Is my Ozempic pen real? How to spot a counterfeit

Counterfeit Ozempic has been found inside the legitimate US drug supply chain more than once, so a pen bought from a licensed pharmacy can — rarely — still be suspect. If something about your pen looks off, this page walks you through the checks the FDA published, the specific lot numbers it flagged, and what to do before you inject. This is general safety education, not medical advice; when in doubt, do not use the pen and call your pharmacist.

Verified Jul 2026 · re-checked quarterlyBy the GLP1Zoom editorial teamWe compare, we don’t sell

Most Ozempic dispensed by a US-licensed pharmacy is genuine. But the FDA has flagged counterfeit Ozempic in the US supply chain in several dated waves — lot NAR0074 (December 2023), lot PAR0362 with serial numbers beginning 51746517 (April 2025), and lot PAR1229 (December 2025). To check your pen: confirm it came from a licensed US pharmacy, match the printed lot against the FDA’s counterfeit list, inspect the label, pen, and needle for the tells FDA described, and if anything looks wrong do not inject it — call Novo Nordisk at 1-800-727-6500 and report it to the FDA. The counterfeits are especially dangerous because their needles may be non-sterile.

Key takeaways

FDA has flagged counterfeit Ozempic inside the US supply chain in dated waves — the lot numbers to know are NAR0074 (Dec 2023), PAR0362 / serials beginning 51746517 (Apr 2025), and PAR1229 (Dec 2025).
Important nuance: PAR0362 and PAR1229 are AUTHENTIC Novo Nordisk lot numbers — they are only counterfeit when paired with a flagged serial. Do not assume a pen is fake just because it shows one of these lots.
On the Dec 2025 (PAR1229) fakes, FDA said the "EXP/LOT" text is printed to the LEFT of the date; on a genuine Ozempic pen it prints ABOVE the date. Treat that as a tell for that wave, not a universal rule.
On the 2023 and April 2025 waves, FDA warned the counterfeit needles could not be confirmed sterile — an infection risk on top of an unknown drug. Never inject a pen you can’t verify.
Buying only from a US-licensed pharmacy is the single best defense; the fastest way to authenticate a specific pen is to call Novo Nordisk Customer Care at 1-800-727-6500 with the lot and serial in hand.

FDA-flagged counterfeit Ozempic — the dated lot log

Wave	Lot number	Serial / detail	What FDA said
Dec 2023	NAR0074	Serial 430834149057	A fully counterfeit lot; thousands of units seized. Needles could not be confirmed sterile.
Apr 2025	PAR0362	Serials beginning 51746517	PAR0362 is a genuine Novo lot number — counterfeit only when paired with the flagged serial. Non-sterile needle risk.
Dec 2025	PAR1229	No specific serial published	Genuine lot number; visual tell — "EXP/LOT" printed to the left of the date instead of above it.

First: did it come from a licensed US pharmacy?

The vast majority of counterfeit GLP-1 pens reach patients through unlicensed online sellers, social-media "pharmacies," and grey-market resellers — not through a US-licensed pharmacy. So the first question isn’t about the pen at all; it’s about where it came from. A pen dispensed by a licensed US pharmacy against a valid prescription is very unlikely to be fake, while a pen bought from an overseas website, a social-media DM, or a "no prescription needed" site should be treated as suspect until proven otherwise.

If you are not sure a seller is legitimate, verify it before you ever inject — our guide on how to verify an online pharmacy walks through the checks. If the pen came from a source you can’t stand behind, do not use it.

Match your lot number against the FDA list

Every Ozempic carton and pen is printed with a lot number and a serial number. Find them on the carton and on the pen label, and compare the lot against the FDA-flagged lots in the table above. Two of the flagged lots — PAR0362 and PAR1229 — are real Novo Nordisk lot numbers, so seeing them is not proof of a fake; the counterfeit signal is a flagged lot combined with the wrong serial, or the physical tells below.

Because new counterfeit waves can be announced at any time, treat this list as a dated snapshot. Confirm the current list on the FDA’s counterfeit-Ozempic alert page before relying on it, and when a lot or serial is in question, read them to Novo Nordisk over the phone rather than guessing.

Inspect the pen, label, and needle

Beyond the lot number, FDA and Novo Nordisk have described physical tells on the counterfeits. Use these as warning signs — any one of them is a reason to stop and verify, not to inject and hope.

Label text placement: on the Dec 2025 (PAR1229) fakes, the "EXP" and "LOT" text sits to the LEFT of the date; on a genuine pen it prints ABOVE the date.
Misspellings, blurry or crooked printing, mismatched fonts, or a pen label that peels or looks like a sticker over another label.
The pen itself: a dose selector or pen body that looks or feels different from a previous genuine pen, or that doesn’t click and set doses the way yours normally does.
The needle: counterfeit needles have been reported that don’t fit properly or whose sterility can’t be confirmed — a serious infection risk. If the needle looks or fits wrong, don’t use it.
The carton and paperwork: missing Medication Guide, altered NDC, or a carton that doesn’t match the pen inside.

