UK medicines watchdog alerted to 18 suspected weight-loss jab deaths

Medical professionals have warned of the potentially dangerous side-effects of weight-loss injections, which have been linked to 18 deaths over the past four years, ITV News Health Correspondent Rebecca Barry reports

ITV News has discovered that the UK’s drugs regulator has been alerted to 18 deaths with suspected links to weight-loss injections over the past four years.

The deaths, when the drugs semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide were being used for weight management, were reported to the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) between June 2020 and November 2024.

In ten of the cases, the medication was being used for weight-loss only, and in eight cases it was being used for weight-loss alongside diabetes treatment.

Lorna Edgar bought weight-loss injections online from a registered pharmacy.

Within three weeks she had lost one stone but then suffered serious side effects.

“It felt like I'd had a car crash inside me," she told ITV News. "I just collapsed on the bathroom floor. I was screaming, I couldn't move.”

She developed pancreatitis, a potentially fatal condition that causes inflammation of the pancreas, spending five days in hospital and months recovering.

“I couldn’t walk, I was bedridden, I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t get down steps, I couldn’t go to the toilet, couldn’t take my kids to school,” she recalled.

Ms Edgar had to have her gallbladder removed and now lives with chronic bowel problems.

“People just think it’s a miracle injection and you get skinny. I don't think people really are aware that it can cause long-term medical conditions,” she said.

ITV News obtained the figure of 18 deaths from the UK’s Yellow Card data - a scheme in which healthcare professionals and members of the public can report safety concerns about a medicine to the MHRA.

A reported adverse reaction or death does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the medicine, only that there's a suspected link.

All medicines carry a risk of potential side effects and weight-loss drugs are no exception.

The most common risk affecting more than one in ten patients is gastrointestinal problems, like vomiting and diarrhoea.

But there are also less common, more serious side effects like gallbladder disorders and pancreatitis.

In October 2024, the MHRA issued guidance telling doctors to look out for signs of their patients misusing these drugs.

It urged doctors and healthcare professionals to warn patients about the possible side effects.

Dr Vicky Price, an A&E consultant working on Merseyside, regularly treats people suffering with complications related to obesity drugs.

“Most of the patients that I've seen have got it from an online pharmacy," she said. "But I also treated someone who got it from somebody in a plastic bag, in a car park.”

Medicines bought on the black market, which haven’t been through rigorous safety testing, bring additional risks.

Paige Roberts, 24, paid £80 for four pre-filled syringes.

She injected herself in the stomach and the next morning began vomiting and shaking. It lasted three days before her family took her to hospital.

"I feel like I've injected some poison into my body"

“I was scared I was going to die," she told ITV News. "It was the scariest thing I’ve ever been through in my life.”

ITV News sent Paige's syringes to a laboratory to be tested.

The results confirmed they did contain semaglutide, a weight-loss drug which should only be prescribed by a registered healthcare professional.

Dr Stephen Childs, a senior lecturer in pharmaceutical chemistry at The University of Sunderland, said: “If you take a medicine which has not gone through quality control you open yourself up to more dangerous side effects.

“Anyone who's produced these drugs in a DIY environment is trying to maximise profits and cut costs, so I'd be very surprised if they were taking the due diligence to perform all of the necessary tests.

“By injecting the material straight into your body you run the risk of introducing pathogens that could cause anything from mild irritation, inflammation up to toxic effects, fever and beyond.”

When used appropriately for obesity or type 2 diabetes, health experts say the benefits of these medications outweigh the risks.

But not if they’re used without the proper regulation and medical guidance.

"They're not something you should take if you're just looking to lose a few pounds in weight"

Professor Sir Stephen Powis, the National Medical Director of NHS England, told ITV News that for people with obesity, the drugs are a valuable “intervention”.

“But these are drugs," he said. "They are prescribed medications and, like all drugs, they have side effects. They're not something you should take just to lose a few pounds in weight if you want to look better and you're otherwise healthy. These should only be targeted at people who will get the benefit.”

What have the drug manufacturers said?

A spokesperson for Lilly, the company that makes Mounjaro, a brand name for tirzepatide, told ITV News: “Patient safety is Lilly’s top priority.

"Regulatory agencies conduct extensive independent assessments of the benefits and risks of every new medicine and Lilly is committed to continually monitoring, evaluating, and reporting safety data to ensure the latest information is available for regulators and prescribers.

"Lilly is also conducting ongoing clinical studies for tirzepatide. As part of the regulatory process, the information provided to patients via the Patient Information Leaflet is agreed with regulatory agencies.

"This information is provided to patients to help them understand how to use a medicine and the potential side effects and is provided in every pack.

"We take any reports regarding patient safety extremely seriously and investigate and report the information in accordance with global regulatory requirements and in line with the UK MHRA Yellow Card adverse event reporting process.

"If anyone is experiencing side effects when taking any Lilly medicine, they should talk to their doctor or other healthcare professional.”

Novo Nordisk the company that makes Wegovy and Saxenda, brand names for semaglutide and liraglutide, told ITV News: “Patient safety is of the utmost importance to Novo Nordisk. We continuously collect safety data on our marketed GLP-1 RA medicines and work closely with the authorities to ensure patient safety.

"As part of this work, we actively monitor reports of adverse drug reactions through routine pharmacovigilance. We recommend patients only take these medications for their approved indications and under the strict supervision of a healthcare professional, who can also advise on potential side effects.

"Treatment decisions should be made together with a healthcare provider who can evaluate the appropriateness of using GLP-1 medications based on assessment of a patient’s individual medical profile.

"GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have been used to treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) for more than 15 years including Novo Nordisk GLP-1 RA products such as semaglutide and liraglutide that have been on the market for more than 10 years.

"Semaglutide has been extensively examined in robust clinical development programmes, real-world evidence studies and cumulatively over more than 9.5 million patient-years of exposure.

"A total of more than 25,000 participants have been exposed to semaglutide injection for T2D (Ozempic), oral semaglutide for T2D (Rybelsus) and semaglutide injection for weight management and cardiovascular risk reduction (Wegovy) in completed clinical studies conducted by Novo Nordisk.”

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