WEIGHT-loss drugs can be bought on the black market with no checks or consultation, The Sun has found.
We obtained self-injectable Mounjaro, dubbed the King Kong of fat jabs, for £280 after responding to a post by celeb hairdresser Ozzy Tudo.
He openly advertises the drug to 72,000 Instagram followers and promised our reporter she would shed at least one stone in two weeks, saying: “It’s magic.”
He advised a 5mg dose “is enough”.
Without being asked her height or BMI, our reporter met an assistant in North London who handed over the pen.
It holds four jabs, to be taken once a week for a month.
Tudo then sent a video on how to inject the drug.
We took the pens to Harley Street doctor Sophie Shotter who said: “This is a controlled, prescription-only drug. It is a UK-approved pen so has not been smuggled in.
“How has it got on the black market? If you came to me asking to go on a weight-loss drug, I’d say ‘No.’ It’s terrifying you’ve been able to buy it, and that you’ve been placed on a higher dose.”
Confronted about the illegal sale, filmed on hidden cameras, Tudo said: “I don’t even have Mounjaro here.”
Pressed on how he prescribed the drug — linked to dozens of deaths — without qualifications, he said: “Deaths? No. Just a few overdoses.”
Eating disorder charity Beat said: “We’re incredibly concerned that it’s so easy to access these injections. They cause severe side effects such as vomiting and nausea.
“And while it may bring down BMI in isolation, it will do nothing to address the root cause of an eating disorder.”
Mounjaro maker Lilly said: “These black-market products are often made in unsanitary conditions.
“They may contain wrong ingredients, no active ingredient at all, or other harmful ingredients. No one should ever risk putting them into their bodies.”
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are a hot media topic at the moment, with hundreds of success stories from people who shed the pounds.
In March 2023, the NHS announced it would make Wegovy, a drug made by Danish firm Novo Nordisk, available on prescription to thousands of obese Brits.
It contains the drug semaglutide, which is said to have helped reality star Kim Kardashian and Twitter boss Elon Musk lose weight.
Wegovy, which helped a third of people reduce their weight by 20 per cent in trials, is now available from pharmacies like Boots.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less and therefore lose weight.
To do this, semaglutide mimics the role of a natural hormone, called GLP-1.
GLP-1 is part of the signalling pathway that tells your body you have eaten, and prepares it to use the energy that comes from your food.
London GP and founder of wellgoodwellbeing.com, Dr Zoe Watson, said: “Your body naturally produces an appetite regulating hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1.
“These jabs work by regulating your appetite, which can lead to eating fewer calories and losing weight.”
Aren’t they diabetes drugs?
Semaglutide, the active drug in Wegovy, was originally sold under the name Ozempic specifically for diabetes patients.
But people started noticing it helped suppress their appetites, stopping them eating as much and helping them shed the pounds.
Novo Nordisk then developed Wegovy, which contains the same chemical but at higher doses specifically to aid weight loss.
Wegovy is not prescribed for diabetes patients.
Can I get them?
Wegovy is offered on prescription to obese adults given specialist weight loss treatment.
The NHS currently also offers a similar drug called Saxenda, or liraglutide.
Both are only available throught specialist weight management services, which means you have to be referred to clinics led by experts.
GPs can’t prescribe them on their own, Dr Watson said.
The jabs have to be taken as part of an overall programme to help with lifestyle changes and psychological support to get the best effect from the medication prescribed.
Are there any risks?
Like all medicines, the jabs do not come without side effects.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
What other options are there?
Mounjaro (brand name for tirzepatide) also came onto the market in early 2024.
Like Wegovy, tirzepatide stems from a drug originally designed to treat diabetes.
The weekly injection helped overweight people drop more than two stone in 18 months.
It is available with to order with a prescription online from pharmacies including Superdrug and LloydsPharmacy Online Doctor.
It works in a similar way to Wegovy and Saxenda, but is more effective.
Dr Mitra Dutt from LloydsPharmacy says: “Based on clinical trials, 96 per cent of people were able to lose more than five per cent of their body fat using Mounjaro. In similar trials, 84 per cent of people lost more than five per cent of their body weight on Wegovy, and 60 per cent on Saxenda.
“Mounjaro works by activating two hormonal receptors (GIP and GLP-1), which enhance insulin production, improve insulin sensitivity, and work to decrease food intake.”
