Just today, this drug became more widely available. Some product is now facing a recall following an apparent storage error.
A Highly Popular Weight Loss Drug Has Been Recalled in 3 States
Published on Apr. 29, 2025
You can probably hum along with its commercial that airs on primetime TV: Nearly 1.5 million Americans reportedly use Wegovy, an injectable prescription marketed for its weight loss benefits. On Tuesday morning, the GLP-1 drug’s maker, Novo Nordisk, announced that more telehealth patients will have access to the weight loss prescription. As a result, online health platforms Hims & Hers, LifeMD, and Ro can work directly with the company’s pharmacy.
But hours before, a new recall alert came from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) affecting Wegovy products with an expiration date for later this year.
On Monday, April 28, the FDA informed the public about a recall of 192 total injectable pens (or 48 cartons) of Wegovy (semaglutide) injection. “Temperature abuse” is the noted reason behind the recall—“Product was removed from refrigerated storage for an extended period of time and inappropriately released,” reads the FDA’s report.
Specifically, the apparent distributor of the product—Cardinal Health in Dublin, OH—experienced a shipping error at a distribution center, resulting in the recalled products potentially being stored in temperatures that do not comply with the labeled storage conditions.
Additional product details provided are:
Wegovy (semaglutide) injection, 2.4 mg/0.75 mL
- Lot PZFDE06
- Expiration Date: 08/31/2025
- For Subcutaneous Use Only, Rx Only
- Single-Dose Only
- Manufactured by: Novo Nordisk A/S, DK-2880, Bagsvaerd, Denmark
- 48 total cartons recalled, 4 single-dose prefilled pens per carton
The affected cartons were distributed in three southeastern states: North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Despite the improper storage issues, the FDA has declared the event’s risk level is a Class II, meaning it’s unlikely any serious or life-threatening health effects would occur—instead, the products in question could cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health issues.
Though GLP-1s, some commonly known by their brand names of Wegovy, Ozempic, or Trulicity, are still relatively new to the market, they have been lauded for possible benefits beyond weight management, including treating PCOS in women or reducing heart risks.
Additionally, individuals using Wegovy (or the similar drug Ozempic) experience an average weight loss of 12% of their body mass, per University of Colorado Health.
Wegovy was approved by the FDA for chronic weight management in 2021.
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