Nearly 20 million doses of potentially dangerous medicines prevented from reaching the public
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), working with law enforcement partners, seized almost 20 million doses of illegally traded medicines, with a potential street value of nearly £45 million, during 2025.
As part of a crackdown on criminal profits, the MHRA's financial investigators also denied criminals access to more than £2.1 million in assets linked to the illegal trade in medicines.
Last year's seizures included almost ten million doses of sedatives and sleeping pills, over four million doses of powerful painkillers, and more than four million doses of erectile dysfunction treatments. The MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU) also seized more than 5,000 illegally traded GLP-1 products, commonly marketed as 'weight loss' medicines. The unit's work included dismantling a major illicit manufacturing facility, making and distributing unlicensed weight-loss jabs, during a raid on a warehouse in Northampton in October.
The CEU also worked with internet service providers to disrupt more than 1,500 websites and social media accounts illegally selling medical products to the public and removed more than 1,200 social media posts during the year.
The MHRA has been working closely with online industry partners to block the illegal sale and supply of medicines in the UK. In 2025, a cutting-edge AI algorithm developed with eBay, successfully identified and blocked more than two million violations of the company's policies on prescription only and non-compliant over the counter (OTC) medicines, before the products could be offered for sale to the public.
Andy Morling, MHRA Deputy Director, Enforcement, said:
This year, working closely with our law enforcement partners, we have removed more illegally traded medicines from circulation than ever before - nearly 20 million doses in total, up from 17 million in 2024. Each and every one of those products was potentially dangerous to the public."
Criminals see this trade as easy money, but our relentless efforts are making it increasingly difficult for them to operate. Our focus last year, as always, has been firmly on stopping these dangerous products reaching the public in the first place."
I would urge everyone to think very carefully before buying powerful medicines online. If something looks or feels wrong, it probably is. Products sold illegally online may contain harmful substances or the incorrect dosage, and either of these could seriously damage your health. Always use a registered pharmacy - your safety is not worth the risk.
The dangers of unauthorised medicines
If a medicine is unauthorised, it will not have been assessed by the MHRA for its safety, effectiveness or the quality and hygiene of its manufacturing and distribution processes. Anyone buying such a product cannot be sure what it contains or whether it will cause them harm.
Most of the seized medicines are not authorised for sale in the UK, so can contain too much or too little of the declared active ingredient and may also contain other harmful ingredients.
Notes
The 20 million doses seized include 9.9 million doses of sedatives, 4.4 million doses of erectile dysfunction medicines, 4.1 million doses of painkillers, 427,300 doses of nervous system agents, and 5,680 GLP-1 pens.
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 Yellow Card scheme .
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 general public avoid fake and substandard medical products.
The MHRA's 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.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK by ensuring they work and are acceptably safe. All our work is underpinned by robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits justify any risks.
The MHRA is an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care.
