Medicines regulator warns against illegal weight loss jabs this New Year

Patients have been urged to avoid buying weight loss jabs from unregulated suppliers this New Year by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

These warnings come as the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) predicts a surge in demand for GLP-1s in the new year.

New polling by YouGov, commissioned by the NPA, suggests that 6% of adults are likely to use weight loss injections in the new year – the equivalent of 3.3 million people.

That would be two and a half times higher than the estimated 1.5 million people using the jabs monthly in 2025.

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The survey was carried out online between 18 – 19 December 2025 and 2,074 UK adults took part. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults.

Chair of the NPA, Olivier Picard, said: ‘There is a risk of criminals trying to take advantage of this [surge], with unscrupulous fake sellers seeking to cash in. Not only are unregulated sellers breaking the law, but they can also cause serious damage to your health.

‘With these scams becoming more sophisticated, it is really important that patients wanting to explore starting weight management treatment only go to regulated pharmacies, either online or in person on your high street.

For pharmacies in Great Britain, patients can check registration on the General Pharmaceutical Council website. For pharmacies in Northern Ireland, they should refer to the Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI) website.

The MHRA advised people to:

• Not buy prescription-only medicines without a prescription. GLP-1 medicines and other treatments for weight management should only be supplied after a clinical assessment;
• Only buy medicines from registered UK pharmacies or legitimate retailers;
• Avoid weight-loss products promoted on social media, especially those promising “quick fixes”, “miracle results”, or unusually low prices – these are common signs of illegal sellers.

Mr Picard added that community pharmacies can help patients achieve sustainable weight loss, through wrap around support and careful lifestyle changes, where a patient is eligible for treatment.

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Health minister Dr Zubir Ahmed said: ‘As a practising doctor and patient safety minister, I want to be absolutely clear – please do not buy weight loss medications from unregulated sources.

‘These products are made with no regard for safety or quality and pose a major risk to unwitting customers. Don’t line the pockets of criminals who don’t care about your health.’

Jenn Matthissen from the MHRA’s Safety and Surveillance team echoed this warning. She stressed that while people often look for ways to support their health at this time of year, unregulated weight loss medicines may do more harm than good.

Last month, a ‘critical health warning’ was issued by online pharmacy MedExpress, after new data found that 21% of UK adults who had purchased weight loss jabs had done so from an unverified or illegal source.

A further 31% had considered buying unverified jabs and nearly half of these ‘high-risk users’ had encountered offers for illegal weight loss drugs on social media: 49.8% on TikTok, 47.9% on Instagram, and 49% on Facebook.

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And criminal gangs have recently started manufacturing weight loss drugs to look like legitimate medicines, making unlicensed weight loss products appear ‘genuine’ to customers.

When the MHRA dismantled a large-scale manufacturing facility producing unlicensed weight loss jabs in Northampton – the largest seizure of its kind – such products were found.