Leading drugmakers are stepping up efforts to combat the rising threat of counterfeit weight-loss treatments in the UK, with sky-high demand prompting an influx of dupes to the market. Novo Nordisk secured an expanded court order in June directing internet service providers to prevent access to seven websites selling duplicates of the Danish group's blockbuster Wegovy and Ozempic drugs, which treat obesity and diabetes. The so-called dynamic order also requires service providers to block additional websites Novo identifies as selling counterfeits without having to return to court each time. The order was a follow-up to one granted to Novo in October directing BT, EE and other internet providers to block access to four websites distributing counterfeit versions of its medicines. The judge in that case determined that the websites were in violation of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and that the "falsified products pose substantial risks to public health".

"It was very much for public health reasons," said Brian Kelly, a partner at law firm Covington who represented Novo. "There are serious public health consequences to having unlicensed medicines sold under their name." Kelly added that the counterfeit medicines could contribute to people submitting adverse event reports to Novo when the drugs they had taken had nothing to do with the Danish group, potentially leading to product recalls. Novo Nordisk said after the June ruling: "These websites are completely unregulated and their products pose a danger to UK consumers."

Eli Lilly, the maker of Mounjaro and Novo rival, has also been active in disrupting counterfeits of its drugs. Emily Pegg, the group's associate vice-president for medical in northern Europe, said the company had been successful in taking down "thousands of social media accounts" peddling unlicensed drugs in Lilly's name both in the UK and globally. Lilly launched a global awareness campaign about the risks of taking medicines from unregulated sources, playing a short ad during the 2025 Oscars ceremony.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates medicines in the UK, and law enforcement partners seized almost 20mn doses of illegal medicines with a potential street value of £45mn last year. More than 5,000 GLP-1 injections were confiscated. In May, the MHRA seized around 12,000 illicit shots on a country estate near Northampton in what the agency described as its largest ever seizure of unlicensed weight-loss drugs.