CRIME gangs are making fake weight loss jabs that look like the real thing at an “industrial scale”, posing a significant threat to unsuspecting Brits, authorities have warned.
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) officials said they were trying to “eliminate” dodgy drug production rings before they “take a grip” on the UK.
As part of its crackdown, the health watchdog last month raided an illegal drug manufacturing facility making and distributing unlicensed weight-loss jabs in a Northampton warehouse.
MHRA officers seized tens of thousands of empty weight loss pens, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens ready to be dispatched to customers – all together valued at quarter of a million pounds.
It was the largest single seizure of trafficked weight-loss drugs ever recorded by a global law enforcement agency.
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Wes Streeting, said at the time: “These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers.
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“My message is clear: don’t buy weight loss medications from unregulated sources.
“Talk to your GP, seek NHS advice, and don’t line the pockets of criminals who don’t care about your health.”
Now, Andy Morling, head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, spoke about the growing problem of illegal weight loss jab manufacturing in the UK at the hands of organised crime gangs.
He told the Guardian a new model of production had emerged in the last few months.
Gangs are investing in the packaging and branding of dodgy weight loss jabs, producing “sophisticated” products that look “genuine”.
Mr Morling said the pens seized by MHRA agents last month “looked like genuine medicines, but are entirely unlicensed and illegal to sell in the UK” – which he stated was a “significant concern”.
He added: “The most recent model, and the level of investment to do packaging and production facilities to sell on an industrial scale – that is undoubtedly organised crime.
“That is why we are working to eliminate that model before it takes a grip.”
The MHRA said it is analysing the products seized in Northampton but noted it would be “wrong to speculate” about what is in them.
But it warned the new model of production “gives customers a false sense of security in thinking they are buying a genuine product”, when in fact they are spending their money on fake jabs that could put their health at risk.
They looked like genuine medicines but they are entirely unlicensed and illegal to sell in the UK
Andy Morling,
Weight loss jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are only given on the NHS to people who are seriously overweight and already have health issues like diabetes or high blood pressure.
As a result, millions of Brits pay for the pens privately.
But weight loss jabs aren’t cheap, driving some to seek discounted products out online, on social media and in beauty parlours.
Often, there’s a higher risk of these jabs being fake, as they don’t go through the checks required to licence a product in the UK.
What is a black market weight loss jab, and what are the risks?
A “black market weight loss jab” refers to those that are unregulated, illegally sold, and often counterfeit versions of the weight loss jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy.
The main risk is that they do not contain the drug at all (tirzepatide or semaglutide) but are being marketed as such.
Instead, they could contain ingredients that have dangerous, potentially deadly, consequences.
The UK has seen a number of cases in which people have warned against buying fake jabs, having experienced the reality of using themselves.
People might turn to these jabs because they are cheaper, easier to access, or simply unaware that fake versions exist. They might come across them on social media, in beauty salons or through friends, for example.
The dangers of obtaining a weight loss jab from the black market are significant and can include:
Fake ingredients
Even if the product claims to be legit, it could contain anything. Counterfeit pens have been found to contain ingredients other than the listed active drug. For example, some fake pens have contained insulin, which can lead to dangerously low blood sugar resulting in collapsing, hospitalisation, coma or even death.
Some sellers may substitute the drug with a cheaper, unapproved, or different form of the drug that has not been tested for safety or efficacy in humans.
Some black market sellers are offering drugs still in clinical trials (for example, retatrutide) which have not been approved for human use by any regulatory body.
Contamination
The manufacturing process for illegal products is unregulated. The substance can be contaminated with bacteria, heavy metals, or other harmful toxins, leading to severe infections or illness.
If the injection is administered by an unlicensed individual (like in a salon), it carries a high risk of bacterial infection from non-sterile needles or poor hygiene practices.
Inaccurate dosing
Real ‘pens’ from providers have the exact doses measured up. Fake versions may contain too little, too much, or no active ingredient at all, making the drug either ineffective or causing severe side effects and overdose.
Without correct doses (and someone overseeing your progress), users risk severe side effects like extreme nausea, vomiting, and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas).
Lack of medical oversight
Buying a “jab” without a prescription means skipping crucial safety checks that keep you safe.
A legitimate prescriber screens you for conditions that make these drugs dangerous, such as a history of thyroid cancer, severe kidney disease, or gallbladder problems. The black market bypasses this vital assessment.
The MHRA #FakeMeds website offers helpful guidance and advice for staying safe when buying medicines online.
Users are also more likely to experience dangerous or deadly side effects – especially if they’re taking weight loss jabs without the supervision of a pharmacist or doctor.
In May, mum-of-three Karen McGonigal passed away after being injected with a black market fat jab by a beautician at a salon in Manchester.
Desperate to lose weight, the 53-year-old had tried to get the jabs via the NHS, but turned to the black market when she was deemed ineligible.
Her pals told her she could buy and receive a cheap alternative drug from a local beautician instead – with jabs costing just £20 each.
Karen went to the salon several times and started to lose weight, but she became violently unwell just four days after her last injection.
Multiple ‘models’
Mr Morling said the MHRA was in the process of removing fake jabs from the UK market in order to protect customers.
Meanwhile, Mr Morling warned there was a “lack of awareness” – both for people buying the drugs and people selling them.
He said: “Some of the beauty parlours are selling [weight loss jabs] in this setting not realising that they are selling medicine that could end up giving them a custodial sentence.”
Meanwhile, customers assume the syringes they are buying at beauty parlours are a cosmetic treatment, not a medical treatment.
The fake weight loss jab market in the UK has gone through various iterations, according to Mr Morling, beginning with counterfeit versions of Mounjaro and Wegovy brands during spring 2023.
He said: “They were in fact insulin pens that had the insulin labels removed.
“The second model we saw in early 2024 were the raw active ingredients either in powder form for mixing and syringe injecting at home or pre-filled generic syringes.
“The fact we now have a third model [of production] almost trying to compete with genuine branded product – that is new.
“They looked like genuine medicines but they are entirely unlicensed and illegal to sell in the UK.”
Kiran Jones, a clinical pharmacist at Oxford Online Pharmacy, previously said unapproved jabs can contain “harmful chemicals and incorrect dosages that may interact poorly with other medication”.
“This can make them ineffective, but also potentially life-threatening,” he added.
