Department of Health issues warning over purchase of prescription weight loss injections online

A warning has been issued by the Department of Health regarding the dangers of purchasing prescription weight loss injections from unregulated sources online.

The Department said it was aware of an increase in demand for so-called “weight loss injections” in Northern Ireland which has resulted in people sourcing medicines from unscrupulous websites.

People are being urged to consider the implications of buying drugs from unverified websites where there is no way of knowing the authenticity of the substances you are buying, meaning there are serious potential health risks.

The issue was recently highlighted during an investigation by the Department’s Medicines Regulatory Group (MRG), which has found that there are a significant number of falsified injectable weight loss pens in circulation in Northern Ireland.

The investigation is still ongoing and a number of these pens have been removed from circulation.

Primarily approved for the management of diabetes, the medication, containing semaglutide, can also be prescribed legitimately by a healthcare professional to aid weight loss in certain circumstances.

Available under different brand names, it is administered via injection of pre-filled pens, which are only legally available by prescription.

Peter Moore, senior medicines enforcement officer with the Department of Health, said: "I would urge people not to source their prescription medication from unregulated sources. This investigation has confirmed fake medication in circulation, which presents a real risk of adverse health effects.

"We continue to monitor the marketplace and will take effective action where this is necessary.”

Canice Ward, head of the Medicines Regulatory Group, further commented: "Medicines obtained through unregulated or unapproved sources will often not have been prescribed by a healthcare professional, may not have been subject to the normal safety and quality controls on manufacture and, as such, may not be of the required quality or be of the nature described.

“The risk to the public due to illegal, falsified, or counterfeit medicines is very real. The public can be assured that the Department is committed to and continues to take all possible steps to stop their illegal supply or misuse, and will take strong action where wrongdoing is identified.”

Ward emphasised the importance of only taking prescription medicines of any kind after consultation with a GP.

The Department said anyone who suspected a medicine had been falsified should tell a healthcare professional such as a pharmacist.