MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging urges focus on security after ‘shocking’ investigation into surging UK black market for medicines

Packaging Solutions

MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging has called for a focus on overt and covert packaging security after the UK’s Channel 4 investigation highlighted the alarming growth of black market medicines in the UK.

The investigation centred on a surge in illegal weight loss jabs being distributed through social media, shining a spotlight on their widespread availability on the black market. One of the drugs – retatrutide – could be twice as potent as other weight loss jabs on the market, but it is still in development and has yet to pass clinical trials, meaning the fakes pose a severe risk to users.

Tiffany Overstreet, global vice president of innovation at MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging, said that, while better regulation and education were needed, a focus on packaging security was also crucial. ‘Many people assume that counterfeit drugs are only a problem for the developing world. This shocking report reveals that it is a truly global threat,’ she said. ‘Many packaging solutions include advanced anti-counterfeit features that support authorised distributors in keeping patients safe. We work closely with pharmaceutical companies to continuously enhance these technologies, but it must be supported by better education around where to buy medicines and what to look for to verify authenticity.

‘It has never been more important to use a combination of overt security features like complex micro-optics and tamper proof seals alongside more covert ones such as RFID chips. Tougher regulations will be welcome, but they still need to be effectively enforced. Packaging is the key to facilitating that enforcement and building trust between patients and pharma labs.’

As part of the investigation, experts highlighted that the spread of fake weight loss jabs was linked to a wider trend of falsified medicines that has been growing since the Covid 19 pandemic.

‘Anti-counterfeit measures can be tailored to suit the risk profile of each product,’ explained Tiffany. ‘At MM Pharma & Healthcare Packaging, we have seen the difference that anti-counterfeit measures can make to the pharma supply chain and, ultimately, to patients. By relying on packaging experts to incorporate these features effectively, the industry can support regulators and law enforcement in their efforts to tackle this urgent threat to public health.’