Dark side of fat loss jabs flogged for £40 on TikTok laid bare – as 100s of Brits hospitalised with ‘serious reaction’
FAT loss jabs have been spotted flogged for £40 on TikTok as hundreds of Brits have been hospitalised with “serious reactions”.
Multiple active accounts were found to be advertising what claimed to be semaglutide, a prescription-only drug in the UK commonly sold under the brand names of Ozempic or Wegovy.
Data from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)’s Yellow Card scheme showed 23 deaths and 1,179 “serious” adverse reactions linked to semaglutide use in the UK since 2019.
The sale of these drugs, commonly provided as a medication for type two diabetes or as a weight loss jab, is illegal, like with any other prescription medicine.
An investigation found that accounts were willing to sell products within minutes of users entering the app and without asking any questions related to medical history, MEN reported.
One account that was contacted offered four different “courses” of the drug, which ranged from 10mg weekly for 10 weeks to just 5mg weekly over four weeks.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends an initial 0.25mg semaglutide dose weekly for four weeks before moving up to 0.5mg weekly for at least another four weeks.
This can then increase, if necessary, to 1mg weekly, according to the institute.
Some accounts, including the one contacted, has posts that specifically advertised the drug to people with poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that can often lead to weight gain and difficulty with weight management.
Posts claimed the drug “works wonders” for those with the condition and promised “mind-blowing” results for anyone who used the medication.
While semaglutide can be provided to PCOS sufferers, this is only through possible through a prescription and with the approval of a medical professional.
Jabs available on TikTok were advertised as “99.84 per cent pure semaglutide” mixed with phenol, a compound that’s a disinfectant used in a number of over the counter products.
Phenol can however be toxic in concentrated does.
The account also posted videos claiming the syringes were made up of semaglutide mixed with water, with another advertising the jabs as “100 per cent pure semaglutide with no added ingredients”.
While they did warn buyers of potential side effects like nausea and headaches in some posts, users were sold on the claim they could lose 12-14lbs every four weeks on average.
After making the £40 purchase for a four week course, the investigators were delivered pre-filled syringes, alcohol wipes, a tape measure, and a hair tie within days.
The package, however, contained no other details or information on how to safely take the medication nor did it warn of any potential side effects.
‘DIRECT DANGER TO HEALTH’
Over 1,000 “serious” reactions linked to semaglutide use have been reported to the MHRA since 2019.
The MHRA has warned against people buying weight loss medicines without a prescription.
It also stressed, in relation to the reported deaths and adverse reactions, that they do not necessarily mean either had been caused by a weight loss drug, only that it had been linked.
The agency also added that the data does not discern between prescribed drugs and cases where it may have been used illegally, and that it was “not possible” to determine whether the drug was responsible for a death reported.
Andy Morling, MHRA Deputy Director of Criminal Enforcement, told The Sun: “We work tirelessly with partners to identify and intervene against those selling medicines illegally and causing harm.
“We target all levels of offending, and as criminal tactics evolve, so do our methods to identify and disrupt them.
“Patient safety is our top priority, and we will continue working with our law enforcement partners to prevent this offending where we can, to disrupt it where we can’t, and to bring offenders to justice where we should.”
The MHRA also warned that the illegal sale of medicines can pose a serious risk to public health and encouraged people to report suspicious medicinal products and adverse side effects via its Yellow Card scheme.
On top of this, it stressed that any medicines bought outside of legal supply chains may have contents that do not match the ingredients on the label.
Fat jabs fact vs fiction
By Vanessa Chalmers
IN A world with soaring obesity rates, fat jabs have arrived and taken the world of the rich and beautiful by storm.
The injections have allegedly helped celebrities like Elon Musk, Sharon Osbourne and even Prime Minister Boris Johnson shed the pounds.
But there is a dark side to these “miracle jabs”.
UK health chiefs are investigating 20 deaths that have been reported as being potentially linked to the injections.
Several celebs, including model Lottie Moss and actor Stephen Fry, have opened up about all the horrible side effects they experienced while taking the jabs, from contorting on the floor to violent sickness.
Ian Budd, pharmacist for Chemist4U and MyBMI, says: “Using injectable weight-loss medications for cosmetic reasons or without a medical need is not recommended and can be potentially harmful.
“They are not a quick fix or a way to lose a few pounds before a holiday.
“Misuse of these medications can lead to serious health consequences and should be avoided.”
Dr Iqbal added: “They are for the management of chronic obesity, so they may not be the first step to take if your weight gain has been more recent or over a shorter period of time.”
Eligibility hinges on having a body mass index of 30-35 (obese category), coupled with weight-related health issues such as hypertension or type 2 diabetes.
Fat jabs aren’t available over the counter, you need to have a prescription to take them.
Aside from getting a prescription via the NHS, you also have the option for paying for a private prescription.
Your eligibility will still need to be assessed by a pharmacist or GP, according to Click2Pharmacy.
But an influx of skinny jabs on the black market has resulted in people becoming sick and even risking death.
Experts warned a legitimate prescriber will have their credentials listed in registers provided by the General Medical Council or General Pharmaceutical Council and pharmacies should be registered with the GPhC.
Buying medicines from illegal suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is not authorised for use in the UK and doesn’t meet the MHRA’s standards for quality and safety, it added.
A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk, the company that sells semaglutide in the UK as Ozempic and Wegovy, told The Sun: “Semaglutide is a prescription medicine that is only available by prescription from a registered healthcare professional.
“Obtaining prescription-only medicines without a prescription through non-legitimate routes poses a direct danger to health.
“The contents of medicines acquired through non-legitimate routes can be entirely different from the genuine medicine and should not be used.”
They added: “Patient safety is a top priority for Novo Nordisk.
“We are the only company in the UK with MHRA-approved products containing semaglutide, and all prescriptions of our products must be in line with the approved Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC).
“All pharmacies in Great Britain must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and this includes online pharmacies.”
TikTok was approached for comment by The Sun.
It had told MEN that its community guidelines are clear that it does not allow the illicit trade of regulated drugs on TikTok, including semaglutide.
The social media giant added it had reviewed the account in question and permanently removed it for violating these guidelines.
This comes as nearly 400 weight loss jab users have been reported hospitalised with serious, sometimes life-threatening reactions in the UK.
As reported by the Mail on Sunday, data from the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), revealed there’s been a surge in hospitalisations.
When figures were collated in October last year, there had been 279 since the drugs were rolled out in 2019.
But by the end of November, experts and doctors dubbed a 118 spike in numbers “alarming”.
And, the number of suspected side effects reported to the regulator hiked by 19 percent from nearly 15,000 to 17,831 within the same time frame.