The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), working with law enforcement partners, seized\u00a0almost 20\u00a0million doses of illegally traded medicines,\u00a0with a\u00a0potential\u00a0street value of\u00a0nearly \u00a345\u00a0million,\u00a0during 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As part of\u00a0a\u00a0crackdown on criminal profits, the MHRA\u2019s financial investigators\u00a0also\u00a0denied criminals access to more than \u00a32.1 million in assets linked to the illegal trade in medicines.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Last year\u2019s seizures included\u00a0almost ten\u00a0million doses of sedatives and sleeping pills, over four million doses of\u00a0powerful\u00a0painkillers, and more than four million doses of erectile dysfunction treatments.\u00a0The MHRA\u2019s Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU)\u00a0also seized more than 5,000\u00a0illegally traded\u00a0GLP-1\u00a0products, commonly marketed as \u2018weight loss\u2019 medicines.\u00a0The unit\u2019s work\u00a0included\u00a0dismantling a major illicit manufacturing facility,\u00a0making\u00a0and distributing unlicensed weight-loss jabs, during a raid on\u202fa\u202fwarehouse in Northampton in October.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The CEU\u00a0also\u00a0worked with internet service providers to\u00a0disrupt more than 1,500 websites and social media accounts illegally selling medical products to the public\u00a0and removed\u00a0more than 1,200\u00a0social media posts during the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The MHRA has been working closely with online industry partners\u00a0to block the\u00a0illegal\u00a0sale\u00a0and supply\u00a0of medicines in the UK. In 2025,\u00a0a\u00a0cutting-edge\u00a0AI algorithm\u00a0developed with eBay,\u00a0successfully\u00a0identified\u00a0and blocked more than two million violations\u00a0of the company\u2019s policies on\u00a0prescription only and non-compliant over the counter (OTC) medicines,\u00a0before the\u00a0products\u00a0could be offered for sale to the public.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Andy Morling, MHRA Deputy Director,\u00a0Enforcement, said:<\/strong><\/p>\n This year, working closely with our law enforcement partners,\u00a0we have\u00a0removed\u00a0more illegally traded\u00a0medicines\u00a0from circulation\u00a0than ever before \u2013\u00a0nearly 20\u00a0million doses\u00a0in total, up from 17 million in 2024.\u00a0Each and every\u00a0one of those\u00a0products\u00a0was\u00a0potentially dangerous\u00a0to\u00a0the public.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Criminals see this trade as easy money, but\u00a0our\u00a0relentless efforts are\u00a0making it increasingly difficult for them to\u00a0operate.\u00a0Our focus\u00a0last year, as\u00a0always,\u00a0has been firmly on stopping these dangerous products reaching\u00a0the public\u00a0in the first place.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n I\u00a0would urge everyone to think very carefully before buying\u00a0powerful\u00a0medicines online. If\u00a0something\u00a0looks or\u00a0feels wrong, it\u00a0probably is.\u00a0Products\u00a0sold illegally online\u00a0may\u00a0contain\u00a0harmful substances or\u00a0the\u00a0incorrect\u00a0dosage, and either of these\u00a0could seriously damage your health. Always use a registered pharmacy \u2013 your safety is not worth the risk.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The dangers of\u00a0unauthorised\u00a0medicines\u00a0<\/p>\n If a medicine is\u00a0unauthorised, it will not have been assessed by the MHRA for its safety, effectiveness or the quality\u00a0and hygiene\u00a0of its manufacturing and distribution processes. Anyone buying such a product cannot be sure what it\u00a0contains\u00a0or whether it will cause them harm.\u00a0<\/p>\n Most of the seized medicines are not\u00a0authorised\u00a0for sale in the UK, so can\u00a0contain\u00a0too much or too little of the declared active ingredient and may also\u00a0contain\u00a0other\u00a0harmful\u00a0ingredients.\u00a0<\/p>\n Notes to editors\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n The\u00a020\u00a0million doses seized include\u00a09.9\u00a0million doses of sedatives, 4.4 million doses of erectile dysfunction medicines, 4.1\u00a0million doses of painkillers, 427,300 doses of nervous system agents, and 5,680\u00a0GLP-1 pens.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Anyone who suspects they are having a side effect from a medicine are encouraged to talk to their doctor, pharmacist or nurse and report it directly to the MHRA\u00a0Yellow Card scheme<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The MHRA works continuously with national and international partners to prevent fake medicines from entering the UK. Its #FakeMeds campaign provides quick and easy tools to help the\u00a0general public\u00a0avoid fake and substandard medical products.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The MHRA\u2019s Accredited Financial Investigators are authorised by the National Crime Agency under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA). They support investigations by tracing, freezing, and confiscating assets linked to crime, including money laundering and the illegal supply of medicines.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)\u00a0is responsible for\u00a0regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe.\u202f All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.\u202f\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n\n
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