The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has warned that organised crime gangs are now manufacturing their own branded weight-loss drugs, designed to look like legitimate medicines. This new trend poses a significant threat to public safety, according to the watchdog.
Andy Morling, head of the MHRA's criminal enforcement unit, said that in recent months they have observed a new production model where criminals invest in designing packaging and branding to sell products purporting to be genuine. The products, though looking like genuine medicines, are entirely unlicensed and illegal to sell in the UK.
Last month, the MHRA conducted its first raid on an illegal weight-loss drug factory in Northampton, seizing tens of thousands of empty weight-loss pens, raw chemical ingredients, and over 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens. This was the largest single seizure of trafficked weight-loss drugs ever recorded by any global law enforcement agency.
Morling noted that the sophistication of the products is a significant concern, indicating involvement of organised crime. He added that there is a lack of awareness among both customers and sellers, with some beauty parlours selling these products without realising they are medicines that could lead to custodial sentences.
The MHRA is analysing the seized products but declined to speculate on their contents. The agency emphasised that the new production model gives customers a false sense of security, and it is working to eliminate this model before it becomes widespread.
