Scams that sell diet products by illegally stealing the name and logo of Eli Lilly and Company, the global drugmaker that owns the diabetes and obesity drug Mounjaro, and its Korea unit Korea Lilly are occurring one after another, prompting caution.
Korea Lilly said on Feb. 5 that it recently confirmed numerous cases of third parties impersonating the company and spreading false information through online communities, social networking services (SNS) and mobile messengers.
According to the company, there have been successive scams that lured patients by promoting products for weight loss under Lilly's logo and inducing monetary transactions, or by suggesting they would provide financial benefits for using the products.
Through an official statement, Korea Lilly said, "Eli Lilly and Company and Korea Lilly manufacture and supply only prescription medicines approved by the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety based on clear medical evidence," adding, "We do not sell any health functional foods or general diet foods."
Selling prescription medicines such as obesity treatments online or via SNS violates Korea's Pharmaceutical Affairs Act. The company stressed, "We do not sell medicines online or via messenger in any form, and we have never approved such sales."
If a product is purchased without a doctor's prescription from an unverified source, buyers may suffer not only physical side effects from an unverified "fake drug," but also financial damage.
A Korea Lilly official said, "We place patient safety as our top priority," adding, "We will continue to provide accurate information to prevent damage caused by illegal sales and false advertising."
※Report illegal online distribution: Ministery of Food and Drug Safety online illegal distribution report phone: 1577-1255 / voice phishing report: Korean National Police Agency - Integrated Response Center for Telecommunications Financial Fraud (main number 1566-1188)