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Brexit has unleashed ‘backstreet medicine’ across Britain, warns leading pharmacist
18 June 2025, 17:07 | Updated: 19 June 2025, 10:05
Lives are at risk like never before, Chair of the National Pharmacy Association tells LBC - with the loss of EU-wide medicine safety checks fuelling online sales
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Olivier Picard, Chairman of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) and a practicing community pharmacist, said the UK’s departure from the EU has created a gaping loophole now being exploited by unregulated sellers of prescription medication, including powerful weight-loss jabs like Mounjaro.
“Before Brexit, all legitimate sites selling prescription medicine were monitored and publicly listed,” he told LBC.
"There’s no longer a trusted way for patients to distinguish between a regulated pharmacy and an illegal operation - because a lot of the rules we used for years, around the supply of medicine and the identification of fake medicine, were introduced by the European Union.
Previously, UK-based online pharmacies had to display EU-wide verification marks—such as a clickable green cross badge—to prove they were authorised to sell medicine. That requirement no longer applies in Great Britain.
Olivier Picard revealed to LBC the consequences are already being seen with patients falling victim to counterfeit medications sold through unverified sites and social media platforms.
“We’re seeing people get incorrect or swapped medication. Some are injecting pure insulin thinking it’s a slimming drug ending up in ambulances with life-threatening reactions. That should never happen.”
Amish Patel, director of Hodgson Pharmacy in Kent, echoed the warning.
“I’ve seen websites selling weight loss jabs with barely any checks. You just enter your details and the drug turns up the next day,” he told LBC.
“Before Brexit, these services were mostly run by healthcare professionals. Now we’ve got non-medics giving jabs in car parks and advertising on Instagram. It’s madness.”
He added: “People are dying because of this lack of regulation. And it shouldn’t be hard to fix.”
Picard and Patel are urging ministers to introduce new laws to make it illegal for anyone but registered healthcare professionals to sell prescription medicines or administer medical treatments.
'Strongly advise'
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "We strongly advise the public not to buy regulated medicines from unauthorised online retailers or beauty salons as they could be dangerous.
"The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continuously works to identify those unlawfully trading in medicines and will use its powers to take appropriate enforcement action, including, where necessary, prosecuting those who put people's health at risk.
"Separately, we are taking action to crackdown on anyone misleading the public by describing themselves as a nurse without the relevant qualifications and registration to help keep patients safe.”
