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Mounting demand for Novo Nordisk-made Ozempic and Wegovy has fueled a rise in illegal sales of the weight-loss drugs in Denmark, where the pharmaceutical company is based, the Danish Medicines Agency reported.

The agency said in a statement issued Tuesday that authorities know of 26 websites illicitly selling what they claim to be Ozempic and Wegovy.

The drugs, which were initially prescribed as once-weekly shots to treat Type 2 diabetes but have since gained immense mainstream popularity for its miraculous weight-loss effects.

“There are no surprises or new trends that we were not already aware of.As a result of the great demand and media attention, we had unfortunately expected an increased illegal supply of the semaglutide preparations Ozempic and Wegovy,” Danish Medicines Agency head Jeanna Majland said in the statement, which was earlier reported on by Bloomberg.

America’s Food and Drug Administration has also reportedly launched an investigation into so-called “faux-zempic” after health authorities were tipped off to numerous fraudulent schemes of counterfeit Ozempic trafficking in the US.

In addition, the European Medicines Agency last month issued a warning against counterfeit Ozempic pens, which the organization said boasted labels in German “falsely labeled as diabetes medicine Ozempic” with 1 milligram of semaglutide for injection.

Both Ozempic and Wegovy are semaglutide injections, a type of strong medication that mimics the actions of the GLP-1 hormone, which the pancreas releases after eating that makes people feel full.

A representatives for Novo Nordisk told The Post that the company has filed legal actions against medical spas, and weight-loss and medical clinics, as well as “pharmacies that are engaging in the unlawful sales of compounded products claiming to contain semaglutide.”

“In addition, we have been and will continue to issue cease-and-desist letters to entities engaged in similar conduct,” the spokesperson said.

Since the Ozempic and Wegovy craze took effect, their appetite-suppressing benefits have taken both Hollywood and non-celebrities by storm so much so that even Walmart said the medications were causing shoppers to pare back on groceries.

Customers haven’t seemed to mind the series of bizarre side effects that have emerged, including Ozempic butt where users are claiming that their derrires have flattened along with their tummies.

Users later warned of Ozempic finger, where finger and wrist sizes were rapidly shrinking too, causing women to fear that their engagement rings would fall off.

The latest — and much more serious — side effect saw patients reporting that the medicines triggered thoughts of suicide and self-harm.

Last month, the pharma giant overtook French luxury empire LVMH as Europe’s most valuable company.

Novo Nordisk saw its market capitalization surge to $424.7 billion during Sept. 1 trading in London — beating out the luxury retail conglomerate owned by the family of Bernard Arnault.

The same day, LVMH — which has been Europes most valuable company for two-and-a-half years and includes brands Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Sephora — had a market cap of $420.1 billion, according to Refinitiv data cited by the Reuters news agency.

As of Wednesday, the Danish multinational company’s market value has dropped to $333 billion.

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Sports

Ohio St. dominates Michigan to snap losing streak

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Ohio St. dominates Michigan to snap losing streak

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Julian Sayin threw three touchdown passes, including a 35-yarder to Jeremiah Smith on a fourth down in the second quarter, and No. 1 Ohio State beat No. 15 Michigan 27-9 in a dominant performance on Saturday.

The defending national champion Buckeyes (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten, No. 1 CFP) likely earned a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff. They can keep their top seed with a win against No. 2 Indiana (12-0, 9-0, No. 2 CFP) in the conference championship game Saturday night in Indianapolis.

Ryan Day should sleep well, a year after losing The Game when his team was favored by about three touchdowns. The upset extended his losing streak in the series to four games and sparked speculation he might also lose his job.

The Wolverines (9-3, 7-2) started strong with two field goals and an interception on the first three possessions of the game, but couldn’t generate pressure when Ohio State wanted to pass.

After throwing an interception on his second snap, redshirt freshman Sayin took advantage of the time and space he had to throw.

Sayin was 6 of 6 for 68 yards with two touchdowns on third and fourth down in the first half, including a 4-yard throw to Brandon Inniss with 16 seconds left that made it 17-9 at the break. He finished 19 of 26 for 233 yards and threw for at least three touchdowns for the sixth time this season.

