Podgorica Hospital Treats Women After Fake Dysport Shots
Montenegro's Clinical Center says several women were hospitalized after a botulinum toxin product falsely labeled as Dysport. The case was reported to police, the ministry and health inspectors.
The Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG) announced on the evening of September 24 that several patients had been admitted and hospitalized for adverse reactions following a botulinum toxin injection, with reasonable suspicion that a faulty, counterfeit product labeled as Dysport had been used. The news from Podgorica is not a distant story for Serbian readers either: aesthetic treatments in Montenegro have long attracted clients from Serbia, who choose cosmetic procedures in the neighboring country for lower prices and proximity, and the case shows how exposed the regional market for injectable beauty treatments is to counterfeit products, regardless of the border.
KCCG did not specify the exact number of patients admitted, its statement referring only to “several patients.” The Montenegrin outlet Biznis CG, citing the same case, reports that two women were involved and that the disputed treatment “almost proved fatal.” Neither KCCG nor Biznis CG name the salon, city or date where the treatment took place, nor who performed it. The gap between the two accounts shows how little official information has been released so far, while the hospital’s statement focused solely on the medical outcome and the suspicion of a counterfeit product.
KCCG said in its statement:
“Upon admission of the patients, who were treated and placed in the Clinical Center of Montenegro following the application of botulinum toxin, a reasonable suspicion of a faulty and counterfeit product was established.”
After admitting the patients, KCCG reported the case to the Ministry of Health, the Police Directorate, Montenegro’s Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices, and the Health and Sanitary Inspection, meaning several institutions are now checking the origin of the product in parallel.
The hospital also issued a direct appeal to the public to be more careful when choosing who provides their aesthetic treatments:
“We call on the public to exercise additional caution when choosing a provider of cosmetic or similar services, and we appeal that such services be carried out at registered and legal businesses, with particular attention paid to the validity of the products used.”
Cases of unregistered aesthetic treatments and suspicious products have been reported in several cities across the region in recent years, not only in Podgorica, typically outside any health oversight system and without a clear picture of who imports and sells the products involved. Unlike statements from Serbian institutions such as the Interior Ministry or the Republic Hydrometeorological Service, this statement comes from a Montenegrin health institution, so it is Montenegrin authorities, not Serbian ones, who will carry out further checks. Whether the investigation by the Police Directorate and the Institute for Medicines will establish the origin of the fake Dysport, and who administered the treatment to the patients, KCCG has not yet disclosed.
