A woman who was illegally sold a weight loss drug on social media has told the BBC she ended up in A&E vomiting blood. Maddy, 32, fell seriously ill after using an unlicensed version of semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, purchased from Instagram.
A BBC investigation found unregulated sellers offering semaglutide as a medicine without prescription online, and the drug being offered in beauty salons in Manchester and Liverpool. Doctors warn that drugs bought from unregulated sources are dangerous and could contain potentially toxic ingredients.
Demand for Ozempic, a prescribed type 2 diabetes medication, soared last year after it was dubbed Hollywood's secret weight loss drug. This led to a rise in off-label prescriptions for weight loss, global supply issues, and a shortage for diabetes patients in the UK. An illicit black market selling semaglutide 'diet kits' then flourished online.
Maddy bought 10mg of semaglutide from a company called The Lip King, run by Jordan Parke, for £200 with no questions asked. She received a video instructing her how to mix and inject the drug, with dangerous guidance advising a higher dose than recommended. After her first injection, she was extremely ill and bed-bound, vomiting. She later tried the drug again and ended up vomiting blood, leading to a hospital visit.
Lab tests on unlicensed semaglutide bought from several sellers showed inconsistencies: some vials contained no semaglutide at all, and nearly all did not contain the full dose paid for. Under UK law, it is illegal to sell semaglutide as a medicine without a prescription. Novo Nordisk, the only approved manufacturer, says it is working to remove counterfeit products from online platforms.