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Sources: Sumrall the favorite to land Florida job

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Sources: Sumrall the favorite to land Florida job

Tulane coach Jon Sumrall has emerged as the clear favorite to be the next head coach of the Florida Gators, sources told ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

Florida turned its attention away from Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin earlier this week after getting the sense through irregular communication that he is interested in other options, likely a move to LSU or remaining with the Rebels, sources told ESPN on Friday.

Sumrall is expected to make a decision on his future by Sunday morning as he considers staying at Tulane or a move to Gainesville. He also received significant interest from Auburn, but the Tigers have since shifted their focus to other candidates, another indicator that Florida looms as the clear leader for Sumrall’s services, sources said.

Sumrall, a former SEC player at Kentucky, where he later served as an assistant coach and co-defensive coordinator, is 18-7 in two seasons at Tulane. He also won back-to-back Sun Belt titles as head coach at Troy in 2022 and 2023.

Sumrall, 43, garnered outside interest after his first season with Tulane, earning a contract extension after just one season at the helm.

Tulane (9-2) hosts Charlotte on Saturday night in its regular-season finale. The Green Wave can clinch a spot in the American Conference championship game against North Texas with a win over the 49ers.

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Hong Kong mourns those lost to fire as investigators search for remains

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Hong Kong mourns those lost to fire as investigators search for remains

Grief was not lonely today in Hong Kong. Three days after the worst fire in the history of modern Hong Kong, it feels as though it has barely sunk in.

The weekend at least lent them time to pay tribute, and gave them some space to reflect.

People came in droves to lay flowers, so many a queuing system was needed.

People queue with flowers near the site to mourn the victims of the deadly fire. Pic: AP
Image:
People queue with flowers near the site to mourn the victims of the deadly fire. Pic: AP

Official books of condolences were also set up in multiple parts of the city.

It was the first day large teams of investigators were able to enter the site. Dozens of them in hazmat suits were bused in, their work the grimmest of tasks.

Every so often you could see a flashlight peep through the window of an upper blackened window, a reminder that the fire services are still undertaking dangerous work.

But the reach of the authorities is ramping up here.

Firefighters walk through the burned buildings after the deadly fire. Pic: AP
Image:
Firefighters walk through the burned buildings after the deadly fire. Pic: AP

Yesterday a grass roots aid distribution centre was the vibrant heart of the response.

They received notice at 4am that they needed to pack up and move on. By 10.30am, the mountains of donations were gone, residents watched on, bewildered.

The task apparently will be handed over to professional NGOs.

“I think the government’s biggest concern is due to some past incidents,” one organiser tells us. “They may liken this to previous events. The essence looks similar.”

Pic: AP
Image:
Pic: AP

She’s careful with her words, but she’s clearly hinting at major pro-democracy protests that were crushed by authorities in 2019.

Any sort of mass gathering is now seen as a risk, the system is still very nervous.

And they might well be because people here are angry.

What, they ask, did the government know? What did it choose to ignore?

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How Hong Kong’s government failed to act on fire fears

Indeed, Sky News has learnt that residents raised their fears over fire safety connected to extensive renovations on Wang Fuk Court as early as September 2024.

They flagged the suspected flammability of green nets being used to cover the building.

An email response from the Labour Department was sent a few months later to Jason Poon, a civil engineer-turned-activist, who was working with residents. It insists that “the mesh’s flame retardant properties meet safety standards”.

But many clearly didn’t believe it. Posts spanning many months on a residents’ Facebook group continued to voice their fears.

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Hong Kong fire survivors supported by community

When a much smaller fire broke out in the city last month, one resident posted: “All the materials outside are flammable, I feel really worried.”

“I feel that same way” another replied. “The government has no sense of concern.”

For Poon, who dedicates much of his time to fighting lax safety standards in Hong Kong’s construction industry, the whole experience has been devastating.

“They knew all the maintenance was using corner-cutting materials, but they didn’t do anything,” he says.

“This is a man-made disaster.”

We put these allegations to Hong Kong’s Labour Department but they have not yet responded to our request for comment.

Grief may still be the prominent force here, but anger is not that far behind.

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