Consumers who try to buy popular weight loss drugs online without a prescription risk being scammed or receiving unsafe products, a new study shows. Shortages of the popular weight loss medication, which belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1s, have led to “a black market of illegal knockoffs,” said Dr. Christopher McGowan, the founder, medical director and research director of True You Weight Loss, a weight loss clinic in Cary, North Carolina. Medicare doesn’t cover the drugs when prescribed for weight loss, and many state Medicaid plans heavily restrict coverage. Online scamsSome websites purporting to be online pharmacies take consumers’ money but never deliver the medications, according to the study. Consumers won’t get that sort of care if they buy drugs online without seeing a health care provider.

---

Persons: ”, Tim Mackey, Christopher McGowan, McGowan, semaglutide, won’t, Mackey, ” McGowan, “, Shabbir Safdar, Scott Brunner, Safdar, Brunner, Consumers won’t, it’s Organizations: Nordisk’s, University of California, Global Health, Data Institute, University of Pecs, FDA, Manufacturers can’t, Medicare, JAMA, Food and Drug Administration, semaglutide, Novo Nordisk, telltale, Partnership, Safe Medicines, Alliance, Pharmacy, Consumers Locations: San Diego, Hungary, Cary , North Carolina, U.S