Wannabe slimmers were today warned against buying weight loss jabs from social media sites over the terrifying health risks of contaminated injections that have infiltrated the online market.
The injections, like Ozempic and Wegovy, are designed to help type 2 diabetes patients and obese people control their blood sugar levels and lose weight.
But beauty salons, ‘fake’ online pharmacies and social media users are flogging the medications, leaving patients vulnerable to potentially contaminated versions, health chiefs said.
The jabs can involve worrying side effects such as pancreatitis — when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed — or gastrointestinal issues.
But more worrying are the risks of taking a medication that isn’t what is says it is.
Figures show UK health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake weight loss injection pens across the nation since the start of 2023.
Experts have warned the counterfeit weight loss jabs, which often contain the hormone insulin — include heart palpitations and hypoglycemic shock, when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.
Doctors have previously reported that patients have suffered seizures and have even been left in life-threatening comas as a result of using the fake jabs.
The injections, like Ozempic and Wegovy, are designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes
Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the start of 2023
UK law forbids the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a medical professional.
It is also illegal to promote any prescription medication. Doing so could result in a fine and up to two years in prison.
Andy Morling, deputy director of criminal enforcement at the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Britain’s drugs watchdog, said: ‘At this time of year, with many of us thinking about shedding a little excess weight, we see people offering weight loss medicines for sale as a quick fix.
‘This is without a healthcare professional’s prescription, from beauty salons, websites and on social media.
‘These are not cosmetic treatments — they are powerful medicines that can only be legally and safely dispensed against a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.’
He also warned that some online retailers are selling the jabs but are not registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)’ — the pharmacy regulator.
This means they may be run by people with no medical training.
Without GPhC registration, a business is not legally able to dispense medication to patients.
Mr Morling said: ‘Criminals go to great lengths to make their website storefronts look authentic and convincing, so before you buy any medicine online you should exercise caution.
‘For online pharmacies based in Great Britain you can check on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s (GPhC) website that it is properly registered.
‘Fake pharmacy websites and social media sellers illegally supply medicines that are not approved for use in the UK.
‘These may contain toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm, and you may even end up in hospital.
‘We work with our partners, including the police and Border Force, to tackle those selling medicines illegally and causing harm.
‘As the tactics of these organised criminal gangs evolve, so do our methods to identify, disrupt and dismantle them.
‘Our role at the MHRA is to ensure the medicines you take are acceptably safe and effective. We are here to protect your health. Stay safe this New Year.’
The only way to guarantee you receive a genuine weight-loss medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy, the MHRA said.
Last year Michelle Sword, 45, pictured with her two children Cadie (right), 13, and Coen (left), 18 told how she collapsed after taking a weight loss jab she bought online
Ms Sword said the doctors who saved her life called her recovery little short of miraculous. Pictured being attended to by medics after taking the counterfeit jab
If you’re offered a weight-loss medicine in any other circumstances, whether online or offline, you may be putting your health at serious risk and breaking the law.
Reports of fake slimming jabs in the UK first emerged in August 2023.
The MHRA has also previously warned that Brits have been hospitalised with life-threatening side effects after injecting themselves with fake jabs being sold online.
Experts said many won’t even contain semaglutide or tirzepatide — the active ingredient that limits hunger — and are often just insulin pens which have been repackaged to look like the real thing, fooling customers.
When patients inject themselves, this insulin surge causes a rapid drop in blood sugar — which can potentially be fatal.
Earlier this year the Advertising Standards Authority also revealed it was removing up to 100 social media posts per day that advertised prescription-only medicines — many from sources that are not legitimate pharmacies.
It comes as the nation’s top GP also today warned that long waits for NHS weight-loss services are driving patients into buying potentially dangerous jabs online.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, chairman of the Royal College of GPs, also said she had ‘serious concerns’ about drugs sold by unregulated retailers.
It comes as the nation’s top GP also today warned that long waits for NHS weight-loss services are driving patients into buying potentially dangerous jabs online. Pictured, Professor Kamila Hawthorne
She urged caution over cheaper alternatives to pre-filled injection pens, which may require patients to prepare part of the medicine themselves at home.
Even those buying the jabs from registered online pharmacies risk missing out on essential monitoring and care, she said.
She said: ‘We do have some serious concerns about that, because you don’t always know the provenance of the drugs that you’re buying unless it’s coming from an accredited company that’s properly regulated, and some of these places are not fully regulated.
‘I would definitely suggest that you come and talk to your doctor or practice nurse about what you’re intending to do and let them help you.
‘They may know ways of helping you that you haven’t thought about.’
Under NHS guidelines only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35, or a BMI of 30 and at least one weight related health problem like high blood pressure, should be prescribed Wegovy.
About 500,000 people in the UK have been prescribed weight-loss jabs, data shows, but only 5 per cent are estimated to be getting them from the NHS.
The two available on the NHS are known as Wegovy and Saxenda. Ozempic, which contains the same ingredient as Wegovy, is used by the NHS to treat type 2 diabetes.
Some patients are being asked to wait for up to five years for specialist weight management support, according to the Obesity Health Alliance.
In parts of the country, some overstretched services have closed their waiting lists entirely.
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