Slimmers are being warned against buying so-called ‘Ozempic-like’ weight-loss pills from social media, amid growing fears that dangerous counterfeit versions are flooding the internet.
The alert comes as pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly confirmed that its new once-a-day tablet, orforglipron – which works in a similar way to the breakthrough injection Ozempic – could be rolled out worldwide as early as next year, with ‘no supply constraints’.
But health officials say fake versions are already being sold online, exposing users to contaminated, incorrectly dosed or entirely fake products.
One website was found offering the drug for just £79 for a month’s supply – around a quarter of the cost of Mounjaro, which can exceed £330 at private clinics.
Another, Wolverine Peptides, lists a 30-day supply for £163, the equivalent of about £5 a day.
Like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, orforglipron targets GLP-1 receptors in the body to suppress appetite and help users feel fuller for longer.
However, it can also cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhoea and, in rare cases, pancreatitis – a painful inflammation of the pancreas.
Experts warn the greatest danger lies not in the legitimate drug but in fake or unregulated versions, which may contain toxic substances, the wrong dose – or no active ingredient at all.
Dr Leyla Hannbeck, chief executive of the Independent Pharmacies Association, said: ‘We’re seeing sachets and tablets being purchased for as little as £30 online.
‘They don’t list proper ingredients, directions or markings – goodness knows what’s inside them.
‘Some people might just be wasting their money, but others could be putting something incredibly harmful into their body that could cause long-term liver or kidney damage.’
‘It’s concerning that people can find it so easily online. We’ve seen this across the country where people are bringing these products into pharmacies and there’s no recognisable weight loss ingredients.’
Many of the firms shipping these products to the UK label them ‘for research only’ or ‘not for human use’ to evade penalties for selling prescription medicines illegally –exploiting those who can’t afford legitimate treatment.
Andy Morling, from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), warned: ‘Buying any medicine from illegal online suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving falsified or unlicensed products.’
The MHRA says it continues to work with law enforcement and online platforms to remove illegal medicines from sale and prosecute those responsible.
But experts warn that too many counterfeit and experimental drugs are still slipping through the net.
In the UK, it is illegal to buy or possess an unlicensed medicine – including orforglipron. Promoting or advertising any prescription-only drug can also result in a fine or up to two years in prison.
The only way to be certain you’re receiving a genuine weight-loss medicine is to obtain it through a registered pharmacy, the MHRA has warned.
A spokesperson for Eli Lilly added: ‘Orforglipron has not been reviewed or approved by any regulatory agency anywhere in the world, and therefore, at this time, no one can legally sell orforglipron for human use.’
They continued: ‘People who purchase counterfeit or black market medicines – including those labelled ‘for research use only’ – have no way of knowing what they actually contain.
‘These products are untested, have no regulatory oversight for safety, quality or efficacy, and can pose a serious risk to patients.
They may contain no active ingredient at all, or contain other harmful substances. No one should ever risk putting them into their bodies.’
Wolverine Peptides has been approached for comment by The Sun.
Reports of fake slimming jabs first surfaced in the UK in August 2023. Since then, the MHRA has warned that several people have been hospitalised with life-threatening side effects after injecting themselves with counterfeit versions of popular weight-loss drugs sold online.
Experts said many won’t even contain semaglutide or tirzepatide – 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, the resulting insulin surge can cause a rapid and dangerous drop in blood sugar – a reaction that can, in extreme cases, be fatal.
It comes as leading obesity specialists have declared that Mounjaro and Wegovy are so effective they should become the first-line treatment for obesity ‘in almost all cases’.
In new guidance issued this week, the European Association for the Study of Obesity hailed the drugs’ ‘unprecedented’ effectiveness and wide-ranging health benefits.
Around three in ten Britons – some 16million adults – are classified as obese, yet only around 1.5million currently use prescription weight-loss injections.
Clinical trials show that patients using drugs containing semaglutide—the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy – lose an average of 14 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks.
Those taking tirzepatide, marketed as Mounjaro, shed around 20 per cent in the same period.
However, experts warn that making the jabs available to everyone immediately could bankrupt the NHS and put unsustainable pressure on clinics.
At present, the powerful injections are offered on the health service only to patients with severe obesity and related conditions. Others must pay privately, at a typical cost of around £200 per month.
