Brits who buy weight loss jabs like Ozempic online are at risk of suffering seizures and comas at the hands of counterfeit medications laced with rat poison or cement sold by ‘fake’ online pharmacies, experts have warned.
The jabs, which are administered weekly, are designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes.
Yet online retailers posing as pharmacies are targeting vulnerable patients whose medicines are in short supply, and selling them contaminated versions of the blockbuster injections, according to a stark warning by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS).
Officials say they are aware of fake versions of Ozempic, as well as ADHD drugs, and HRT, being sold online, and there is ‘no way of knowing what is really in them’.
Experts today also told MailOnline the health risks posed by taking counterfeit weight loss jabs include heart palpitations, confusion and even hypoglycemic shock — when blood sugar levels drop dangerously low.
Others also warned that patients have suffered seizures and were even left in life-threatening comas.
Britain’s drugs watchdog today said the fraudulent supply of these drugs was the work of ‘organised criminal gangs’.
In its report on UK medicines shortages, the RPS said it had heard ‘concerning reports about the increasing numbers of websites that appear to the public to be reputable pharmacies providing medicines’.
The jabs, which are administered weekly, are designed to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels or for obese people to lose weight for health purposes
These however ‘are not registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC)’ — the pharmacy regulator, which means they are often run by people with no medical training.
Without GPhC registration, a business is not legally able to dispense medication to patients.
It added: ‘These unregulated websites often specifically target those medicines that are in shortage.
‘These illegal sites come with the risk that patients may be accessing medicines that are outside of a rigorous, quality-controlled supply chain and may be unauthorised and/or falsified.’
Roz Gittins, chief pharmacy officer at the GPhC, also told MailOnline: ‘It is vital that people do not use unregulated, illegally operating websites to obtain medicines.
‘There is no way of knowing what is really in them — the medicines could be fake or not appropriate for them, and could cause serious harm.
‘We would encourage people to check on our website at pharmacyregulation.org whether a particular pharmacy is registered or not before using it.
‘We are committed to continuing to be part of the ongoing discussions on what more we can all do to help mitigate the significant impact of medicines shortages.
Health officials have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the UK since the start of 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 slimming jabs in the UK first emerged in August 2023.
UK health officials say they have already seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens across the nation since the start of 2023.
Drugs watchdog the MHRA warned that Brits have been hospitalised with life-threatening side effects after injecting themselves with fake jabs being sold online.
Experts also said many won’t even contain semaglutide — the active ingredient that limits hunger — and are often just insulin pens which have been repackaged to look like the real thing, fooling customers.
When patients inject themselves, this insulin surge causes a rapid drop in blood sugar — which can potentially be fatal.
Thorrun Govind, TV pharmacist and former chair 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 have been 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 weight loss jab she bought online
Ms Sword said the doctors who saved her life called her recovery little short of miraculous. Pictured being attended to by medics after taking the counterfeit jab
‘These weight loss injections may not contain semaglutide at all or they may contain medication like insulin.’
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, CEO of Independent Pharmacies Association also told MailOnline: ‘Shortages of medicines mean fraudsters and fake online websites are targetting patients who are desperate for their medicines.
‘Serious side effects of these fake drugs include hypoglycaemic shock and coma. The regulator must tackle these fake online websites robustly.’
Brits have themselves also told how they were left urinating blood and vomiting after buying what they believed to be genuine Ozempic online.
Andy Morling, MHRA deputy director of criminal enforcement, said: ‘We work tirelessly with partners to tackle those responsible for selling medicines illegally and causing harm.
‘We target all levels within these organised criminal 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 working with our law enforcement partners in the police service and Border Force to prevent this offending where we can, to disrupt it where we can’t, and to bring offenders to justice where we should.’
Earlier this year the Advertising Standards Authority also revealed it was removing up to 100 social media posts per day that advertised prescription-only medicines — many from sources that are not legitimate pharmacies.
It is illegal in the UK to advertise any prescription medication. This includes sponsored content on social media.
Semaglutide, most commonly known as Ozempic, has been available on the NHS since 2019 for type 2 diabetics to manage blood sugar levels.
Another semaglutide drug was also approved for weight loss in 2022 under the brand Wegovy.
Tirzepatide, branded as Mounjaro, was given the green light earlier this year for the same reason.
The jabs, which belong to class of medications called GPL-1 agonists, have been shown to help users lose up to 33lbs (15.3kg) on average over 68 weeks.
They work by tricking the brain into thinking it’s full, consequently slashing appetite, and helping people lose weight as a result.
Under NHS guidelines only patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of over 35, or a BMI of 30 and at least one weight related health problem like high blood pressure, should be prescribed Wegovy.
While private prescribers aren’t bound by this, they still need to follow general professional guidelines and consider national guidance to ensure only patients that need the drug get access to it.
