In recent months, a troubling trend has emerged in Brazil's largest city, São Paulo, where criminals are specifically targeting pharmacies to steal weight-loss medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Saxenda. This demand for these injectable drugs is driven by body image insecurities in a country where obesity rates are climbing and affordability remains an issue.
One pharmacist, David Fernando, recently experienced the fright of his life when a man with a gun stormed into his pharmacy demanding cash and medications from the refrigerator—a clear reference to the highly sought-after weight-loss products. Each box of Ozempic, typically containing a month’s supply, retails for between 700 to 1,100 Brazilian reais (approximately $120 to $190), which is a significant sum, given that the average Brazilian earns about $300 monthly.
Pharmacies in São Paulo are adapting to this new wave of crime by implementing heightened security measures. Following a similar theft in 2024, Fernando's pharmacy has now hired a security guard. Other pharmacies are also bolstering security considerations after violent confrontations, including a police intervention during an attempted robbery that resulted in injuries to an innocent bystander.
With body image pressures intensifying in Brazil, the targeting of these pharmaceuticals illustrates both a criminal exploitation of societal issues and the pervasive challenge of accessibility to health-improving medications. As more people seek these injections, the implications of demand and related criminal activity continue to unfold.
One pharmacist, David Fernando, recently experienced the fright of his life when a man with a gun stormed into his pharmacy demanding cash and medications from the refrigerator—a clear reference to the highly sought-after weight-loss products. Each box of Ozempic, typically containing a month’s supply, retails for between 700 to 1,100 Brazilian reais (approximately $120 to $190), which is a significant sum, given that the average Brazilian earns about $300 monthly.
Pharmacies in São Paulo are adapting to this new wave of crime by implementing heightened security measures. Following a similar theft in 2024, Fernando's pharmacy has now hired a security guard. Other pharmacies are also bolstering security considerations after violent confrontations, including a police intervention during an attempted robbery that resulted in injuries to an innocent bystander.
With body image pressures intensifying in Brazil, the targeting of these pharmaceuticals illustrates both a criminal exploitation of societal issues and the pervasive challenge of accessibility to health-improving medications. As more people seek these injections, the implications of demand and related criminal activity continue to unfold.
