New podcast for pharmacists launched today

The team at The Pharmacist is excited to announce the launch of our new podcast, The Pharmacist’s Podcast.

The series will explore the latest developments in pharmacy through discussions with experts, policymakers, and frontline professionals to shed light on the stories shaping the profession.

The first full episode, The fake weight loss jab black market; and what’s next for medicines law enforcement? lands today (24 March) and it is available across all major podcast platforms.

Please subscribe now to stay informed with our regular updates from the frontline of primary care.

In our first episode, Emily Warner, reporter at The Pharmacist, travels to the leafy village of South Mimms, Hertfordshire, to meet Andy Morling, head of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA’s) criminal enforcement unit.

Mr Morling and his team have led the UK’s response to a growing black market for illegal weight loss medicines.

They recently seized almost 2,000 doses of unauthorised weight loss drugs following raids on two properties in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

These premises were believed to have been used for the manufacture and distribution of unlicensed weight loss meds, including retatrutide and tirzepatide, as well as peptide products.

And in October last year, they dismantled a large-scale illegal manufacturing facility in Northampton – what authorities believe to be the largest-ever global seizure of its kind.

In this podcast episode, Mr Morling explains how these operations are uncovered and shut down and discusses the risks posed to patients who obtain medicines outside regulated channels.

He also discusses how the market for illegal medicines is evolving and what future enforcement activity could look like.

The Pharmacist’s Podcast is hosted on Buzzsprout but you can find it wherever you get your podcasts.