UK police and the MHRA seized over 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens in Birmingham
a regulator enforcement action; no study
The pens were never tested, so what is in them is unknown. The regulator also found packaging for around 30,000 more.
What happened
On 14 October 2026, the UK's medicines regulator, the MHRA, and West Midlands Police raided an industrial unit in Birmingham. They seized over 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens, worth about 2 million pounds, along with packaging for around 30,000 more products.
The MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit described the site as a filthy warehouse on an industrial estate. Its press release, published on 15 October, names no company and reports no arrests for this raid.
What is known about the pens
According to the MHRA, the products have not been assessed for safety, quality or effectiveness. There is no guarantee of what they contain or whether they have been contaminated with harmful substances.
Retatrutide is not authorised for use in the UK. The MHRA says products sold as retatrutide outside legitimate clinical trials are being supplied illegally. Tirzepatide is an approved medicine, but these pens were fakes, not the licensed product.
What it means for you
If you use retatrutide or tirzepatide, know where your pen or vial comes from. Ask for third party test results for your batch, and buy from a known source. The MHRA's own advice is to get GLP-1 medicines from a registered pharmacy with a valid prescription.
If you think you are having a side effect from a medicine, the MHRA asks people to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse, and to report it through its Yellow Card scheme.
The bigger picture
This is the latest in a run of MHRA operations against unlicensed weight loss medicines. In May 2026 two people were arrested after a raid on a country estate where around 12,000 doses were recovered. In February 2026 around 2,000 doses were seized before dispatch. In October 2025 the MHRA shut down the first illicit weight loss medicine production site found in the UK, seizing 5,000 retatrutide and tirzepatide pens. The MHRA says these raids have taken tens of thousands of doses of unauthorised GLP-1 weight loss medicines out of circulation.
The numbers
- Over 12,000 fake retatrutide and tirzepatide pens seized on 14 October 2026
- About 2 million pounds worth, from an industrial unit in Birmingham
- Packaging for around 30,000 more products found
- None of the products had been assessed for safety, quality or effectiveness
- Retatrutide is not authorised for use in the UK
The original: MHRA (press release)
