Weight-loss drugs without a prescription: risks and the law

Can you get a weight-loss drug without a prescription?

Not legally. According to the EMA, Wegovy and Mounjaro can only be obtained with a prescription [5, 6]. The same applies to Ozempic and Saxenda, covered in the comparison guide. According to Fimea, injectable medicines are prescription medicines, and a doctor may prescribe only to a person whose need for the medicine the doctor has established [3].

The Medicines Act also forbids advertising prescription medicines to the public [1]. So a "weight-loss injection" advertised to consumers on social media or in an online shop is a warning sign from the start.

Read more: Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda: the difference

What does the Medicines Act say about ordering and importing medicines?

• Import for personal use (section 19): a private person may bring medicinal products into Finland for personal medication if they were obtained from a supplier entitled to retail distribution of the product. A prescription medicine must be obtained on a prescription. Importing active substances is not allowed [1].
• Online pharmacies (section 52 b): a pharmacy's online service must link to Fimea's list of legal online services and show the EU common logo clearly [1].
• Advertising (section 91 a): prescription medicines may not be advertised to the public [1].

In practice: a Customs and Fimea finding

A finding by Finnish Customs and Fimea in November 2025 shows how this is enforced: in a shipment from Greece to a private person, the prescription medicine did not match the prescription, and the sender did not appear to be a legal pharmacy. The investigation led in June 2026 to the discovery of an illegal medicines factory near Athens. Its products had been sold to 90 countries, among others through websites, and the range included medicines used for weight loss [4].

Can Ozempic be bought in Estonia or elsewhere abroad?

With a prescription, yes. According to Kanta (Finland's national e-prescription and health record service), a Finnish electronic prescription can be used in pharmacies in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Croatia, Czechia and parts of Spain, among others, and foreign pharmacies sell medicines under their own country's law [10].

A medicine bought without a prescription does not meet the import conditions of the Medicines Act, because a prescription medicine must be obtained on a prescription [1]. Prescription routes, reimbursement by Kela (the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, which pays medicine reimbursements) for purchases abroad and prices are in the cost guide.

Read more: Legal prescription routes and prices

Counterfeits and products sold "for research use"

In June 2024 the WHO warned about three falsified batches of Ozempic found in Brazil, the UK and the United States, which had even entered the regulated supply chain. According to the WHO, a falsified pen may contain the wrong dose, contamination or unknown ingredients [8].

In September 2025 the EMA and the EU medicines agencies warned of a sharp rise in illegal products marketed as GLP-1 drugs. They are often sold on fraudulent websites and social media, sometimes misusing official logos, and may not contain the claimed substance at all [7].

According to Fimea, "for research use only" means the product is not intended for humans. An unauthorised product sold online may contain a different substance from the one on the pack, and in injectable products impurities such as endotoxins can cause serious harm [2]. According to the FDA, unapproved GLP-1 products have not been reviewed for safety, effectiveness and quality, and it has warned companies that sold semaglutide, tirzepatide or retatrutide labelled "for research purposes" [9].

In a test-purchase study, none of three Ozempic pens ordered from websites selling without a prescription arrived. The three semaglutide vials that were delivered had a purity of 7.7% to 14.4% although the label promised 99%, and all contained endotoxin [11]D.

Read more: Retatrutide: why it cannot be bought legally | How to read a certificate of analysis (COA)

How to recognise a legal online pharmacy

Fimea advises checking these things [3]:

• The site shows the EU common online pharmacy logo, and clicking it takes you to a regulator's website [3].
• The pharmacy is on Fimea's list of legal online pharmacy services [1, 3].
• Legal online pharmacies in other EU countries are listed in each country's national register, linked from the EMA website [3, 7].
• Be especially careful if the product is claimed to be risk-free, is suspiciously cheap, the seller gives no contact details or you are pressured to buy quickly [3].

What to do if you have already used a product bought online

Fimea advises contacting healthcare services if you develop symptoms after using a product and telling them what you used [2]. The WHO advises stopping a suspicious product and seeking medical advice if you have had side effects [8].

Signs of serious side effects, such as severe stomach pain or sudden loss of vision, are listed in the side effects guide.

Read more: Weight-loss drug side effects and when to see a doctor | Peptides and the law in Finland | Are peptides legal in Europe? 16 countries compared