UK raid results in record haul of fraudulent weight-loss drugs

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has seized a record haul of counterfeit weight-loss medicines valued at more than £250,000 (€287,000), amid a surge in online sales of fraudulent GLP-1 drugs.

During a raid on a warehouse on an industrial estate outside London, MHRA’s in-house law enforcement unit discovered what is believed to be the largest volume of fake weight-loss products ever confiscated in the UK.

“This is a victory in the fight against the shameless criminals who are putting lives at risk by peddling dangerous and illegal weight-loss jabs to make a quick buck,” said UK Health Minister Wes Streeting. “These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, pose a major risk to unwitting customers.”

Officers found tens of thousands of empty injection pens ready to be filled, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 counterfeit retatrutide and tirzepatide pens. MHRA estimates the value of the finished products alone exceeds a quarter of a million.

“This seizure shows the lengths these criminals will go to for profit,” said Andy Morling, Head of MHRA’s Criminal Enforcement Unit. “People should be extremely cautious when buying medicines online."

Morling said prescription medicines should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy with a prescription issued by a healthcare professional: "Taking medicines from other sources carries serious health risks — there are no guarantees about their contents, and some may be contaminated with toxic substances.”

EU authorities raise the alarm

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) issued a joint warning in early September about a sharp rise in the sale of counterfeit GLP-1 receptor agonists — including semaglutide, liraglutide, and tirzepatide — online.

Authorities fear these illegal products may not contain the claimed active substances and could include harmful or unknown ingredients, posing a serious threat to public health.

EU regulators have identified hundreds of fake Facebook profiles, advertisements, and e-commerce listings, many hosted outside the EU.

Rising demand and tight supply

Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is authorized for type 2 diabetes and, when combined with diet and exercise, for weight management. The surge in demand for GLP-1 medicines has created shortages, and most EU countries only prescribe them for people who have obesity (BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more) or who are overweight (BMI between 27 and 30 kg/m2) and have weight-related health problems. Retatrutide has not yet been authorized by any regulatory body and is still in clinical development.

The online sale of prescription-only medicines is prohibited in several EU member states. In countries where it is permitted, legitimate online pharmacies must display an EU logo linking to a national register of authorized retailers.

EMA warns consumers not to risk buying unverified medicines online: “These products can cause unexpected and serious health problems,” the agency said.