The National Pharmacy Association is warning patients to be wary
People ordering weight loss jabs online have been issued with a new alert. Roughly one in 10 online pharmacies have had their websites and social media accounts copied by platforms flogging counterfeit weight-loss jabs, a survey has revealed.
The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) urged patients to be “wary” of providers offering medication at a price that is “too good to be true”, and accused social media companies of being “asleep at the wheel”. The organisation, which represents 6,000 pharmacies across Britain, has also written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting demanding tougher protections for patients.
The poll of 100 online pharmacies discovered that around one in 10 had their online presence duplicated by illegal weight-loss jab providers over the past year. Meanwhile, almost two in five have come across patients who had unknowingly purchased fake weight-loss drugs in the last 12 months. The vast majority (95.2%) of pharmacies that responded said they are worried about the unlawful sale of these jabs and the threat they pose to patient safety.
One pharmacy only discovered their online presence had been cloned after being contacted by a patient who had purchased counterfeit Mounjaro from a site masquerading as their pharmacy. The drug was a quarter of the price.
In several cases, the counterfeit providers had also replicated regulator logos, including those belonging to the Care Quality Commission and the General Pharmaceutical Council.
Sehar Shahid, board member at the NPA, said: “I know first-hand how distressing it is to see criminals posing as regulated pharmacists to try and trick patients into buying counterfeit medicines. Medicines from unregulated providers may be faked, swapped for an alternative medicine or not meet the strict regulatory standards we have in the UK. Patients should be wary of any provider that is offering medicines at a price that is too good to be true and are not offering any consultations before prescribing.”
Among the pharmacies that flagged these cases to social media firms, nearly all (96%) felt the response was inadequate. Of those who alerted the Medicines Healthcare and Regulatory Agency (MHRA), around 92% believed the response was insufficient.
Pharmacies are now demanding stronger action from the medicines regulator. In October, the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, backed by Northamptonshire Police, raided an illegal weight-loss jab manufacturing site in Northampton for the first time. In February, the regulator also collaborated with Lincolnshire Police to shut down a facility in Sleaford.
Ms Shahid said: “Social media companies have been asleep at the wheel and have not done enough to prevent a booming market for counterfeit medicines to flourish on their platforms. Although the MHRA works hard, their efforts are a drop in the ocean to tackle what is fast becoming a sophisticated criminal enterprise.”
In a letter to Mr Streeting, the NPA has called for “robust action”. The organisation has proposed that the Government considers permitting pharmacies to use a dedicated domain name, such as pharmacy.uk, to assist patients in identifying regulated providers.
Ms Shahid added: “We need tougher enforcement action and the Government should put stronger safeguards in place to help patients clearly identify regulated providers online.”
Tim Duffield, head of intelligence and enforcement at the MHRA, said: “We take all reports extremely seriously and we will be reaching out to the NPA to gather a better understanding of the nature of these claims. While the MHRA does not regulate pharmacies, it is committed to protecting public health and supporting patients to make safe choices.
“Our criminal enforcement unit works tirelessly to take action against those unlawfully trading in medicines, including online, and will continue to take enforcement action where appropriate. Our teams have made significant seizures and arrests, preventing millions of doses of potentially dangerous products reaching patients and denying criminals millions of pounds in illegal profits, and this work is ongoing. The MHRA continues to work with partners across government, enforcement agencies, and wider partners to tackle the threat of unauthorised medicines being supplied online.”
