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The General Pharmaceutical Council has raised concerns that the newly available Wegovy pill product “will likely make counterfeiting easier” and increase the risk to the public of buying unsafe medicines.

The GPhC recently launched a social media campaign advising the public on how to spot fake online pharmacies and how to assure themselves of whether a pharmacy is regulated.

“We are increasingly concerned about the growth of illegal websites selling medicines which may be fake,” said the regulator, adding that the introduction of semaglutide tablets to the market could exacerbate these risks.

GPhC chief executive Kathie Cashell commented: "Criminals are exploiting the significant public interest in weight management medicines, by operating illegal websites selling fake medicines.

“The tablet form of semaglutide will be easier to counterfeit than the injectable form, so we are anticipating this illegal and potentially deadly trade will continue to increase.

“These fake medicines often don’t contain the ingredients they claim, contain harmful substances, or may not be suitable for the person taking them, posing a serious risk to health.

“We are urging people to always check if the pharmacy they are using is on our online register. With fake online pharmacies becoming increasingly sophisticated, this quick check can protect you from serious harm.”

Meanwhile, online doctor service Zava has found that over a fifth of weight loss medicine users in the UK “did not have their drugs prescribed by a healthcare professional,” with over one in 10 saying they obtained the product from social media or influencers.

Dr Kathryn Basford at Zava said: “Obtaining weight-loss medications outside of licensed healthcare organisations is extremely risky, especially through online marketplaces and social platforms like eBay, Facebook or Amazon.

"Unlike registered pharmacies, these platforms do not follow the same stringent safety protocols, which means anyone can sell products without proper verification of their source, ingredients or manufacturing standards.

Using these unregulated products can lead to serious health complications like severe abdominal pain and heart palpitations or irregular heartbeats, so it’s vital that people only use medications prescribed and dispensed by qualified healthcare professionals."