They’re due for a jab of justice.
New Yorkers are brazenly reselling prescription diabetic and weight loss medications online through Facebook Marketplace — despite risking up to 15 years in jail by doing so.
The Post has obtained multiple, recent local Facebook listings for GLP-1 semaglutide Ozempic, as well as twin tirzapatides Mounjaro and Zepbound, by using a basic one-word search of the drug names.
“Mounjaro wanted 4 = $,” one person in lower Manhattan posted. Another user in the area is pushing four, 5-milligram Mounjaro pens for $700 — recently cut down from $750 — with a picture of the box on the social media site.
Just across the Hudson River in Union County, a “one month supply” at 2 milligrams of Ozempic is allegedly available for $450.
Those in search of discounted dulaglutide — better known as Trulicity, also prescribed for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, are invited to call a number in Upper Manhattan “for cash” negotiations.
The Post has reached out to Meta for comment.
Criminal diversion of — or illegally reselling — prescription medications in New York can carry penalties of up to 15 years behind bars and hefty fines.
Buyers run the risk of being slapped with a misdemeanor charge, but can also face jail and fines.
Part of the incentive for black market customers — despite the obvious health risks and legal implications — has to do with the drugs’ reduced sticker price, an expert told The Post.
“A month’s supply of Mounjaro can cost between $1,000 and $1,200,” Dr. Gregory Dodell of Central Park Endocrinology explained.
Dodell cited past schemes involving hairdressers selling samples of the medication out of the back door of their business.
Desperation is another crucial factor.
The demand for the medicines has soared sky-high in 2024, thanks to their rapid weight-shedding side effects — leading to well-documented shortages.
“When drugs are in shortage, desperate patients are more likely to look for the drugs online,” the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy warned in May of both social media and online pharmacies.
“In addition, injectable weight loss drugs are often not covered by insurance, making some patients more likely to pay out of pocket … they frequently don’t fully understand the risks of taking the illegally sold drugs.”
Weighing bad options
Aside from the more overt listings, there are more subversive ways to advertise, the pharmaceutical board warned, adding that “bad actors” have cornered the ravenous market.
“Although social platforms regularly remove illegal content, the sellers use many tactics, like misspelling and nicknames, to avoid detection by the platform’s automated compliance tools.”
Don’t be fooled, either, by the association with a known site like Facebook Marketplace, warns Dr. Dodell.
“It’s essentially the same as buying on the street.”
This isn’t the first time Facebook has had an ugly affiliation with drug peddling.
Earlier in the year, the federal government began probing its parent company Meta for the potential sales of various drugs by users on both Facebook and Instagram.
Subpoenas were issued on “violative drug content on Meta’s platforms and/or the illicit sale of drugs via Meta’s platforms,” prosecutors said at the time.
But when it comes to desperate and illegal measures to get the drugs, the rewards may not outweigh the risks.
Missing the point
Never mind that you’re breaking the law — there’s a huge medical flaw in buying by shady resale, without knowing what you are actually getting, according to Dr. Dodell.
“It’s not something you just take for a couple of weeks to lose some weight and then stop it — for a multitude of reasons,” he said.
“Once people stop the medication, they tend to gain back two-thirds of the weight, if not more,” he noted.
Patients also need to be monitored while on the drugs, Dodell warned.
Those buying online miss out on critical monitoring by a physician who can spot some of the negative side effects associated with these drugs, such as osteoporosis, gallstones and loss of muscle mass, according to the endocrinologist.
In the short term, issues like nausea and potentially life-threatening dehydration can also occur.
Another major worry is loss of control in what you’re actually putting into your body. Even if it is the actual drug, the doses can be too high.
“God knows what volume they’re actually selling. And who knows? You’re just taking it.”
