Over 12,000 counterfeit weight-loss pens seized in Birmingham raid

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 19:02 · Archive

More than 12,000 counterfeit weight-loss pens worth £2m have been seized from an industrial unit in Birmingham.

Raids by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and West Midlands Police on an industrial estate in Birmingham on Wednesday recovered more than 12,000 counterfeit weight-loss pens worth an estimated £2m. Packaging for around 30,000 additional products was also found at the site, described as a filthy warehouse.

The fake pens contained versions of retatrutide and tirzepatide, medicines used for weight loss. Retatrutide has not been authorised for use in the UK and can only legally be supplied through clinical trials. The MHRA said the 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.

Tim Duffield, head of intelligence at the MHRA's criminal enforcement unit, said officers were tackling organised crime gangs involved in the illegal trade in unauthorised medicines. No arrests have yet been made. The MHRA urged people to avoid buying weight-loss medicines from unregulated sources.

How it is being reported

• £2m of fake weight loss drugs found at ‘filthy’ Birmingham industrial unitMillions of pounds worth of fake weight-loss pens have been discovered at a dirty city industrial unitBirminghamLive · 15 Oct, 18:41
• £2m fake weight-loss pens found in 'filthy' industrial unitMore than 12,000 counterfeit weight-loss pens have been been seized in a raid on an industrial unit.BBC Birmingham And Black Country · 15 Oct, 17:36

In this story: Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency · West Midlands Police · Birmingham

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