Semaglutide 'skinny jab' seller arrested for illegal operation
24.11.2023 - 20:29
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A man has been arrested for illegally supplying semaglutide - also known as 'skinny jabs'.
It also goes by brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. It's thought the man, from Goole in East Yorkshire, was selling the drug online, reports Hull Live.
The so-called Hollywood weight loss drug is strictly controlled to protect the public but it has been sold without a prescription by various vendors using social media and beauty salons, the BBC reported. Police arrested the man in his 30s, from the Goole area, on suspicion of selling unlicensed medicines.
READ MORE: Kind dad offered to help next-door neighbour and decorate his house - in exchange he was brutally killed
READ MORE: Van owner 'dragged down street' trying to save tools from robbers
Semaglutide is a weight loss medicine that makes you feel less hungry, according to the NHS. But it is strictly only for people with serious obesity and under the care of medical professionals.
A black market has sprung up to sell the drug to people who want to lose weight that don't fit the medical requirements to have the drug. Currently "small scale", more raids are coming to stop the problem growing, Andy Morling, deputy director of criminal enforcement at Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), told the BBC.
Mr Morling said these "powerful medicines" can cause real harm. He said: "The very best that could happen to you is you lose your money in a scam and the worst that could happen is you end up hospitalised."
Vendors have been reported to scam people out of money and sometimes the drug that arrives in the post is not actually Semaglutide, or only contains a much smaller volume than advertised. Other times, buyers have reported suffering from non-stop vomiting