Hunt underway in UK for woman linked to fake skinny jabs

City of London Police in the UK are appealing for help from the public to trace a woman wanted in connection with the illegal selling of counterfeit weight loss medicines.

40-year-old Christina Parfitt is wanted in connection with an ongoing investigation into the sale of illegal versions of Novo Nordisk's Wegovy (semaglutide) and Eli Lilly's Mounjaro (tirzepatide), two prescription-only 'skinny jabs' that have become sought after in the UK and around the world, driving multibillion-dollar sales.

Christina Parfitt (Source: PIPCU)

Police are also warning the public about the dangers of buying counterfeit medicines after more than £32,000 (around $43,350) worth of Mounjaro and Ozempic – believed to have been illegally sold in the UK – was seized during an investigation by the force's Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU).

Aside from the risks of infections and other complications from illegal versions of the injectable drug, counterfeit medicines claiming to be semaglutide have been found to contain insulin, with life-threatening consequences for users. Others have been found to have the wrong dose of the active ingredient.

An investigation was launched following a tip-off claiming that a woman had been advertising the sale of counterfeit goods, including Mounjaro and Ozempic, online at significantly reduced prices.

It was later identified that an organised crime group had been involved in the sale and distribution of the medicines without a prescription or licence from the UK drugs authority, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Their operation was also allegedly involved in the illegal sale of retatrutide, an experimental medicine which is currently in phase 3 testing for weight management.

According to a statement from City of London Police, the products are thought to have been shipped via a Lancashire-based fulfilment company, which provides storage and distribution services, and were sold to members of the public "without any health and safety consultation."

PIPCU officers carried out a warrant at the company premises last Thursday, seizing counterfeit versions of Mounjaro, Ozempic and retatrutide. Further analysis of the items uncovered that the products contained more than four times the recommended dose.