If your pen looks suspect — what to do

If any of the above applies, treat the pen as unsafe. The goal is to avoid injecting an unknown substance with a possibly non-sterile needle, and to get the counterfeit into the hands of the people who track it.

Do not inject it. Set it aside; don’t throw it away yet — it may be needed to verify.
Call Novo Nordisk Customer Care at 1-800-727-6500 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am–6:00pm ET) with the lot and serial ready; they can help authenticate the pen.
Report it to the FDA through MedWatch — online or at 1-800-FDA-1088. Our guide on reporting a problem to the FDA walks through the form.
Tell the pharmacy that dispensed it, so they can check their own stock and supplier.
If you already injected a pen you now doubt and feel unwell — especially signs of infection at the injection site, or symptoms of very low blood sugar — seek medical care.

Skip the counterfeit risk entirely

Common questions about Is my Ozempic pen real? How to spot a counterfeit

Does a lot number of PAR0362 or PAR1229 mean my Ozempic is fake?

Not by itself. FDA has confirmed that PAR0362 and PAR1229 are authentic Novo Nordisk lot numbers — they were used on genuine product. The counterfeit signal is a flagged lot paired with an illegitimate serial number (for the April 2025 wave, serials beginning 51746517) or the physical tells FDA described, such as the "EXP/LOT" text printing to the left of the date on the December 2025 fakes. If you see one of these lots, check the serial and the pen carefully, and call Novo Nordisk at 1-800-727-6500 to confirm.

How can counterfeit Ozempic get into a real pharmacy?

It is uncommon, but counterfeiters have introduced fake pens into the legitimate wholesale supply chain, which is how the FDA ended up seizing counterfeit units and warning pharmacies. That is why FDA publishes specific lot and serial numbers: so pharmacies and patients can pull and check suspect product. Buying from a US-licensed pharmacy remains the best protection, and the flagged lots are the exception, not the rule.

What makes the counterfeits dangerous?

Two things. First, the drug inside is unknown — it may be the wrong strength, a different substance, or contaminated. Second, on the 2023 and April 2025 waves FDA warned that the counterfeit needles could not be confirmed sterile, which adds an infection risk on top of the unknown contents. Because you can’t tell what’s inside by looking, an unverifiable pen should never be injected.

Where do I report a suspected counterfeit?

Report it to the FDA through MedWatch — online at the FDA MedWatch site or by phone at 1-800-FDA-1088 — and call Novo Nordisk Customer Care at 1-800-727-6500 to authenticate the pen. Also tell the pharmacy that dispensed it. Reporting matters: patient and pharmacy reports are how FDA maps and stops counterfeit waves. See our step-by-step guide to reporting a problem to the FDA.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-07-24.

Is my Ozempic pen real? How to spot a counterfeit

FDA-flagged counterfeit Ozempic — the dated lot log

Wave	Lot number	Serial / detail	What FDA said
Dec 2023	NAR0074	Serial 430834149057	A fully counterfeit lot; thousands of units seized. Needles could not be confirmed sterile.
Apr 2025	PAR0362	Serials beginning 51746517	PAR0362 is a genuine Novo lot number — counterfeit only when paired with the flagged serial. Non-sterile needle risk.
Dec 2025	PAR1229	No specific serial published	Genuine lot number; visual tell — "EXP/LOT" printed to the left of the date instead of above it.

First: did it come from a licensed US pharmacy?

Match your lot number against the FDA list

Inspect the pen, label, and needle

Beyond the lot number, FDA and Novo Nordisk have described physical tells on the counterfeits. Use these as warning signs — any one of them is a reason to stop and verify, not to inject and hope.

Label text placement: on the Dec 2025 (PAR1229) fakes, the "EXP" and "LOT" text sits to the LEFT of the date; on a genuine pen it prints ABOVE the date.

Misspellings, blurry or crooked printing, mismatched fonts, or a pen label that peels or looks like a sticker over another label.

The pen itself: a dose selector or pen body that looks or feels different from a previous genuine pen, or that doesn’t click and set doses the way yours normally does.

The needle: counterfeit needles have been reported that don’t fit properly or whose sterility can’t be confirmed — a serious infection risk. If the needle looks or fits wrong, don’t use it.

The carton and paperwork: missing Medication Guide, altered NDC, or a carton that doesn’t match the pen inside.

If your pen looks suspect — what to do

Do not inject it. Set it aside; don’t throw it away yet — it may be needed to verify.

Call Novo Nordisk Customer Care at 1-800-727-6500 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am–6:00pm ET) with the lot and serial ready; they can help authenticate the pen.

Report it to the FDA through MedWatch — online or at 1-800-FDA-1088. Our guide on reporting a problem to the FDA walks through the form.

Tell the pharmacy that dispensed it, so they can check their own stock and supplier.

If you already injected a pen you now doubt and feel unwell — especially signs of infection at the injection site, or symptoms of very low blood sugar — seek medical care.