Warning over unlicensed weight-loss jabs after woman left in intensive care

A woman was left fighting for her life after using a so-called “weight loss jab” sourced from a salon with police making three arrests.

The woman suffered internal injuries earlier after using an injection earlier this month. She has since been discharged. Two other people also become unwell.

North Yorkshire Police has launched an investigation into the supply of the injections as they arrested three women from the Selby area.

Medical professionals in North Yorkshire and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) issued a warning against using weight loss medicines bought from private clinics or online.

They warned that buying products from unregulated suppliers “significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not licensed for use in the UK and can pose a direct danger to health”.

NHS Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (ICB) Chief Pharmacy Officer, Laura Angus, said: “There has been a lot of attention in the media and on social media about these so-called ‘skinny jabs’, but as with any medicines bought outside of legitimate supply chains, the contents may not match the ingredients on the label.

“If you use such products you could be putting your health at serious risk.

“If you are thinking of buying a weight-loss medicine, please talk to a healthcare professional first. The only way to guarantee you receive a genuine weight-loss medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy – including those trading online – using a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.”

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Source: The Independent, 25 May 2025