The FDA says patients may be overdosing on imitation semaglutide weight-loss drugs because the directions are unclear

The FDA did not share the number of reports it received but said the adverse health events may be related to incorrect dosing of compounded semaglutide products.

“Dosing errors have resulted from patients measuring and self-administering incorrect doses of the drug and health care providers miscalculating doses of the drug,” the FDA said.

The alert added that some patients administered 5 to 20 times more than intended, and one healthcare provider prescribed at least three patients 20 units instead of two.

The FDA also said there are no industry standards regarding compounded semaglutide since products can come in different concentrations, containers, syringe sizes, and instructions.

“FDA encourages compounders, health care providers, and patients to report adverse events and medication errors associated with compounded semaglutide products to FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program,” the agency said.