Inside the UK’s illegal Wegovy market

Pharmacists have today raised the alarm about ‘miracle’ weight loss jab Wegovy’ being sold online illegally.

Semaglutide is the key ingredient behind the fat-fighting loss injection that has taken Hollywood by storm, and was recently approved for use on the NHS.

But amid a general shortage of the drug, Dale Dennis, an OnlyFans model and personal trainer from Howden, East Yorkshire, is selling 10mg packets for up to £115.

These bottles carry labels clearly stating ‘not for human consumption’, and his website Raw Supplements UK states the drug is sold for ‘research purposes only’.

However, on multiple social media profiles linked to his business Mr Dennis encourages people to take the drug to help them lose weight and directing them to his website to secure a supply.

The business behind the online sales, Raw Supplements UK, provide everything a buyer needs to self administer the drug like needles and sterile water, but say they ‘do not provide advice on how to administer this product under UK law’

Semaglutide, the so called ‘miracle’ ingredient behind the weight loss jab Wegovy is being flogged online by unscrupulous sellers to Brits desperate to lose weight in bottles labelled ‘not for human consumption’ and for ‘research only’

But some buyers who claim to have taken the drug have reported being ‘bed bound and throwing up’ for two days.

It is unclear if Mr Dennis is actually selling legitimate semaglutide or another kind of substance.

He has stated that he gets it ‘100 vials at a time’ from a source in ‘America’ on a social media post seen by MailOnline.

This post was made to seek to reassure prospective buyers he was not supplying them with ‘cheap Chinese stuff’.

Despite the assurances on Raw Supplements UK that ‘We do not provide advice on how to administer this product under UK law’, Mr Dennis does so frequently on his social media accounts.

On one post, he says he personally takes ‘1.5mg’ of the drug every four to five days as well as describing how to prepare it.

The official drug information for Wegovy states that people prescribed it should start at at 0.25mg per week and then increasing the dosage in stages, reaching a level of 1.7mg per week about four months into taking it. 

But it is prescription only and will remain so when it eventually comes onto the British market legitimately in the coming weeks. 

As such, and under UK law, offering any product containing semaglutide without a prescription is illegal. 

Mr Dennis also advises taking other weight-loss products advertised on his website in combination with semaglutide to burn even more fat.

Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceutical company that makes Wegovy and other semaglutide medications like Ozempic for diabetics, says it is ‘unknown’ if taking it with other weight loss products is safe.

In another post, he claims to have ‘thousands of customers’ taking his semaglutide and even offers to travel to buyers and let them try the injectable drug themselves.

He also offers advice on dosage, saying he takes 1.5mg every four to five days, a dosage not recommended by Wegovy’s makers

Mr Dennis has multiple accounts touting his business online and pays for others to repost his messages

He directs them to a website called Raw Supplements or to contact him directly to secure a supply 

Some people who claim to have taken Mr Dennis’s semaglutide supply said they had been incapacitated for up two days after taking too much

Another, Jane Taylor, said she was sick for an entire day after taking the weight loss drug

His company Raw Supplements UK is registered as business involved in the sale of ‘sports goods, fishing gear, camping goods, boats and bicycles’ and he boasts on social media that he has 10 ’employees’. 

Kevin Joshua a UK registered pharmacist labelled Mr Dennis’s behaviour as ‘incredibly dangerous and irresponsible’.

‘It is a serious criminal offence to sell controlled, unlicensed or prescription-only medicines to the public in this way,’ he said.

‘There’s certainly an increased demand for weight loss drugs, but anyone who sells these medicines illegally could be exploiting vulnerable people, and clearly has no regard for their health or welfare.

‘Prescription-only medicines are potent and should only be taken under medical supervision which otherwise can lead to severe side effects, or even death.’

Mr Dennis is not a registered pharmacist according to the British regulator the General Pharmaceutical Council database.

Neither is Raw Supplements on a list of websites run by the UK drugs watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), that are allowed to sell medicines online.

A MHRA spokesperson said: ‘Buying medicines other than from reputable suppliers significantly increases your risk of getting a medicine which is not licensed for use in the UK, meaning that there are no safeguards that they meet our quality and safety standards.

He also recently posted a video celebrating the approval of Wegovy, which contains semaglutide on the the NHS, before advising people to visit his website for because it’s ‘hard to get’ 

Mr Dennis has not revealed where he gets his semaglutide, only saying he sources it from America

Raw Supplements UK is registered as business involved in the sale of ‘sports goods, fishing gear, camping goods, boats and bicycles’, with Mr Dennis boasting how he now has 10 employees

‘Taking such medicines may put your health at risk.

‘We work to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines and will use our powers to take appropriate enforcement action, including, where necessary, prosecuting those who put your health at risk.’

MailOnline approached Mr Dennis for comment. 

A Novo Nordisk spokesperson said: ‘Where Novo Nordisk is made aware of illicit online offering for its medicines (e.g. selling without requiring prescription) on websites, marketplaces or social media, Novo Nordisk systematically assesses the best course of action, which can include attempting to removing these from the internet or further investigating them.’

‘We would advise that any decisions made regarding treatment options should always be made in consultation with a healthcare professional and require strict medical supervision.’

Legitimate semaglutide works by hijacking the brain to suppress appetite and reduce calorie intake, resulting in substantial weight loss.

It is self-administered once a week with pre-filled pens straight into the stomach, thigh or upper arm.

The Wegovy version is specifically designed to help people lose weight while a different formula, branded Ozempic, is solely targeted at patients with type 2 diabetes.

Ozempic has been available on the NHS since 2019 whereas Wegovy was approved only this month.

It lowers their blood sugar and reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes among those who also have heart disease.

Despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, experts have warned it is not a ‘magic pill’ or miracle fix all. Trials have shown that users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking the fat-fighting drug and it can trigger a variety of nasty side effects. Users commonly complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhoea after taking the medication

Wegovy works by triggering the body to produce a hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that is released naturally from the intestines after meals

Under new recommendations by NHS watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published last week, Wegovy will be available for people who have a BMI of 35 or more — a classification which means they are morbidly obese.

Patients must also have at least one weight-related comorbidity, such as type 2 diabetes, to be eligible.

Adults with a BMI between 30 and 35 could also be recommended the drug, if they have been referred for specialist help.

But patients eligible for the injections must only use them for up to two years.

And, despite being hailed as one of the most powerful pharmaceutical tools to date, experts have warned it is not a ‘magic pill’ or miracle fix all.

Trials have shown that users can rapidly pile pounds back on once they stop taking the fat-fighting drug, dubbed ‘Hollywood’s worst-kept secret’ and used by the likes of Elon Musk.

And it can trigger a variety of nasty side effects. Some patients have told of how they have had to stop taking the drug because of them.

Users commonly complain of nausea, constipation and diarrhoea after taking the medication.