Professor Kamila Hawthorne has sounded the alarm on risky online purchases of drugs such as Ozempic from unregulated retailers.
Hawthorne has cautioned that people tempted to buy the injections online from unofficial sources are risking their safety because they will not be overseen or supported by medical professionals while taking the weight-loss medication.
“If you’re faced with a two-year waiting time and you want to lose weight now, and you know that there is a way that you can lose weight, you know that drug works because nobody’s denying that they don’t work, you might well decide that you’re going to just sort it out yourself,” Hawthorne said.
Adverts for Ozempic and Mounjaro are still easily found on some mainstream social media sites from unofficial sellers, The i Paper has found.
A woman appeals for advice and reassurance after buying and taking what she believes is semaglutide from an unofficial seller. The liquid was given to her in these syringes, rather than the regular penDemand for injections that use the active ingredient – sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy – has rocketed after it was hailed as a “game changer” for fighting obesity.
It comes as the medicines regulator warned unofficial weight-loss jabs sold online can contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.
Andy Morling, the MHRA’s deputy director of criminal enforcement, said criminals make their website storefronts look professional so would-be customers should check on the General Pharmaceutical Council’s website that the online pharmacy is registered.
The i Paper found adverts online from unregulated sellers offering Ozempic for £80 “if picked up from Cardiff” and others available in Doncaster for a discount.
Ozempic has been a medical breakthrough - but the online risks remain
Read More“When she collected from the practitioner it was drawn up in insulin syringes,” the person wrote, adding: “I can’t think why the practitioner would have done this unless they are using another version of Ozempic – but I wouldn’t know what that is.”
Customers have fallen seriously ill after buying what they believed were slimming drugs online.
“A lot of people are quite desperate to get these medications because they are quite difficult to access from the NHS,” she told the BBC. “If you are going to do this, do it properly.”
“We do have some serious concerns about that, because you don’t always know the provenance of the drugs that you’re buying unless it’s coming from an accredited company that’s properly regulated, and some of these places are not fully regulated.”
“Where appropriate, these obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in real need.
“However, we recognise these drugs are not a replacement for a good diet and exercise and as part of our 10-Year Health Plan we will shift the focus of healthcare from sickness to prevention.”
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