Fake Mounjaro seizure

Indian authorities in Gurugram seized counterfeit Mounjaro injections worth about ₹56.15 lakh and arrested two people after a tip-off on April 18-19. (hindustantimes.com) The Haryana Food and Drug Administration and local police intercepted a car in DLF Phase IV near HUDA City Centre Metro Station, then detained a cab driver and a medical representative carrying multiple Mounjaro strengths from 2.5 mg to 15 mg. (hindustantimes.com) Officials said the suspected stock was stored outside the required 2 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius range, and preliminary checks with Eli Lilly India found mismatched fonts, formatting and toll-free numbers on the labels. (cnbctv18.com) Investigators said a Gurugram-based company executive could not produce a licence for stocking or sale and later led officers to equipment allegedly used to make the fake injections at home. Police booked the case under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, and one accused was remanded to police custody while the other was sent to judicial custody. (hindustantimes.com) Mounjaro is Eli Lilly’s once-weekly tirzepatide injection for adults with type 2 diabetes, and Lilly says genuine products should move through authorized channels because fake or unsafe versions can contain the wrong dose or no active ingredient at all. (medical.lilly.com) (investor.lilly.com) India became a newer market for Mounjaro in March 2025, and The Logical Indian reported that rising urban demand and limited legal supply created an opening for informal sellers to market “imported” pens outside normal pharmacy chains. (thelogicalindian.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The World Health Organization says at least 1 in 10 medicines in low- and middle-income countries are substandard or falsified, with online and informal markets playing a major role in distribution. (who.int) That makes cold-chain custody and supplier checks central to this case: tirzepatide pens are temperature-sensitive injectables, so a fake label, an unlicensed seller, and broken storage rules each point to a product that may not be what patients think they are buying. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) (who.int) The Gurugram seizure turned a fast-growing obesity and diabetes drug into a supply-chain investigation, with officials now tracing where the pens came from and who may have bought them. (hindustantimes.com)