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Alarm over 'substitutes' sold on black market as Mounjaro price bloats
The Observer
|August 31, 2025
Online sellers have started promoting weight-loss treatments that are yet to receive clinical approval
The medicines regulator has warned of “serious health consequences” of buying black market medication online ahead of the planned price increase of the most popular weight-loss drug.
From tomorrow, American pharma giant Eli Lilly will raise the price of its Mounjaro drug by up to 170%, prompting pharmacies and health professionals to warn of cheaper counterfeit medication being marketed online and on social media.
Andy Morling, head of the criminal enforcement unit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said that “sourcing any medicine from unregulated suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not approved for use”.
He added: “Products purchased in this way... can expose patients to incorrect dosages, or dangerous ingredients that can have serious health consequences.”
More than 18,300 illegal weight-loss products, including fake Mounjaro pens, were seized by the UK Border Force between January 2024 and June 2025, according to a recent freedom of information request by the online pharmacy, Chemist4U.
Jason Murphy, head of pharmacy at Chemist4U, told
This story is from the August 31, 2025 edition of The Observer.
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