Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has dismantled the first illegal factory in the United Kingdom manufacturing unlicensed weight-loss injections. The facility, located in central England, was part of a growing underground network producing counterfeit versions of popular obesity drugs. Officials have warned that these fake injections pose severe health risks, including contamination, incorrect dosages, and potentially life-threatening reactions.
The operation led to the world’s largest-ever seizure of counterfeit weight-loss drugs. MHRA officers confiscated around 2,000 injection pens labeled as containing tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s legitimate drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound — as well as retatrutide, another experimental obesity treatment still undergoing clinical trials. Authorities also found tens of thousands of empty injector pens and large quantities of raw chemicals used to produce the fake medications.
Health Minister Wes Streeting praised the successful raid, calling it “a victory in the fight against shameless criminals who are putting lives at risk.” He emphasized that the unregulated and untested nature of these counterfeit products made them dangerous to consumers, who might unknowingly ingest harmful or toxic substances. “These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers,” Streeting said in his statement.
The MHRA’s discovery marks the first time such a production site has been found within the UK. It follows months of increasing global concern over the spread of counterfeit weight-loss drugs, particularly those imitating GLP-1 receptor agonists — a class of medicines that mimic hormones to suppress appetite and manage blood sugar. Pharmaceutical companies, including Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, have warned that counterfeit versions of their products are being sold illegally online and through social media platforms, where unregulated sales have flourished.
In the UK, weight-loss injections are available through the National Health Service (NHS) only to patients meeting specific medical criteria. However, the growing demand for these drugs, combined with high private-market costs of several hundred pounds per month, has pushed some individuals to seek cheaper, illegal alternatives.
Similar trends have been observed in the United States, where some users are purchasing raw ingredients online to make self-administered injections of GLP-1-based drugs such as semaglutide, the active component in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy. Health authorities have warned that such practices are dangerous due to the lack of proper manufacturing conditions, sterility checks, and dosage accuracy.
The MHRA reiterated its commitment to cracking down on counterfeit drug operations, stating that illegal manufacturers and distributors would face strict penalties. The agency urged the public to obtain medical treatments only through licensed healthcare professionals and verified pharmacies, warning that purchasing injections from unregulated sources could result in severe harm or death.
