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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Sarah Marsh Consumer affairs correspondent

Unlicensed weight-loss drugs marketed on social media as ‘prizes’

WhatsApp Telegram Rita United Kingdom University of Bath
An anonymous person seen from the chest down injects a pen syringe into their stomach. They hold their belly with one hand to form a roll of flesh and inject this with the other hand. They wear a loose white T-shirt and stone-washed denim jeans which are unbuttoned at the top.
Weight-loss injections such as GLP-1 drugs can legally be supplied only with a valid prescription and must be dispensed through licensed pharmacies or authorised healthcare providers. Photograph: Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty Images

Hidden-market promoters of weight-loss drugs are running social media “giveaway” competitions that offer powerful, unlicensed medicines as prizes.

The Guardian has been monitoring WhatsApp and Telegram groups promoting substances such as retatrutide – a medicine unlicensed in the UK. Some groups have posted competitions for existing customers, claiming they have “just 24 hours” to enter giveaways or claim injections.

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