《TAIPEI TIMES》Prescription needed for foreign weight loss injections: FDA

By Lin Chih-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, and staff writerThe Food and Drug Administration （FDA） on Tuesday reminded the public that GLP-1 receptor agonists require a prescription when brought from abroad.請繼續往下閱讀...GLP-1 receptor agonists are prescription medications primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes and support weight loss for people with obesity by suppressing appetite.The amount brought into Taiwan must not exceed the prescription, or be greater than six months’ supply, it said.People carrying the drugs might use the green “Nothing to Declare” channel when entering Taiwan if the amount complies with regulations, but they might still be subject to random inspections, the FDA said.So far this year, authorities have had 448 cases involving imported GLP-1 drugs, 80 of which were found to be illegal, it said.A total of NT$2.36 million （US$74,009） in fines were meted out for contraventions, including unauthorized pharmaceutical activities by unlicensed businesses, failure to follow prescribed procedures when dispensing medicines and selling drugs without prescriptions, the FDA said.The FDA said it is also stepping up online monitoring to combat illegal sale of medicines.It has asked Meta to remove 1,374 posts advertising the illegal sale of medicines, and asked the Taiwan Network Information Center to block five Web sites suspected of being involved in scams.The FDA said it has not found any travel agencies arranging overseas trips for people to purchase the drugs, nor has it uncovered any related illegal advertisements.The agency said it has asked pharmacists to implement risk-control measures, citing 54 adverse-event reports since 2023 involving the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight control.Reported symptoms include gastrointestinal discomfort, hypoglycemia, nausea, vomiting and injection-site reactions, the FDA said.It urged the public not to purchase or self-administer the drugs through unofficial channels, adding that improper use or products from unknown sources could pose health risks.新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES