The illicit trade in prescription weight loss drugs has become a criminal enterprise with profit margins that can rival those of cocaine and heroin, a senior regulator has told MPs.
Andy Morling, head of the criminal enforcement unit at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said the high financial rewards were driving a dangerous black market. He revealed that in 2024 alone, his unit denied criminals access to £7.5 million in assets by freezing accounts and seizing digital currencies.
Seizures and Enforcement
Appearing before the Health and Social Care Committee, Mr Morling detailed the scale of the agency’s action. Over the last three years, the MHRA has seized 81,000 doses of GLP-1 drugs, the category which includes popular weight loss jabs like semaglutide and tirzepatide. He estimated this represents only about 10% of the total problem.
The regulator’s work extends beyond intercepting parcels. In one major operation, it uncovered an illicit manufacturing facility in the East Midlands, seizing 2,000 unlicensed weight loss pens ready for shipping—the largest single seizure of trafficked weight loss medications in recorded history. In total, nearly 20 million doses of illegally traded medicines, with a street value of £45 million, were seized in 2025.
Enforcement online is a significant challenge. Mr Morling told MPs that 55 MHRA officers “proactively patrol” the internet, with a dedicated team of “half a dozen staff” looking for offending social media posts. However, he stated the regulator’s power is limited: “We can ask [social media companies] to, we can’t compel them to” take posts down. He cited the UK’s Online Safety Act, which places responsibilities on platforms to tackle illegal content, as a key tool.
The Dangers of the Unregulated Market
Mr Morling offered a stark warning about the products being sold. “99 times out of 100”, seized products are “genuine” in that they contain the advertised active ingredient. “That doesn’t make it safe,” he clarified. “It hasn’t been produced in accordance with manufacturing processes. The sterility is questionable, the dosage is questionable.”
The research briefing prepared for the committee outlines even graver risks from counterfeit products. Fake pens have been found to contain insulin instead of GLP-1 medication, which can cause fatal hypoglycaemic shock, or even methamphetamine. Others may contain harmful bacteria, incorrect dosages, or no active ingredient at all, leading to treatment failure, serious side effects, and hospitalisations.
The session heard a tragic example of the consequences. Committee chair Layla Moran cited the case of 53-year-old Karen McGonigal from Salford, who died in May last year days after allegedly being illegally administered a dose of semaglutide. Her daughters claim she visited a local Botox provider for the injection. An investigation by Greater Manchester Police is ongoing, with one arrest on suspicion of manslaughter and another on suspicion of supplying a controlled substance.
Mr Morling praised the family for speaking out, stressing that “one death associated with these products is one too many.”
A Market Blurring Medicine and Cosmetic
The core of the regulatory challenge, according to Mr Morling, is a profound shift in how these drugs are perceived and sold. “There’s been a blurring of the edges between a medicine and a cosmetic over the last 18 months, two years, that is extraordinarily unhelpful,” he said.
This blurring means consumers are often unaware they are entering the black market. “I honestly believe that a lot of people that are buying these products from the black market don’t know they’re buying from the black market,” he told MPs. The lines between legitimate online pharmacies and illegal operations have faded, with illegal sellers often posing as prescribers. “It’s difficult for the public to tell the difference sometimes between the two.”
The demand driving this market is immense, with over 1.5 million people in the UK now using GLP-1 medications for weight loss. Strict NHS criteria, set by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, limit access primarily to those with a BMI of 40 or more, or 35 with a weight-related condition. Private providers, like Eucalyptus (Juniper), often serve patients with a BMI over 30. A representative from Eucalyptus told the committee that around 20% of their patients would meet the stricter NHS eligibility criteria.
While Mr Morling called “inappropriate prescribing” by some private clinics “its own evil”, he was clear that it results in patients receiving a genuine, regulated product. “Accessing through the black market,” he concluded, “is by far the bigger evil.”
To combat the issue, the MHRA is developing a public-facing tool to report suspected illegal medicine websites and social media posts. Mr Morling emphasised that solving the problem requires more than enforcement. “The issue cannot be solved by law enforcement alone,” he stated, underscoring that public education is crucial to help people understand the severe risks they run when the line between a clinic and a criminal enterprise is no longer clear.
