Britons who buy weight loss vaccines such as Ozempic online risk seizures and comas from counterfeit medicines laced with rat poison and cement sold in “fake” online pharmacies, experts have warned.
The injections, given weekly, are designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health reasons.
However, online retailers posing as pharmacies are targeting vulnerable patients whose medicines are in short supply and selling them tainted versions of the blockbuster injections, according to a stern warning from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
Authorities say they are aware that fake versions of Ozempic, as well as ADHD medications and hormone replacement therapy, are being sold online, and that “there is no way to know what they actually contain.”
Experts also told MailOnline today that the health risks posed by counterfeit weight-loss injections include heart palpitations, confusion and even hypoglycaemic shock, when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.
Others also warned that patients suffered seizures and even fell into a life-threatening coma.
Britain’s drug watchdog said today that The fraudulent supply of these drugs was the work of “organized criminal gangs.”
In its report into the UK’s drug shortages, the RPS said it had heard “concerning reports about the increasing number of websites which appear to the public to be accredited pharmacies supplying medicines”.
The injections, which are administered weekly, are designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels or obese people lose weight for health reasons.
However, these “are not registered with the General Pharmacy (GPhC), the pharmacy regulator, meaning they are often run by people without medical training.”
Without GPhC registration, a company cannot legally dispense medicines to patients.
He added: ‘These unregulated websites often specifically target those drugs that are in short supply.
“These illegal sites carry the risk of patients accessing medicines that are outside a rigorous, quality-controlled supply chain and that may be unauthorized and/or counterfeit.”
Roz Gittins, director of pharmacy at the GPhC, also told MailOnline: ‘It is vital that people do not use unregulated and illegally operated websites to obtain medicines.
‘There is no way to know what they actually contain: the medicines could be fake or not suitable for them, and could cause serious harm.
‘We encourage people to check on our website pharmacyregulation.org whether a particular pharmacy is registered or not before using it.
‘We are committed to continuing to be part of the ongoing discussions about what more we can all do to help mitigate the significant impact of drug shortages.
Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the start of 2023.
“The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) should be contacted if there are concerns about inappropriate advertising and fake websites.”
Reports of fake slimming injections in the UK first emerged in August 2023.
UK health officials say they have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the country since the beginning of 2023.
Drug watchdog the MHRA has warned that Britons have been hospitalized with life-threatening side effects after taking fake injections sold online.
Experts also said many don’t even contain semaglutide, the active ingredient that curbs hunger, and are often simply insulin pens that have been repackaged to look like the real thing, misleading customers.
When patients inject themselves, this increase in insulin causes a rapid drop in blood sugar, which can be potentially fatal.
Thorrun Govind, television pharmacist and former president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: “False medicines may contain the wrong amount of active ingredient – too little, too much or none at all.”
‘Some have been found to contain rat poison, cement, mercury and arsenic substances.
Last year, Michelle Sword, 45, pictured with her two children, Cadie (right), 13, and Coen (left), 18, told how she collapsed after receiving a weight-loss treatment she bought online.
Sword said the doctors who saved his life called his recovery nothing short of miraculous. In the photo being treated by doctors after receiving the fake puncture.
“These weight loss injections may not contain semaglutide at all or may contain medications such as insulin.”
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Association of Independent Pharmacies, also told MailOnline: ‘Drug shortages mean scammers and fake online websites are targeting patients who are desperate for their medicines.
‘Serious side effects of these fake medications include hypoglycemic shock and coma. The regulator must firmly tackle these fake online websites.’
Brits themselves have also told how they were left urinating blood and vomiting after buying what they believed was genuine Ozempic online.
Andy Morling, deputy director of criminal law enforcement at the MHRA, said: “We work tirelessly with our partners to tackle those responsible for illegally selling medicines and causing harm.
‘We target all levels within these organized criminal gangs and, as their tactics evolve, so do our methods of identifying, disrupting and dismantling them.
“Patient safety is our top priority and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners in the police service and Border Force to prevent this crime where we can, disrupt it where we can’t and bring offenders to justice where we can. we can. should.’
Earlier this year, the Advertising Standards Authority also revealed it was removing up to 100 social media posts a day advertising prescription medicines, many from sources other than legitimate pharmacies.
In the UK it is illegal to advertise any prescription medicine. This includes sponsored content on social media.
Semaglutide, more commonly known as Ozempic, has been available on the NHS since 2019 for type 2 diabetics. control blood sugar levels.
Another drug, semaglutide, was also approved for weight loss in 2022 under the brand name Wegovy.
Tirzepatide, called Mounjaro, was given the green light earlier this year for the same reason.
The injections, which belong to a class of medications called GPL-1 agonists, have been shown to help users lose up to 33 pounds (15.3 kg) on average over 68 weeks.
They work by tricking the brain into thinking it is full, which dramatically reduces appetite and, as a result, helps people lose weight.
According to NHS guidelines, Wegovy should only be prescribed to patients who have a body mass index (BMI) over 35, or a BMI of 30 and at least one weight-related health problem, such as high blood pressure.
While private prescribers are not required to comply with this, they should still follow general professional guidelines and consider national guidelines to ensure that only patients who need the medicine have access to it.