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How do you spot fake Ozempic or Mounjaro in the UAE?

Every official counterfeit alert since 2024, why you often can’t tell by looking, what a safe supply looks like, and where to report a suspect pen.

GLP Guidebook teamPublished 12 Oct 20266 min read15 sourcesWritten from published sources

Written for the United Arab Emirates. Reading from India? India version

The short answer

Often you can’t tell by looking. A fake Mounjaro pack found in the UAE in 2024 had English and Arabic labels, and the Ministry’s lab found no tirzepatide in it. The safest check is the source: a prescription from a UAE-licensed doctor, filled at a licensed pharmacy. Social media sellers, vials and “peptides” are warning signs.

Key takeaways

  • In October 2024 a counterfeit Mounjaro 15 mg pack labelled in English and Arabic was found, and the Ministry’s lab could not find tirzepatide in it.1
  • In February 2025 Abu Dhabi’s health department warned of fake Ozempic and Mounjaro sold through an Instagram account and a website.2
  • In July 2026 the Emirates Drug Establishment acted against 71 sources selling unapproved “peptide” weight-loss products and referred 14 influencers to the National Media Office.3
  • The Emirates Drug Establishment said it had found no unapproved peptide products in licensed pharmaceutical warehouses under its supervision.3
  • Abu Dhabi’s health department asks the public to report suspect products and side effects to its pharmacovigilance team at [email protected].4
On this page
  1. What official alerts have there been in the UAE?
  2. Why are fake pens dangerous?
  3. Can you tell a fake by looking at it?
  4. Where do fake GLP-1s come from?
  5. What should you do if you suspect a fake?
  6. Questions people ask
  7. How we researched this

What official alerts have there been in the UAE?

At least three health-department alerts since October 2024, plus a national crackdown and a court case in July 2026. Each involved products sold outside licensed pharmacies or faked to look like them.1,2,3,4,5

Before you go further
  • GLP‑1 medicines are prescription-only in the UAE.4
  • Abu Dhabi’s circulars say they are not for media publication, so we summarise them and link to them rather than reproduce them.
  • We don’t name the sellers in the alerts, or any pharmacy or clinic.
  • Every risk of these medicines is in Guide 5: Side effects and risks.
  • Oct 2024Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health relayed a Ministry of Health and Prevention alert. Lilly had reported a fake Mounjaro 15 mg single-dose pen pack, labelled in English and Arabic. The Ministry’s lab could not identify tirzepatide in it.1
  • Feb 2025DoH warned of fake Ozempic and Mounjaro sold through an Instagram account and a website, and told the public not to buy them online or through adverts.2
  • Mar 2026DoH relayed an Australian alert on fake GLP‑1 products, noting they are not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment but are sold online and on social media.4
  • Jul 2026The Emirates Drug Establishment acted against 71 sources selling unapproved “peptide” weight-loss products, 14 of them registered businesses, and referred 14 influencers to the National Media Office.3
  • Jul 2026A Sharjah court fined two people Dh10,000 each for selling Mounjaro through social media without a licence.5

The problem is global. The World Health Organization issued an alert in June 2024 on fake Ozempic batches found in Brazil, the UK and the US, and said reports had risen in every region since 2022.6

Why are fake pens dangerous?

You don’t know what is in them. DoH warns that products bought online may be fake, contain hidden harmful ingredients, fail quality standards, or do nothing at all.4

  • No medicine. The fake Mounjaro pack contained no tirzepatide the lab could identify.1
  • Wrong medicine or dose. The US regulator warns that illegally sold semaglutide and tirzepatide may contain the wrong ingredients or varying amounts of the medicine.7
  • No doctor. Buying outside the system skips the checks that rule out people these medicines can harm, such as those with past pancreatitis or a family history of a rare thyroid cancer.8

Can you tell a fake by looking at it?

Not reliably. The Emirates Drug Establishment says fakes can closely resemble real medicines in appearance and packaging, so the supply route matters more than the box.3

DoH still asks people to look carefully at what they have and make sure it is the original product.2 Some simple checks:

  1. The route. Was it prescribed by a UAE-licensed doctor and dispensed by a licensed pharmacy? DoH tells pharmacies to buy only from authorised UAE suppliers.1
  2. The form. Abu Dhabi’s official drug list shows Mounjaro as a KwikPen holding 4 weekly doses or a pack of 4 single-dose pens, and Wegovy and Ozempic as pens.9 A vial, powder or “research peptide” is not one of these products.3,4
  3. The price. Prices are fixed nationally, so a branded pen sold well below the fixed price is a warning sign.9,10
  4. The label. Check the name, strength and expiry match your prescription. A real-looking Arabic and English label is not proof: the 2024 fake had both.1

If you are already taking a GLP‑1 and are unsure of its source, the already-on-it path covers what to check.

