“I think we’re only just seeing the tip of the iceberg,” said the chair of the Health Select Committee, Layla Moran MP
There are calls for the UK’s medicines regulator to take “serious action” after ITV News revealed a death linked to fake so-called ‘skinny jabs’.
The chair of the Health Select Committee, Layla Moran MP, has written to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), saying it “must be the wake-up call” for the regulator to “crack down” on illegal weight loss injections.
Karen McGonigal, 53, from Salford in Greater Manchester, died days after she was illegally administered a £20 dose of semaglutide at a beauty salon.
In an exclusive interview with ITV News, Karen’s family became the first in the UK to speak publicly about a death linked to fake weight loss jabs.
Paying tribute to their “kind and loving” mother, Abbie and Ffion McGonigal told ITV News the authorities must do more to tackle the black market.
“These people are getting away with destroying people’s lives,” Abbie said.
Karen’s daughters, Abbie and Ffion, spoke to ITV News Health Correspondent Rebecca Barry.
Expressing her condolences to the family, the Liberal Democrat MP, Layla Moran, described Karen’s death as “devastating”.
“What worries me is I’m not sure this is going to be the last,” she told ITV News.
“Because what I’m not seeing from the government yet is a concerted effort to clamp down on this.
“I think we’re only just seeing the tip of the iceberg.”
The Committee Chair said anyone who had injected another person with illegal weight loss drugs should face the same consequences as those dealing illicit drugs, like heroin.
“This is illegal and it is a criminal act, and those people should be facing the full force of the law and possible prison sentences if necessary.”
ITV News understands that Greater Manchester Police has arrested one person on suspicion of manslaughter and another on suspicion of supplying a controlled substance. The police investigation is ongoing.
After viewing the ITV News report, Layla Moran wrote directly to the Chair of the MHRA, Professor Anthony Harnden, saying: “Recent investigations by ITV News have shone a light on this scandal…
“Abbie and Ffion McGonigal made an impassioned plea for action on ITV News yesterday following the death of their mother, Karen.
“The tragic death of a loving mother of three and grandmother of four must be the wake-up call for serious action on this issue.”
The Health Select Committee recently launched an inquiry into food and weight management, which will also explore the trade in illegal black market jabs.
Layla Moran said ITV News’ findings will be included as evidence in the Parliamentary inquiry and has offered to meet Karen’s family.
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