Illegal business of ‘skinny jabs’ at ‘dinner parties on WhatsApp and in parking lots’

Over the past three years, the rise of appetite suppressants has revolutionized the weight loss industry. Approved weight-management drugs for obese people, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, and anti-diabetic drugs such as Ozempic have been linked to dramatic Hollywood body transformations, while people they are breathlessly talking about the brave new world of effortless weight loss in a whirlwind of videos. on social media, extolling the virtues of these ‘miracle drugs’.

But now there is a disturbing black market, where happy mothers pass the contact details of dealers to each other at dinner parties and school gates. Illegal trade is said to be taking place via WhatsApp and TikTok, by being sent via Royal Mail or picked up in car parks, despite the health risks from dangerously high doses and fake products.

Sophie Campbell-Duffy, a midwife and personal trainer (Sophie the Midwife PT) from Ashford in Kent, was shocked to discover that her clients were buying ‘skinny jabs’ from the market. He says: “I first heard about customers taking weight loss pills they had bought from the market two years ago.

“As a PT and midwife, my job is to support women during pregnancy and while they are recovering after giving birth. It’s a time when women are incredibly vulnerable, their bodies have changed a lot, they’ve put on extra weight, they’re tired.

“Then they see ads on TikTok and Instagram about drugs like Mounjaro. They want to lose weight and the doctor won’t give it to them because they don’t meet the criteria. They just want a quick fix and now it’s easy to find.

“I know of women who have bought skinny jabs online after contacting people who comment on TikTok videos about weight loss drugs. However, the names are usually passed on by word of mouth,” he says. Sophie, who has been surprised by how widespread these illegal networks are, and how they enter middle-class families without any signs of consequences or efforts to stop the sale.

Women even buy it through drug dealers who often supply class A drugs such as cocaine, meeting dealers in car parks to deliver them. It has seeds and is very dangerous.

“I have had training sessions where the client felt unwell, lying on the floor with a pounding heart. Eventually I realized they had started using the ‘skinny jab’ – I had to stop the lesson. If clients are taking illegal weight loss drugs, I can’t train them. It’s just not safe.

“People don’t realize the dangers because it’s very easy, it seems like everyone is doing it.

“I am not against drugs that reduce weight when they are properly prescribed and part of a diet and exercise program, but when they are bought on the market, there is no medical guidance.”

TikTok told us that their community guidelines are clear that they do not allow the commercialization of controlled content on TikTok and that, from April until June 2024, of videos removed for violating their commercial policies controlled goods and services, 96.9% were present. removed before reporting.

Matt*, 49, a middle school teacher in Kent, bought Ozempic from a dealer for six months, it was a black business based on weight issues that started as a boy. She says: “I’ve struggled with weight since childhood and tried many diets over the years, including gastric bypass surgery. But the pounds kept coming back.

“A few years ago, I vowed to make serious changes, join the gym, cook at home with a healthy lifestyle. Then I heard about Ozempic, read about it and decided to give it up.

“When I was 16 years old, I was heavy but not heavy enough to be given medication by my doctor and I didn’t have diabetes, so I didn’t try.

“Initially, I bought Ozempic from an online pharmacy for around £200 a month. I didn’t have many side effects, just a slight headache and constipation, so I went up to the second dose.

That’s when it kicked in. I was losing a kilogram a week. I had to go shopping for new clothes – I went from an XL to a small. It was really exciting.

Then, in June 2023, stories about Ozempic hit the headlines and the Internet chemist was completely sold out, unable to find any more resources. They said they might not have any before Christmas.

“Fear became the issue. I would rely on it and enjoy my limited life. Then, while we were at a dinner party, a friend of mine told me that she was getting it in the market and gave me the guy’s number. I dropped him a line on WhatsApp – I just had to say I’m a friend of a friend – so easy.

“He said he can sell me Ozempic as long as I buy three teams at once. I just had to transfer him £800 up front.

“The package arrived via Royal Mail post delivery and the medication was exactly the same as what I was already using. I continued to buy from him for six months, until Online shopping is back – it was so easy.”

Piroska Cavell, a former NHS midwife turned esthetician specializing in obesity and weight management, uses weight loss drugs at her practice in Margate, Kent to help clients start healthy habits for life. He says: “Unfortunately, although weight loss products are medicines, we misclassify them based on their cosmetics and beauty. “People think, ‘I’m going on vacation to find out.’ It’s a ‘no carbs before Marbs’ concept.

“There are many reasons why people turn to the black market for drugs, including supply issues, the difficulty of obtaining the approval of doctors and non-doctors talking about pens of weight loss on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.

“Black market connections are usually shared by word of mouth. For example, people at the gym will talk about and exchange names. Even drug dealers sell it now.

“It’s a middle-class thing. It seems like, ‘Oh, everybody helps each other.’ But at the end of the day, it’s medicine. You need to be very careful about it.

“You end up with a lot of women who don’t need all of these drugs and are taking drugs that can be very dangerous.

“When people buy weight loss drugs on the black market, they don’t start losing weight, they buy the highest dose they can afford and stop eating altogether. Their blood sugar goes down and they can put themselves in hypos. I know of several people who have been hospitalized because of it. Now you’re in deep trouble because you’re messing up blood sugar and insulin.

“I once had someone call me and say, ‘I bought one of these pens and it says it lowers your blood sugar, so I just ate sugar.’

“I heard when it arrives without a label, or written in Chinese or Korean – they continue to inject it.

“There needs to be strong regulation of legitimate online portals as well. They are also open to abuse. The biggest concern is young girls with disordered eating, we need to protect them.

“We are in the age of instant gratification. Why can’t I click my toes and be a size 10? No, you can’t.”

Daily Express columnist Dr Rosemary Leonard MBE warns, “When you are prescribed weight loss medicines and pick them up from a registered pharmacy, you can be sure that you are getting a medicine that is manufactured in a controlled way. very much, at a certain rate. But that doesn’t work if you buy it elsewhere. You really do not know what you are being sent.

“There is no control over the drugs sold, and this means that they may not contain active ingredients, they may be impure, or they may contain other substances. which can be dangerous, especially when given by injection.

Not only that, but if you happen to be given an active drug, no one will warn you of the possible side effects, such as severe nausea, vomiting, stomach pain and even inflammation of the pancreas, or whether they are safe for you personally to use. They can be especially dangerous for people who are already malnourished due to eating disorders.

I had another patient who admitted to buying Ozempic over the counter. Although he had no terrible side effects, he also did not lose weight. He said it was the most expensive water he had ever bought! He got off lightly though – he could have been dousing himself in bleach for all he knew.”

*Matt’s name has been changed