A shocking investigation has revealed it took less than 10 minutes of searching on social media site TikTok to find someone willing to illegally sell a weightloss jab.
The injection was offered with no questions about age, medical history, and no medical guidance as to how to take the drug, despite being a prescription-only medication. The special investigation by the Manchester Evening News’ Nicole Wootton-Cane, found multiple active accounts advertising what purports to be semaglutide.
Semaglutide is sold under the brand name Ozempic as a type two diabetes medication and Wegovy as a weight loss jab. Jabs were advertised as ‘99.84 per cent pure semaglutide’ mixed with a compound called phenol – a disinfectant used in a number of over the counter products. It can be toxic in concentrated doses.
The account advertised four different ‘courses’ of the drug, ranging from 10mg each week over 10 weeks to 5mg each week over four weeks. The dosage recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for semaglutide is initially 0.25 mg once weekly for 4 weeks, then increased to 0.5mg once weekly for at least 4 weeks, then increased if necessary to 1 mg once weekly.
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Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
Worryingly, posts specifically advertised the drug to people with poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition where weight gain and difficulty managing weight is common. The post says the drug ‘works wonders’ for those with the condition, promising ‘mind-blowing’ results.
The seller did warn of potential side effects of nausea and headaches in some posts, advising they could be treated with painkillers and anti-sickness medication. Buyers were told they could lose 12-14lbs every four weeks on average.
Read here what happened when Nicole Wootton-Cane received the jabs through the post
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Sean Hansford | Manchester Evening News)
The investigation comes as the UK’s medicines regulator warned against buying weight loss medicines without a prescription. Data from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)’s Yellow Card scheme shows since 2019, 23 deaths and 1,179 ‘serious’ adverse reactions have been linked to semaglutide use in the UK.
The regulator stressed a reported death or adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the medicine, only that the person reporting it had a suspicion it may have been, adding it ‘is not possible’ to determine whether the drug was responsible for a death reported. The data also does not discern between cases where a drug was prescribed and cases where it may have been used illicitly.