugs."
Roy and Ramancha are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit smuggling and to defraud the US, three counts of smuggling, and two counts of selling counterfeit drugs and holding them for sale. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 71 years in prison.
