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A factory in Northampton manufacturing counterfeit weight-loss jabs has been raided and dismantled by a government agency.

Tens of thousands of empty weight-loss pens ready to be filled, raw chemical ingredients, and more than 2,000 unlicensed retatrutide and tirzepatide pens were seized in the raid, conducted by officers from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), supported by Northamptonshire police.

Retatrutide, which is unlicensed in the UK, is an experimental injection developed by the US drugmaker Eli Lilly. Tirzepatide, more commonly known under its brand name Mounjaro, is available on the the NHS for weight loss for patients who fulfil a certain criteria of comorbidities.

The site, on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Northampton, is believed to have been used for the large-scale manufacture, packaging, and distribution of unlicensed – and potentially deadly – weightloss products to customers.

The street value of the finished weight-loss products found in the factory is estimated to be worth more than £250,000. The search operation lasted two days, with the MHRA saying it was the latest in its ongoing work to tackle the illegal trade in weight-loss medicines.

Wes Streeting, the secretary of state for health and social care, said the raid was a “victory in the fight against the shameless criminals who are putting lives at risk by peddling dangerous and illegal weight-loss jabs to make a quick buck”.

He added: “These unregulated products, made with no regard for safety or quality, posed a major risk to unwitting customers.

“My message is clear: don’t buy weight-loss medications from unregulated sources. Talk to your GP, seek NHS advice, and don’t line the pockets of criminals who don’t care about your health. Safe, appropriate, licensed obesity drugs can greatly benefit those in need if taken under medical supervision, and I urge people to only purchase and use them with the approval and oversight of medics and pharmacists.”

The raid comes after the MHRA has previously cautioned against buying illegal weight-loss medicines without a prescription through beauty salons, fake pharmacy websites or on social media, saying these products could contain “toxins and other ingredients that could cause real harm”.

Andy Morling, the head of the MHRA’s criminal enforcement unit, said: “This seizure shows the lengths these criminals will go to for profit. People should be extremely cautious when buying medicines online. Prescription medicines should only be obtained from a registered pharmacy against a prescription issued by a healthcare professional.

“Taking prescription medicines sourced in any other way carries serious risks to your health – there are no guarantees about what they contain, and some may even be contaminated with toxic substances.

“This is an illicit global market that endangers patients, puts big money in the pockets of organised criminals, and undermines legitimate healthcare. This operation demonstrates, once again, that my officers will stop at nothing to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the organised criminal networks who put profit before safety.”