Inside the shocking ‘skinny jab parties' where super-strength jabs sold illegally – but the host gets them free
In a shocking video by ITV News and the Tonight programme, undercover reporters posed as a hen-do to expose the booming black market in dangerous slimming jabs.
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The seller – who admitted she wasn't a medic – asked how much the women wanted to lose before the big day.
But she never checked their age, weight or medical history.
She claimed to be selling Mounjaro (tirzepatide), a weight loss jab approved on the NHS and sold privately - to people with a BMI over 30 (obesity), as well as those with a BMI over 27 (overweight).
It works by making you feel fuller for longer and therefore less hungry.
The woman bragged she buys the jab 'in bulk' as powder from a pharmacy and mixes it herself – so she can flog it 'cheaper'.
She then demonstrated how to inject it using a needle stored in a Tupperware box.
About the potential risks, she told the group that they could 'get sick' and have diarrhoea.
She said she'd had two customers who had 'been very sick", but it was 'always the really skinny girls".
She even admitted people had died, but they weren't her clients.
Each 'guest' paid £120 for a six-week course – except for the 'bride', who got hers free.
Weight Loss Jabs - Pros vs Cons
The jabs came wrapped in colourful envelopes tied with ribbon.
But ITV says tests found the contents were mislabelled.
They did not contain any tirzepatide, as the seller had claimed but rather another prescription-only weight-loss drug, semaglutide - found in Ozempic.
Some of the syringes had ten times the recommended dosage, meaning they were unsafe for human use.
Dr Semiya Aziz, a GP who prescribes weight-loss drugs, told the news channel that she was 'angry' watching the medication being distributed at a party, describing it as 'illegal and unethical".
She said the 'unsterile' syringes were 'scary' and that 'someone could end up in hospital' after using them, which could be 'lethal".
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The seller later claimed she'd been 'scammed' by the pharmacy and said she was 'only trying to help'.
'Not fit for human use'
Elsewhere in the ITV investigation, reporters tracked an Instagram account promoting jab deals like 'two for one'.
Buyers were funneled to WhatsApp and offered 'Raw Pharma' pens for £170.
Those pens – supposedly semaglutide – were found to contain no trace of the drug, were contaminated with bacteria, and were 'not fit for human use', according to Dr Stephen Childs from the University of Sunderland.
He said they were among the 'most concerning' products he'd seen, warning the 'considerable contamination' could trigger infections or allergic reactions.
ITV linked the account to British man Dale Dennis, now living in Thailand.
In social media videos, he offers weight-loss meds for sale and refers to a woman named Victoria – shown in NHS uniform – as a 'partner' and 'nurse'.
Victoria, who worked for an NHS Trust until late 2024, denied to the news channel selling jabs or having a commercial relationship with Dale.
She claimed she only reviewed the products as a favour and hadn't consented to her videos being turned into adverts.
Dale denied any formal ties to Victoria but didn't respond to the allegations when ITV requested an interview.
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'We are taking it very seriously'
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) Criminal Enforcement Unit has confirmed it is investigating.
Andy Morling, the agency's head of enforcement, said: 'We are taking it very seriously.
We've removed hundreds of illegal listings from social media and we're going after the criminals behind them.'
A Department of Health spokesperson added: 'These unlicensed medicines are dangerous and must not be used for cosmetic purposes. It's deeply concerning that people are flouting the rules and putting lives at risk.'
Everything you need to know about fat jabs
Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases.
Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.
Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.
Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.
How do they work?
The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.
They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.
They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high.
Can I get them?
NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.
Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.
GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.
Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.
Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.
Are there any risks?
Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.
Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.
Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.'
Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.
Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health.
Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.
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