Aspiring slimmers were today warned not to buy weight loss injections from social media sites due to the dire health risks of contaminated injections that have infiltrated the online market.
Injections, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes and obese people control their blood sugar levels and lose weight.
But beauty salons, “fake” online pharmacies and social media users are flogging the drugs, leaving patients vulnerable to potentially contaminated versions, health chiefs said.
The injections can involve worrying side effects such as pancreatitis (when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed) or gastrointestinal problems.
But what is most worrying are the risks of taking a medication that is not what it is said to be.
Figures show UK health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake weight loss injection pens across the country since the start of 2023.
Experts have warned that counterfeit weight-loss injections, which often contain the hormone insulin, include heart palpitations and hypoglycemic shock, when blood sugar levels drop dangerously.
Doctors have previously reported that patients have suffered seizures and even been left in life-threatening comas as a result of using fake injections.
Injections, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are designed to help patients with type 2 diabetes control their blood sugar levels or obese people lose weight for health reasons.
Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the beginning of 2023.
UK law prohibits the sale of such medicines without a prescription.
It is also illegal to promote any prescription drug. Doing so could result in a fine and up to two years in prison.
Andy Morling, deputy director of criminal enforcement at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Britain’s drug watchdog, said: “At this time of year, when many of us are thinking about losing a bit of the excess of weight, we see people offering measures to lose weight. Medications for sale as a quick solution.
‘This is without a prescription, in beauty salons, websites and social networks.
“These are not cosmetic treatments, they are powerful medications that can only be legally and safely dispensed with a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.”
He also warned that some online retailers are selling the jabs but not registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the pharmaceutical regulator.
This means they can be run by people without medical training.
Without GPhC registration, a company cannot legally dispense medicines to patients.
Mr Morling said: “Criminals go to great lengths to make their website shop fronts look authentic and convincing, so before purchasing any medicines online you should be careful.”
‘For online pharmacies based in Great Britain, you can check on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) website that they are properly registered.
‘Fake pharmacy websites and social media sellers illegally supply medicines that are not approved for use in the UK.
‘These can contain toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm, and you could even end up in hospital.
‘We work with our partners, including the police and Border Force, to tackle those who sell medicines illegally and cause harm.
‘As the tactics of these organized criminal gangs evolve, so do our methods for identifying, disrupting and dismantling them.
‘Our role at the MHRA is to ensure that the medicines you take are acceptably safe and effective. We are here to protect your health. Stay safe this New Year.”
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.
The only way to ensure you receive a genuine weight loss medication is to get it from a legitimate pharmacy, the MHRA said.
If you are offered a weight loss medication under any other circumstances, whether online or offline, you may be putting your health at serious risk and breaking the law.
Reports of fake slimming injections in the UK first emerged in August 2023.
The MHRA has also previously warned that Britons have been hospitalized with life-threatening side effects after injecting fake vaccines sold online.
Experts said many don’t even contain semaglutide or tirzepatide (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.
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.
It comes as the country’s top GP also warned today that long waits for National Health Service Weight loss services are leading patients to purchase potentially dangerous injections online.
It comes as the country’s top GP also warned today that long waits for NHS weight loss services are leading patients to buy potentially dangerous injections online. In the photo, Professor Kamila Hawthorne.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, president of the Royal College of GPs, also said she had “serious concerns” about drugs sold by unregulated retailers.
He urged caution with cheaper alternatives to prefilled injectable pens, which may require patients to prepare some of the medication themselves at home.
Even those who buy injections from registered online pharmacies risk missing out on essential monitoring and care, he said.
She said: “We have serious concerns about this, because you don’t always know the provenance of the medicines you buy unless they come from a reputable company that is properly regulated, and some of these places are not fully regulated.” .
‘I would definitely suggest you come and talk to your doctor or nurse about what you are planning to do and let them help you.
“They may know ways to help you that you haven’t thought of.”
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.
According to the data, around 500,000 people in the UK have been prescribed weight-loss injections, but it is estimated that only 5 per cent receive 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.
According to the Obesity Health Alliance, some patients are asked to wait up to five years to receive specialized weight management support.
In some parts of the country, some overstretched services have closed their waiting lists entirely.