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A raid on an industrial unit in Birmingham has discovered more than 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens, along with packaging for around 30,000 more products. All of the counterfeit medicines were confiscated.

The raid was executed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and West Midlands Police and is the latest in a series of MHRA operations focused on removing unauthorised GLP-1 weight-loss medicines from circulation.

“We are tackling the organised criminal gangs whose illegal trade in unauthorised medicines puts people at risk of serious harm,” said Tim Duffield, head of intelligence at the MHRA’s Criminal Enforcement Unit. “Our officers seized around £2 million worth of fake weight loss medicines from a filthy warehouse on an industrial estate. These 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.”

Mr Duffield has urged people to avoid buying weight-loss medicines from unregulated sources, and encouraged anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from a medicine to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it to the MHRA Yellow Card scheme.