MHRA shuts down suspected illegal weight-loss drug cleanroom operations in UK

By Alexa Hornbeck | Published: 5-Mar-2026
Regulatory Pharmaceutical

Regulators have seized nearly 2,000 doses of unlicensed medicines and dismantled illicit production areas in a crackdown on illegal weight-loss drug manufacturing

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The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has targeted two suspected illegal weight-loss drug production sites in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.

“The sophistication of these setups shows the lengths criminal networks will go to imitate legitimate pharmaceutical production,” said Andy Morling, Deputy Director and Head of the Criminal Enforcement Unit at MHRA.

Officials uncovered what they describe as cleanroom-style operations designed to produce and package unlicensed medicines.

What two sites in the East Midlands were raided?

MHRA officers from the Criminal Enforcement Unit (CEU), working with Lincolnshire Police, Immigration Enforcement, and Lincolnshire Trading Standards, raided a farm near Sleaford and a residential property in Grantham.

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