Wannabe dieters were today warned against buying weight loss jabs on social media sites due to the terrifying health risks of contaminated injections that have infiltrated the online market.
The injections, such as 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 drugs, leaving patients vulnerable to potentially contaminated versions, health chiefs said.
The injections can cause worrying side effects, such as pancreatitis (when the pancreas suddenly becomes inflamed) or gastrointestinal problems.
But more concerning are the risks of taking a drug that isn’t what it says it is.
Figures show that UK health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially counterfeit weight loss injection pens across the country since the start of 2023.
Experts have warned against the fake slimming shots, which often contain the hormone insulin palpitations and hypoglycemic shock, when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.
Doctors have previously reported that patients have suffered seizures and even fallen into life-threatening comas as a result of using the fake jabs.
The injections, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or to help obese people lose weight for health purposes.
Health officials have seized more than 600 possibly counterfeit Ozempic pens in Britain since early 2023
British law prohibits the sale of such drugs without a prescription from a medical professional.
It is also illegal to advertise prescription drugs. If you do, you could be fined and imprisoned for up to two years.
Andy Morling, deputy director of criminal enforcement at the Medicines Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK’s drugs watchdog, said: ‘At this time of year, when many of us are thinking about losing some excess weight, we see people that offer weight loss. medications for sale as a quick fix.
‘This is without a prescription from a healthcare professional, from beauty salons, websites and on social media.
‘These are not cosmetic treatments; they are powerful medications that can only be legally and safely provided with a prescription from a healthcare professional.”
He also warned that some online retailers are selling the jabs but are not doing so registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)’ — the regulator for pharmacies.
This means they can be run by people with no medical training.
Without GPhC registration, a company is legally unable to provide medicines to patients.
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Mr Morling said: ‘Criminals go to great lengths to make their websites’ storefronts look authentic and convincing, so before buying a drug online you should be careful.
‘For online pharmacies based in the UK, you can check whether they are correctly registered on the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) website.
‘Fake pharmacy websites and social media sellers are illegally supplying medicines that are not approved for use in Britain.
‘These can contain toxins and other ingredients that can cause real damage, and could even land you in hospital.
“We are working with our partners, including law enforcement and Border Patrol, to tackle those who illegally sell medicines and cause harm.
“As the tactics of these organized criminal gangs evolve, so do our methods of 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.”
The only way to guarantee you’re receiving a genuine weight-loss drug is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy, according to the MHRA.
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 treated by medics after taking the fake injection
If you are offered a weight loss drug under any other circumstances, whether online or offline, you may be putting your health at serious risk and breaking the law.
Reports of fake weight-loss jabs in Britain first appeared in August 2023.
The MHRA has also previously warned that Britons have been hospitalized with life-threatening side effects after injecting themselves with fake jabs sold online.
Experts said many pens do not even contain semaglutide or tirzepatide – the active ingredient that controls hunger – and are often simply 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.
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 because the best GP in the country also warned today about a long wait NHS Weight loss services are causing patients to buy potentially dangerous shots online.
Professor Kamila Hawthorne, president of the Royal College of GPs, also said she had “serious concerns” about medicines sold by unregulated retailers.
It comes as the country’s top GP also warned today that long waits for NHS weight loss services are driving patients to buy potentially dangerous jabs online. Pictured is Professor Kamila Hawthorne
She urged caution towards cheaper alternatives to pre-filled injection pens, which may require patients to prepare some of the medicine themselves at home.
Even those who buy the jabs from registered online pharmacies risk missing out on vital monitoring and care, she said.
She said: ‘We have serious concerns about that because you don’t always know the source of the medicines you buy unless it comes from an accredited company that is well 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 are planning to do and get them to help you.
“Maybe they know ways to help you that you haven’t thought of yet.”
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.
Around 500,000 people in Britain have been prescribed weight-loss jabs, data shows, but only 5 per cent are estimated to be receiving 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 for specialist weight management support.
In parts of the country, some overburdened services have closed their waiting lists completely.