‘Serious alarm' over non-medical sales of weight-loss jabs
A warning from the medicines watchdog that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic are increasingly becoming available through non-medical routes is a cause of 'serious alarm', Independent TD Carol Nolan has said.
The Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) issued an 'urgent warning' in recent days about false claims being made online for sales of counterfeit semaglutide, using the HPRA logo.
Last December, RTÉ Investigates examined the sale of unapproved US weight-loss medication in Ireland which revealed the extent of the booming black market in the prescription weight-loss drugs.
Medical experts were especially worried about serious health risks from the use of weight-loss pens from Turkey, counterfeit semaglutide pens used as an anti-obesity medication, and unlabelled glass vials openly advertised on social media. A warning from the medicines watchdog that weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic are increasingly becoming available through non-medical routes is a cause of 'serious alarm', Independent TD Carol Nolan has said. Pic: Getty Images
Ms Nolan said the most alarming feature of the official response was 'increasing concern around off-licence use and access through unofficial sources, which is not supported and poses significant safety risks'. In queries to the HSE, Ms Nolan said: 'I have been contacted by a number of people who have expressed unease regarding the potential adverse health side-effects and long-term harms that may be induced when a person uses Ozempic medication for weight loss.'
In a letter to the embattled organisation, Ms Nolan also asked: 'Has the HSE conducted any research on this matter and is the HSE aware of the apparently growing international literature highlighting adverse outcomes for those who use Ozempic?' One source said: 'It is quite common and easily secured.
Often it's a mother-daughter bonding before weddings and holidays' Responding, HSE manager Ann Horgan said: 'I have consulted with the National Clinical Programme (NCP) for Obesity on your question and have been informed the NCP is actively monitoring emerging international evidence on the efficacy and safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide.
'The HSE was represented at the European Congress of Obesity in Malaga in May 2025, where the use of obesity medications was discussed. When used as licensed and under clinical supervision, the benefits of semaglutide are considered to outweigh the risks for appropriately selected patients.' The HPRA said last week it had seen a 'surge' in misleading website activity in May alone. It said: 'The websites, which are hosted outside of Ireland by the e-commerce platform Shopify, are being directly prompted to consumers via fake Facebook profiles and ads.' Pic: Getty Images
Commenting on the concerns, Ms Nolan said: 'I would urge everyone who is considering going down the Ozempic route to limit their engagement to medical professionals prior to embarking on a course of medication. 'I understand there may be a sense of urgency among some people and a sense that they do not have time to wait in terms of accessing a massively over-burdened primary care and hospital service.
But the dangers are real and cannot be ignored. 'I would also highlight our need to dramatically ramp up our detection capacity in terms of taking any illegal consignments of Ozempic out of the public space. 'We are all aware of recent media investigations on this issue and still the problem appears to be escalating. 'That is deeply alarming given the potential for such dire health outcomes for people who may be drawn in by ruthless individuals who couldn't give a damn about what impact unregulated medication access causes
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