Britons who buy slimming pills such as Ozempic online risk suffering seizures and comas from counterfeit drugs laced with rat poison and cement sold by ‘fake’ online pharmacies, experts have warned.
The injections, administered weekly, are intended to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or help obese people lose weight for health purposes.
Yet online retailers posing as pharmacies are targeting vulnerable patients whose medicines are in short supply, selling contaminated versions of the blockbuster injections, according to a stark warning from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
Officials say they are aware of counterfeit versions of Ozempic, as well as ADHD drugs and HRT, being sold online, and that there is “no way of knowing what’s really in them.”
Experts also told MailOnline today that the health risks of taking counterfeit weight loss jabs include palpitations, confusion and even hypoglycaemic shock – when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.
Others also warned that patients have suffered seizures and even been left in a life-threatening coma.
The British drugs watchdog said this today The fraudulent supply of these drugs was the work of ‘organized criminal gangs’.
In its report on medicine shortages in the UK, the RPS said it had heard ‘concerned reports about the increasing number of websites appearing to the public as reputable pharmacies supplying medicines’.
The injections, administered weekly, are intended to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or help obese people lose weight for health purposes.
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However, these are ‘not registered with the General Pharmacy (GPhC)’ – the regulator for pharmacies, meaning they are often run by people with no medical training.
Without GPhC registration, a company is legally unable to provide medicines to patients.
It added: ‘These unregulated websites often specifically target those medicines that are in short supply.
‘These illegal sites pose the risk of patients accessing medicines that are outside a rigorous, quality-controlled supply chain and may be unauthorized and/or adulterated.’
Roz Gittins, chief pharmacist at the GPhC, also told MailOnline: ‘It is vital that people do not use unregulated, illegally operating websites to obtain medicines.
‘There’s no way to know what’s really in there; the drugs may be fake or not suitable for them, and can cause serious damage.
‘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 remaining part of the ongoing discussions about what more we can do to help mitigate the significant impact of drug shortages.
Health officials have seized more than 600 possibly counterfeit Ozempic pens in Britain since early 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 weight-loss jabs in Britain first appeared in August 2023.
British health officials say they have seized more than 600 possibly counterfeit Ozempic pens across the country since early 2023.
Drugs watchdog the MHRA warned that Britons have been hospitalized with life-threatening side effects after injecting themselves with fake jabs sold online.
Experts also said many don’t even contain semaglutide – the active ingredient that curbs hunger – and are often just insulin pens repackaged to look real, fooling customers.
When patients inject themselves, this insulin spike causes a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, which can be potentially fatal.
Thorrun Govind, TV pharmacist and former president of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, said: ‘Fake medicines can contain the wrong amount of active ingredient, too little, too much or none at all.
‘Some were found to contain rat poison, cement, mercury and arsonic.
Last year Michelle Sword, 45, pictured with her two children Cadie (right), 13, and Coen (left), 18, told how she collapsed after taking a slimming shot she bought online
Ms Sword said the doctors who saved her life called her recovery almost miraculous. In the photo he is being attended to by medics after taking the fake injection
‘These weight-loss injections may not contain semaglutide or medications such as insulin at all.’
Dr. Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, also told MailOnline: ‘A shortage of medicines is causing fraudsters and fake online websites to target patients desperate for their medicines.
‘Serious side effects of these fake drugs include hypoglycaemic shock and coma. The regulator must crack down on these fake online websites strongly.”
Brits have also told how they found themselves peeing and vomiting blood after buying what they thought was genuine Ozempic online.
Andy Morling, the MHRA’s deputy director of criminal enforcement, said: ‘We are working tirelessly with partners to tackle those responsible for illegally selling medicines and causing harm.
“We target all levels within these organized crime gangs, and as their tactics evolve, so do our methods to identify, disrupt and dismantle them.
“Patient safety is our top priority, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners at the Police Department and Border Patrol to prevent this crime where we can, disrupt it where we cannot, and bring offenders to justice where we can.” should.’
Earlier this year, the Advertising Standards Authority also announced it was removing up to 100 social media posts a day promoting prescription medicines – many from sources that are not legitimate pharmacies.
It is illegal in Britain to advertise prescription drugs. This also applies to sponsored content on social media.
Semaglutide, better known as Ozempic, has been available on the NHS for type 2 diabetics since 2019. controlling blood sugar levels.
Another semaglutide drug was also approved for weight loss in 2022 under the brand name Wegovy.
Tirzepatide, branded as Mounjaro, was given the green light earlier this year for the same reason.
The jabs, which belong to the class of drugs called GPL-1 agonists, have been shown to help users lose an average of up to 15.3kg over 68 weeks.
They work by tricking the brain into thinking they are full, which reduces appetite and helps people lose weight.
According to NHS guidelines, only patients with 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, should be prescribed Wegovy.
Although private prescribers are not bound by this, they should still follow general professional guidelines and take into account national guidelines to ensure that only patients who need the medicine can access it.