Penalty for fake slimming injections at a beauty salon in Vienna
The former operator of a Vienna cosmetics salon has been sentenced to a 15-month suspended sentence for selling counterfeit weight loss syringes. The Vienna Regional Court found the 28-year-old medical student guilty of commercial fraud and serious bodily harm.
According to the indictment, the woman distributed fake syringes resembling the medication Ozempic, which is also used as a weight loss aid. She allegedly administered the counterfeit substance to her clients herself.
The clients then experienced "severe cramps and sweating" and were at risk of potentially life-threatening hypoglycemia. The woman admitted to operating her salon without the necessary qualifications and licenses and selling the fake syringes. The verdict is not yet final.
In September, another trial will take place in the Upper Austrian city of Steyr involving two entrepreneurs accused of selling 225 units of counterfeit weight loss syringes. According to Austrian health authorities, there were also dangerous cases of hypoglycemia in this context, as the products apparently contained insulin instead of the Ozempic active ingredient semaglutide.
The medicinal salon the individual managed was located in the renowned city of Vienna. Despite the ongoing trial in Steyr, this incident serving as another reminder of the prevalence of counterfeit weight loss products in Austria.
