On October 14, over 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens
were seized along with packaging for around 30,000 more products.
The raid took place at an industrial unit in Birmingham.
Tim Duffield, Head Intelligence at the MHRA's Criminal
Enforcement Unit said,
We are tackling the organised criminal gangs whose illegal trade
in unauthorised medicines puts people at risk of serious harm.
Our officers seized around £2 million worth of fake weight loss
medicines from a filthy warehouse on an industrial estate. These
products have not been assessed for safety, quality or
effectiveness, and there is no guarantee of what they contain or
whether they have been contaminated with harmful substances.
Retatrutide has not been authorised for use in the UK. Products
being sold as retatrutide outside legitimate clinical trials are
being supplied illegally and could pose serious risks to public
health.
We urge people to avoid buying weight-loss medicines from
unregulated sources. Anyone considering GLP-1 treatment should
speak to a healthcare professional and only obtain medicines from
a registered pharmacy against a valid prescription.
October's raid is the latest in a series of MHRA operations that
has removed tens of thousands of doses of unauthorised GLP-1
weight loss medicines from circulation:
- In May 2026, two people
were arrested following a raid on a country estate believed to
have been used to manufacture, assemble and distribute
unlicensed weight-loss medicines. Around 12,000 doses were
recovered, together with packaging materials and suspected
pharmaceutical substances
- In February 2026,
around 2,000 doses of unauthorised weight-loss medicines
awaiting dispatch were seized, alongside manufacturing
equipment, suspected pharmaceutical ingredients, packaging and
commercial vehicles.
- In October 2025, the
MHRA dismantled the first illicit weight-loss medicine
production facility discovered in the UK, seizing 5,000
unauthorised retatrutide and tirzepatide pens, thousands of
empty pens and raw chemical ingredients. Together, the finished
products and ingredients represented the potential for tens of
thousands of doses.
The MHRA #FakeMeds website
offers helpful guidance and advice for staying safe when buying
medicines online.
Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from a medicine
are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and
report it directly to the MHRA
Yellow Card scheme.
Notes to editors
- The Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) is the MHRA's in-house
law enforcement function, leading the Agency's response to
medicines crime. Its strategic mission is to protect the
public,maintainconfidence in regulation and uphold the rule of
law by preventing offending where it can, disrupting offending
where it cannot, and bringing offenders to justice where it
should. It uses the full range of its powers and capabilities,
including intelligence analysis, online disruption,
coverttechniques,and asset recovery to tackle criminal threats to
the UK public, working closely with the police and law
enforcement agencies in the UK and overseas.
- The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
(MHRA)is responsible forregulating all medicines and medical
devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.
All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements
to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
