Overview

• MHRA cautions that buying medicines from illegal online suppliers greatly increases the risk of receiving falsified or unlicensed products and says it is working with law enforcement and platforms to remove them.
• Pharmacy leaders report sachets and tablets advertised on TikTok at low prices that lack ingredient lists or proper markings, raising concerns over toxicity and incorrect dosing.
• Eli Lilly says its once‑daily oral GLP‑1 candidate orforglipron could be launched at scale as early as next year but confirms it has not been reviewed or approved anywhere and cannot be legally sold.
• UK authorities have seized more than 600 potentially fake Ozempic pens since early 2023, and several people have been hospitalized after using counterfeit weight‑loss products bought online.
• A widely shared fitness explainer reiterates that GLP‑1 drugs are intended for people meeting clinical thresholds such as BMI over 30, or over 27 with metabolic issues, and notes side effects including nausea, diarrhea and rare pancreatitis.