Crackdown on 'wild west' fat jab sales as 'deadly fake Triple G jabs' flood Britain - and pressure mounts on social media giants
The chair of a government health committee has called on ministers to pressure social media companies after an investigation exposed fake versions of an experimental weight-loss jab dubbed the 'Godzilla' of slimming drugs being sold online. Health Select Committee chair Layla Moran told Channel 4 News that her committee has written to Technology Secretary Liz Kendall over the 'wild west' situation, calling for pressure to be put on social media giants to crack down on the illegal trade in counterfeit weight-loss injections uncovered by the programme. The drug, Retatrutide – known as the 'Triple G' jab for mimicking three separate hormones to supercharge fat loss – has shown early signs of being twice as effective as existing treatments. But it remains in clinical trials and has not been approved for use anywhere in the world. Despite this, an undercover reporter for Channel 4 News was able to illegally buy a counterfeit version after seeing them advertised on Facebook and TikTok.The investigation revealed how easily these illegal and potentially deadly injections are being accessed online without medical oversight.Ms Moran, is now urging the government to take action to tackle these sales. Early indications suggest retatrutide is twice as effective as existing drugs at helping users slim but it is still in clinical trials and has not been approved for clinical use anywhere in the world. Pictured, counterfeit Retatrutide
Health Select Committee chair Layla Moran, pictured, told Channel 4 News that her committee has written to Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, calling for pressure to be put on social media giantsShe said: 'To this illegal black market, it's as much an issue of regulation as it is about online safety so off the back of your investigation, I've written to Liz Kendall, because this is [their] responsibility. 'The Online Safety Act should be helping regulate these social media giants. It shouldn't take a Channel 4 News investigation to recognise that illegality is happening on their sites', Moran said.Manufacturer Eli Lilly, which also makes Mounjaro, warned anyone using drugs from unauthorised sources is putting their health at 'serious risk' as it threatened to take action against the sellers. It also comes as the medicine watchdog MHRA confirmed it has now 'launched an investigation into retatrutide'.The reporter contacted two suppliers after seeing posts on Meta's social media platforms and TikTok about the product.She was added to a WhatsApp group with more than 20 sellers and bought the drug in person in the north of England.The seller offered contradictory dosing advice, improperly stored the product, and failed to ask basic health questions such as the buyer's weight, pregnancy status, or medical history.Dr Nancy Allen, an NHS GP who prescribes licensed weight loss medications and reviewed one of the obtained packages, said: 'I'm a prescriber, and I have never seen it in my life.'This raises serious concerns about patient safety.'The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the UK's drugs regulator, confirmed the sale of fake retatrutide is illegal and warned that such products may 'expose people to incorrect dosages or dangerous ingredients that can have serious health consequences'.Following the investigation, both TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, removed the flagged content.Both platforms reiterated that the sale of weight loss injections is prohibited under their policies, and TikTok is now removing searches and hashtags related to retatrutide.Champion bodybuilder Richie O'Donnell said he has seen many people, including teenagers, using fake retatrutide purchased online.He admitted to buying some 'in case he needs it', despite its unapproved status.Gym-goer Marcus Perry said he bought the drug after seeing it on TikTok, acknowledging, 'You don't know what you're putting in your body… but it's the chance you've got to take.'As part of the wider investigation, Channel 4 News also spoke to a former Big Brother star Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace who shared her frightening experience after purchasing a copy of another weight loss drug on TikTok.She said: 'There were bags of vomit just linked up by my bed.'I couldn't make it to the toilet. It was the worst time of my life physically.'My vision had gone in one eye. I thought, I'm either going to die or go blind. It was just torture.'It was the most stupid thing that I've probably ever done.'Beccy Cooper, a Labour MP and member of the Commons health and social care committee, said: 'It's alarming how easily you got hold of that. This is appalling, it is criminal, and it needs to be shut down.'Eli Lilly said: 'Any product falsely representing itself as a Lilly investigational product not yet approved by the US Food and Drug Administration, like retatrutide, may expose patients to potentially serious health risks.'We work closely with regulatory bodies and law enforcement to identify and remove fraudulent or unsafe content online and on social media.'
