A GP who unwittingly directed a patient to a questionable compounding pharmacy for semaglutide says it all began with an unsolicited fax sent to her general practice a year ago.

Last week, she told AusDoc that a practice receptionist had picked up the fax and placed it in the tearoom, where she had read it with another GP.

Under the heading “Break through weight loss solutions”, the three-page advert said the company would dispense and ship a 3mL multi-dose vial of compounded semaglutide with 0.5mg/mL vitamin B12, as well as syringes, alcohol wipes and instructions for use for $150. 

“Fax or email us a script with your patient’s contacts, and we will contact your patient for shipping and payment information within an hour; we don’t ship without a valid doctor’s prescription order,” it said.