Mounjaro…a Broader Responsibility?
Recent articles in this series have looked at Mounjaro from a patent perspective, its therapeutic indications as well as how the supplements’ sector is promoting natural ingredients that may align to its weight management goals. Mounjaro and also Wegovy are now well-established medicines with significant benefit to patients in the regulated prescription market for weight loss. However, (and there’s always an however) despite, or maybe because of, their high profile in mainstream news and on social media, the infiltration of counterfeit and unregulated versions is a growing problem for healthcare providers, regulatory agencies and, in particular, “consumers”.
Consumer vs Patient
The idea of “consumer” as opposed to “patient” is more than a matter of semantics. Patients prescribed Mounjaro and Wegovy are seen as having a medical condition for which specific treatment is deemed appropriate. They receive diagnoses from licensed medical practitioners and product from manufacturers and a supply chain governed by their respective and highly robust regulations. But what about consumers? What type of diagnosis and product do they receive when the search is on for licensed medicines dispensed without a prescription and without advice, or lip-service at best, from the supplier?
A Worrying Online Trend
These growing concerns raises the question as to why some look to obtain medicines outside of the established process; the reasons are many. Intense social pressure and perceived stigma to lose weight quickly along with easy online access through grey‑market channels to unregulated versions are coupled with barriers in formal healthcare.
When patients struggle to get access to a GP or specialist, and when private clinics are seen as too expensive, unregulated online sellers offering a shortcut to tirzepatide without a prescription or proper consultations reinforce the fallacy that medical supervision is optional. Add to the mix social media hype that can promote a prescription medicine as little more than a life-style choice to a powerful and fast solution, then the consequences for the individual can be disastrous.
A Prescription Medicine is not a Lifestyle Choice
It’s at this point that a “patient” can become a “consumer”; let loose, some might say “abandoned” to the unregulated market of counterfeit medicines fueled by monetized internet influencers and informal and untrained support groups. There are clear reasons why regulators have classified Mounjaro (tirzepatide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) as prescription-only medicines based on their potency and potential for serious adverse reactions; just one look at the Mounjaro Patient Information Leaflet identifies very common adverse reactions (may affect more than 1 in 10 people) involving nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting and constipation and common adverse reactions (may affect up to 1 in 10 people) involving dyspepsia, abdominal pain and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Put another way, taking even bona fide medicines is not without its issues, but the risks from what may be counterfeit versions, contaminated, incorrectly dosed or products not even containing tirzepatide or semaglutide is of a completely different order.
Warning, warning, warning!….
In 2025, UK Border Force seized almost 20,000 unapproved weight loss products. In October 2025, Ireland’s Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA) reported seizure of 400,000 units of counterfeit medicines including tirzepatide and semaglutide. In November 2025, the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) raided a criminal network producing counterfeit Mounjaro sold via social media and beauty salons.
The problem is here and getting worse.
