13 people have been detained by the police and prosecutors in Bucharest, in a case involving a network engaged in the trafficking of Ozempic, a medication for diabetics, sold off the books for weight loss. The medication was illegally reimbursed by the Health Insurance House of Defense, Public Order, National Security, and Judiciary (OPSNAJ).
In this case, a nurse from a private clinic in Sector 1 is suspected of forging prescriptions, with the help of four doctors, to obtain the medications.
According to investigators, between January 2023 and January 2024, a 32-year-old woman, a nurse and receptionist at a private medical clinic, allegedly falsified prescriptions by entering fictitious data into the computer system to obtain medications for free and sell them illegally. As a result, she obtained 1 million lei (200,000 euros).
Following the falsification of prescriptions, the medications were obtained based on a prior agreement with other employees of a pharmacy chain, as well as with the support of other individuals close to the nurse in question, and sold either through commercial platforms or social networks.
According to judicial sources, this involved a network trafficking in Ozempic, a medication prescribed for diabetics, but which began to be sold on the black market for weight loss, despite warnings from doctors that the effects of use by non-diabetics can be devastating to health.
The police added that, following the investigations, it was established that the forgery was carried out by the nurse with the support and agreement of four doctors employed at the same branch of the private clinic, who did not have the necessary competence to prescribe them.
As a result, further criminal proceedings were ordered against 13 individuals, aged between 25 and 47.
The police conducted 21 home searches on Tuesday, in Bucharest and Ilfov County, during which they identified and seized several relevant items.
In addition, the individuals involved were brought in for questioning with a warrant, and 13 of them were detained for 24 hours, to be presented before the court with legal proposals.