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Where do fake GLP-1s come from?

Social media accounts, websites and influencers, according to the UAE alerts. The licensed supply chain looks much safer: the Emirates Drug Establishment found no unapproved peptides in licensed warehouses.2,3

  • Influencers. 14 were referred to the National Media Office in July 2026 for promoting or selling medicines online.3 Influencers need a UAE Media Council licence to promote products, even when unpaid.11
  • Adverts. Prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public in the UAE.11 Under the 2024 medicines law, any medical product advert needs approval, with fines up to AED 1 million.12
  • The pitch. The Emirates Drug Establishment warned of claims like “100% natural and completely safe” and “Limited stock available—buy now”.3

Name the incentive. Branded GLP‑1s cost AED 743.50 to AED 1,734 a pen at fixed prices, and most people pay themselves.9,13 That gap is what fake sellers exploit. Our peptides post covers the unapproved products.

What should you do if you suspect a fake?

Don’t use it, keep the pack, and report it. DoH asks the public to report suspect products and any side effects to its pharmacovigilance programme at [email protected].4

  • Don’t use it. DoH’s 2024 alert told facilities not to use the counterfeit product, and to contact the pharmacovigilance team to check whether a suspect product is genuine.1
  • Already injected some? Tell the pharmacy or clinic that treats you, and say where the pen came from.
  • Outside Abu Dhabi. The Ministry of Health and Prevention took public reports online in 2018.14 We could not find the current national reporting page, so ask your pharmacist where to report.
Get help now: call 998 (ambulance) or 999 (police) anywhere in the UAE.15 Call for severe stomach pain that won’t go away, fainting, or someone who is confused or hard to wake.

Questions people ask

How do I know if my Mounjaro is real?

You often can’t by looking. The safest check is the route: a prescription from a UAE-licensed doctor, filled at a licensed pharmacy that buys from authorised suppliers.1,3

Is Mounjaro sold on Instagram genuine?

Don’t assume so. DoH has warned of fake Ozempic and Mounjaro sold on Instagram, and a Sharjah court fined people for selling Mounjaro on social media.2,5

Are tirzepatide vials or “peptides” legal in the UAE?

Not as medicines. DoH says the fake GLP‑1 products it warned about are not registered with the Emirates Drug Establishment, which acted against 71 peptide sellers in July 2026.3,4

Where do I report a fake pen in the UAE?

Abu Dhabi’s health department asks the public to report to its pharmacovigilance programme at [email protected].4

Is a cheap Ozempic pen in Dubai genuine?

Be wary. UAE medicine prices are fixed nationally, so a branded pen sold well below the fixed price is a warning sign.9,10

How we researched this

On 12 October 2026 we read DoH circulars 208/2024, 10/2025 and 48/2026, news of the Emirates Drug Establishment’s July 2026 crackdown and the Sharjah court case, the WHO’s 2024 alert and the US regulator’s page on unapproved GLP‑1s, and checked how each pack is listed on Abu Dhabi’s official drug list (effective 2 October 2026).

The circulars are marked as not for media use, so we summarise them and leave out their photos and the sellers’ names. We found no maker’s UAE guide to checking a pen, so we give no pack-by-pack visual checklist. We could not find a current national reporting page.

Before you move on

  • Fakes can look real, including Arabic and English labels.
  • Get pens on a prescription from a licensed UAE pharmacy.
  • Social media sellers, vials, “peptides” and cut prices are warning signs.
  • Report suspect products to [email protected] and talk to your pharmacist.
Fakes and the medicinesProvider red flagsDoctor questions tool

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About GLP Guidebook

The monthly UAE update

An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don't sell medicines, take drug-company money or earn clinic commissions. Once a month: approvals, price changes, insurance rules and safety alerts in the UAE. How we write

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Sources

  1. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 208/2024, 25 October 2024, relaying a Ministry of Health and Prevention alert on a counterfeit Mounjaro 15 mg/0.5 ml single-dose pen pack labelled in English and Arabic; the Ministry's lab could not identify tirzepatide in the sample; affected listings were packs of 4 single-dose pens. Summarised, not reproduced. PDF
  2. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 10/2025, 4 February 2025, "Alert Against the Use of Counterfeit Version of Ozempic and Mounjaro" sold through a social media account and website; the public should not buy them without a prescription, should not buy them "via the internet or any advertising means", and should visually inspect what they have. Summarised, not reproduced. PDF
  3. Gulf News. UAE weight-loss drug crackdown: 71 sources, 14 influencers face action (Emirates Drug Establishment measures against 71 sources marketing unapproved "peptide" products, 14 of them registered establishments; 14 influencers referred to the National Media Office; inspections of compounding pharmacies; "Retatrutide remains under clinical investigation and has not been approved"). 25 July 2026. gulfnews.com
  4. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Circular 48/2026, 16 March 2026, relaying an Australian alert on fake GLP-1 products ("GLP-1 receptor agonists ... are prescription-only medicines and should only be used under medical supervision"; the products "are not registered with The Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) but can be purchased online and through social media platforms"; report to the DoH Pharmacovigilance programme, [email protected]). Summarised, not reproduced. PDF
  5. Gulf News. Dh10,000 fine for selling Mounjaro injections without a licence in Sharjah (Sharjah Misdemeanours Court; selling medicines without a licence and practising pharmacy without authorisation; a third person fined Dh5,000; medicines and funds confiscated). 31 July 2026. gulfnews.com
  6. World Health Organization. WHO issues warning on falsified medicines used for diabetes treatment and weight loss (Medical Product Alert on falsified Ozempic batches; reports rising in all regions since 2022). 20 June 2024. who.int
  7. US Food and Drug Administration. FDA's concerns with unapproved GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss (warning letters over products "falsely labeled 'for research purposes' or 'not for human consumption'"; retatrutide "not ... found safe and effective for any condition"). Content current as of 1 October 2026. US regulator, not the UAE's. fda.gov
  8. Daman (National Health Insurance Company). Adjudication guideline: Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonist, ref. 2021-PH-09, version 5, effective 15 January 2023, revised 19 April 2026. Sections 2 (applies to "all health insurance plans administered by Daman"), 3.1.1 (type 2 diabetes initiation, duration and 12-month reassessment), 3.1.2 (obesity), 3.2 (eligible specialties), 3.3 (non-coverage), Table 1 (brands, uses, doses, 1 box a month) and section 4 (denial codes). PDF
  9. Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. Shafafiya drug list (Drugs.xlsx), release 26 September 2026, effective 2 October 2026: “Package Price to Public” in AED, and dispense mode “POM” (prescription-only medicine), for Mounjaro KwikPen (a pre-filled pen containing 4 doses, AED 1,734), Mounjaro packs of 4 single-dose pens (AED 1,734), Wegovy FlexTouch and Ozempic pens (AED 743.50 to 1,712). Downloaded and checked against this page on 12 October 2026. The official list, not a seller. XLSX
  10. Mondaq (law firm analysis). Pricing of pharmaceutical products in the United Arab Emirates (prices fixed at registration by a Ministry committee, with "fixed margins for the distributors and pharmacies"). mondaq.com
  11. CMS. Expert guide to advertising of medicines and medical devices: United Arab Emirates ("Article 39 of the 2019 Law prohibits the advertisement of any prescription only drugs"; online adverts need prior approval and influencers a UAE Media Council licence, paid or unpaid; emirate-level regulators include the Dubai Health Authority, the Abu Dhabi health regulator and the Sharjah Health Authority). 8 May 2024. cms.law
  12. Pinsent Masons. UAE pharmaceutical law: 10 things businesses should know (Federal Decree-Law No. 38 of 2024; the Emirates Drug Establishment takes over approvals, licensing and advertising approvals from the Ministry of Health and Prevention; medical products may not be advertised by any means without approval; fines up to AED 1 million). 17 February 2025. pinsentmasons.com
  13. Gulf News. Anti-obesity drugs Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro: are they getting cheaper? ("Lower-dose pens are typically priced around Dh740, while higher doses exceed Dh1,100"; "Mounjaro pens are priced higher, often above Dh1,700"; GLP-1 drugs "remain largely out-of-pocket expenses, with limited insurance coverage typically restricted to diabetes or specific metabolic conditions"). 7 February 2026. gulfnews.com
  14. Gulf News. Now online: report adverse reaction to drugs, UAE residents urged ("Members of the public, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, can report adverse drug reactions on our website"). 1 November 2018. Older report; we could not find the current federal reporting page. gulfnews.com
  15. Department of Digital Ajman. Handling emergencies ("999 for Police", "998 for Ambulance", "997 for Fire Department (Civil Defence)"). Checked 12 October 2026. ajman.ae

Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error

How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It's general information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. How we write