A 42-year-old man and a 56-year-old woman are facing charges in separate cases for fraud involving the diabetes medication Ozempic. There may be more cases forthcoming as both individuals are accused of illegally obtaining large quantities of medication and reselling it on the black market.
The 42-year-old man is alleged to have defrauded the healthcare system of 766,863 Danish kroner (approximately $109,000) in medical subsidies in the Capital Region of Denmark (Region Hovedstaden). Meanwhile, the 56-year-old woman reportedly received at least 331,763 Danish kroner (approximately $47,000) unjustly, as revealed by two indictment documents. If the charges against the man are upheld, he could face imprisonment and potential deportation.
The 56-year-old woman, who pleads not guilty, claims that she has struggled with substance abuse and has used the medication herself. However, a prosecutor presented evidence showing that she picked up medication a staggering 165 times in 2023 alone, which corresponds to an 8.8 years’ worth of consumption in just one year. A court decision regarding her case is expected to be announced on Friday in Glostrup, where the prosecutor is seeking a prison sentence of six to eight months.
The Capital Region of Denmark detected these irregularities earlier this year while reviewing their medical subsidy program. This led to the reporting of 21 cases to the police, where patients are suspected of abusing the subsidy scheme and reselling the medication. Collectively, these cases represent a total medication consumption of 105 years.
Lars Gaardhøj (Social Democrats – Socialdemokratiet), chairman of the Capital Region, stated that it is deeply unethical and irresponsible to defraud medical subsidies and resell scarce commodities like Ozempic. He emphasized the importance of consistent actions against fraud, regardless of the status of the perpetrator.
Furthermore, the Zealand Region (Region Sjælland) and the Central Denmark Region (Region Midtjylland) are also dealing with several fraud cases involving a total of nine reported citizens. In total, the fraud cases in the Capital Region have resulted in losses exceeding 4.5 million Danish kroner (approximately $650,000) in unjustified medical subsidies, while the Zealand and Central Denmark Regions have lost nearly 1.5 million Danish kroner (approximately $215,000).
To combat ongoing fraud cases, the Danish Medicines Agency (Lægemiddelstyrelsen) has introduced a new regulation effective July 1, limiting the dispensing of Ozempic to a maximum of three months’ supply at a time.