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Thousands of illegal weightloss jabs have been seized in a 'record' raid of a factory in Britain. At least 2,000 pens labelled as containing tirzepatide and retatrutide - drugs not approved for weight loss in the UK - were found along with tens of thousands of empty pens, and raw chemicals. It is estimated that the street value of the finished products is worth more than £250,000. Officers from Northamptonshire Police and the medicine watchdog’s criminal enforcement unit raided a production plant on the outskirts of Northampton during a two-day operation. Along with large amounts of sophisticated packaging and manufacturing equipment, officers seized around £20,000 in cash linked to the operation. The site is the first illicit production facility for weightloss medicine discovered in the UK and is believed to be the largest single seizure of trafficked such treatments ever recorded by a law enforcement agency worldwide. Officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said the site was used for the large-scale manufacture, packaging and distribution of unlicensed and potentially deadly weightloss products. Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: 'This is a victory in the fight against the shameless criminals who are putting lives at risk by peddling dangerous and illegal weight-loss jabs to make a quick buck. 'These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers.' Both tirzepatide and retatrutide mimic hormones that suppress appetite and regulate blood sugar. Tirzepat is an ingredient in Eli Lilly's Mounjaro and Zepbound, while retatrutide, an experimental obesity drug also made by Eli Lilly, is still in trials. Eli Lilly said in a statement that the crackdown was 'a direct strike against the criminal elements that are risking people's lives.' 'People who purchase counterfeit or black market medicines (those sold from unregulated sources) have no way of knowing what they actually contain.' Eli Lilly applauded the MHRA's action and said it looked forward to increased enforcement moving forward. Andy Morling, head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement Unit, said: “Taking out the first illicit weight loss medicine manufacturing facility found in the UK is a landmark result for the MHRA and a major blow to the illegal trade. 'These products are untested, unauthorised, and potentially deadly. 'By taking this organised criminal network out of operation and stopping tens of thousands of potentially fatal products from entering circulation, we’ve prevented a serious risk to public health. 'This is an illicit global market that endangers patients, puts big money in the pockets of organised criminals, and undermines legitimate healthcare.' Britain's National Health Service prescribes weight-loss medicines only to patients who meet certain criteria. For those who obtain them privately, the drugs can cost hundreds of pounds per month. In the United States, some people have begun sourcing raw ingredients online to self-manufacture GLP-1-based injections such as semaglutide - a drug developed by Novo Nordisk and used in Ozempic and Wegovy - citing high retail prices and limited access. The trend has raised safety concerns among health officials, who warn that DIY formulations pose serious health risks due to contamination, incorrect dosing and lack of oversight.
