Long Island Woman Charged for Selling Misbranded Weight Loss Products, Including Ozempic

A Long Island TikTok creator was recently charged for allegedly promoting and selling a range of misbranded weight loss products, including Ozempic, to her social media followers which caused at least one buyer to develop a lifelong bacterial infection, as per the prosecutors. According to the report, Isis Navarro Reyes, who also goes as Beraly Navarro, is being charged with "receipt of misbranded drugs in interstate commerce, dispensing misbranded drugs while held for sale, conspiracy to introduce and deliver for introduction misbranded drugs in interstate commerce, dispensing of misbranded drugs while held for sale, and smuggling."

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, Reyes marketed, advertised, as well as sold various misbranded and adultered weight loss drugs, including Ozempic, Mesofrance, and Axcion to her followers on TikTok. Moreover, Reyes is not licensed by law to administer prescription medication and obtained the weight loss drugs that were held for sale from Central and South America. 

"None of the weight loss drugs that Reyes sold were approved for sale or dispensing in the United States by the FDA. Reyes was arrested this morning and will be presented in Manhattan federal court later today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Moses," as per the U.S. Attorney's Office. "As alleged, Isis Navarro Reyes used her social media following to sell weight loss drugs unapproved for distribution in the United States. Reyes’s alleged unlawful dispensing of these drugs caused significant, life-threatening injuries to some victims and put all of her victims in harm’s way," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said.

Reyes, known on the platform as Beraly Navarro, has been seen displaying the drugs, telling viewers how often to use them, and also talking about how to take them. She has also time and again, shared her own experiences as per the documents issued by the court. She often redirects her followers to a mobile app by sharing a number on her profile or screen. 

In one such video, posted on October 11, 2023, Reyes talked about the drug Ozempic which shows how to inject yourself with the medicine before going on to talk about her own experience with the drug. As per another complaint, in November 2022, a TikTok follower called Reyes to order the weight loss drugs and Reyes allegedly sold the victim 30 injections of Mesofrance without a prescription. The victim later administered 28 injections as per Reyes' instruction only to develop a mycobacterium abscessus infection, a species of rapidly growing, multidrug-resistant, nontuberculous mycobacteria, which the doctors confirmed was caused by the presence of mycobacterium abscessus in the Mesofrance purchased from Reyes.

"Reyes will be held accountable for her conduct, and criminals should think twice before trying to sell weight loss drugs without a license to do so," Williams added.

Reyes, 36, is being charged with one count of snuffling one count of receipt of misbranded drugs in interstate commerce, one count of dispensing of a misbranded drug while held for sale, one count of conspiracy to introduce and deliver for introduction a misbranded drug in interstate commerce,  as well as two counts of dispensing of misbranded medicines while held for sale.