New Delhi, July 28 -- India's drug regulator has directed state authorities to tighten surveillance of pharmaceutical supply chains after an Interpol alert flagged counterfeit semaglutide batches, amid booming demand for blockbuster weight-loss drugs.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) issued the nationwide directive last week after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed it on 7 July about an Interpol intelligence alert originating from Austria, according to two officials and a government communication reviewed by Mint.

The Austrian authorities detected a counterfeit version of semaglutide manufactured by European research and biotechnology company Hilma Biocare, which produces pharmacological substances...