Unregulated weight-loss jabs like playing Russian roulette, says MP

An MP who lost nearly 10 stone in Mounjaro said people taking uncontrolled slimming pills were “playing Russian roulette with their lives”.

Carolyn Harris, Labor MP for Neath and Swansea East, dropped from a size 24 to a size 10 after developing mobility issues after taking the weight loss pill in October 2024.

He also said he was tired of online trolls’ “relentless criticism” of him but urged others to ensure they only use properly regulated channels for health reasons.

“Instead of going online, I made sure I went to a GP to get mine because I really wanted to make sure all the right medical checks were done,” she added.

Harris received special treatment after experiencing increasing difficulty getting around her constituency, which culminated in a walk around a lake in Swansea to celebrate International Menopause Day.

“I started having difficulty and had to stop about a quarter of the way through,” he said.

Another motivation was what he called the constant, cruel comments he received online.

“How I look or what I wear has become more important than my politics,” the 65-year-old man said. he said BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

“I may be a Bolshevik if I’m fighting for a cause or for someone else, but deep down I’m very sensitive.”

But Harris said others who choose to take weight-loss medications should do so for health-related reasons.

The National Association of Boards of Pharmacy recently expressed concern about rising demand for medications like Mounjaro and Ozempic, with people turning to beauty salons or social media to get them.

Anyone offering weight loss injections in England must be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

But in Wales, only doctors are required to register with the Welsh equivalent, Health Inspectorate Wales (HIW); This means other healthcare professionals are not legally required to meet the same standards or be routinely inspected.

Some experts have described this as inadequate regulation leading to an unsafe black market for such products.

“Those who choose to purchase these drugs from unlicensed locations are playing Russian roulette with their lives,” Harris said.

“They don’t know what they can inject themselves with, and that scares me.”

The Welsh government said weight loss treatments such as Mounjaro are only available with a prescription and “should only be taken and used in accordance with the prescription of a registered and suitably trained healthcare professional”.

“No one should buy prescription-only medicines except from reputable suppliers such as registered pharmacies. Medicines obtained from unregulated sources pose a major risk to people’s safety.

“Healthcare professionals who prescribe weight loss treatments must comply with the standards set by relevant professional regulatory bodies,” they added.