UK medical regulator warns against buying weight-loss jabs from social media channels
The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has seized over £250,000 worth of counterfeit weight-loss jab products from a factory in Northampton in October 2025. These seized products included injection pens for retatrutide, an experimental drug not licensed for use in the UK. Investigations linked Alluvi Healthcare Ltd to replicas of retatrutide advertised on Telegram channels, highlighting the growing black market for weight-loss medications driven by limited NHS access and high costs.
The MHRA has issued warnings to the public to purchase weight-loss medications only from registered UK pharmacies or legitimate retailers and to avoid illegal online sellers, particularly those found on social media platforms. Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed emphasized that licensed obesity drugs can benefit those with a clinical need but cautioned against obtaining these medicines from unregulated sources.
Banks have also warned about scams related to counterfeit weight-loss products, reporting victims lose an average of about £120 per incident. The MHRA has previously alerted the public about unlicensed sale of prescription weight-loss medications through beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites, and social media posts where no prescriptions are provided.
The risks associated with illicit products include counterfeit contents, contamination, incorrect dosages, unlisted ingredients, and potential safety issues arising from improper storage, such as exposure to extreme cold temperatures.
