Fake £2M weight-loss pens seized in Birmingham raid

West Midlands Police and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have seized counterfeit weight-loss injection pens worth an estimated £2 million from a warehouse in Birmingham.

During the raid, officers discovered more than 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens. Additionally, packaging for around 30,000 more products was found at the industrial unit, which was described as "filthy."

Retatrutide, an experimental weight-loss drug promoted online as "reta," has not been approved for public use anywhere in the world. Its developer states it is only accessible through clinical trials.

Tim Duffield from the MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit stated that these unauthorized products have not been assessed for safety, quality, or effectiveness and could be contaminated with harmful substances.

This seizure is part of ongoing MHRA operations against illegal weight-loss medicines. Previous raids have led to the discovery of unlicensed drugs, manufacturing equipment, and raw chemical ingredients.

The MHRA urges the public to avoid purchasing weight-loss medicines from unregulated sources and to consult healthcare professionals for GLP-1 treatments, obtaining them only from registered pharmacies with valid prescriptions.