Bought weight loss jabs or any other medicine online from anywhere other than a registered pharmacy? This episode is for you.

Andy Morling is Deputy Director for Criminal Enforcement and Head of the Criminal Enforcement Unit at the MHRA. His team goes after the people selling fake and illegal medicines in the UK, and last year, working with Border Force, they took 28 million doses out of circulation.

We talk about how the unit traces criminals through their bank accounts using reverse burden of proof, the AI tool built with eBay to catch illegal listings, and the counterfeit Ozempic pens that were found to contain insulin. Andy is also clear that if you bought something you now think is fake, you are treated as a victim, not a suspect.

Timestamps

0:00 Introduction

1:29 Welcome, Andy Morling

2:36 Why the MHRA has its own Criminal Enforcement Unit

5:14 How investigations start: Yellow Card reports and Border Force

9:22 Can you spot a counterfeit medicine?

12:29 Will you get in trouble for reporting fake medicines?

14:12 The AI tool built with eBay to catch illegal listings

18:27 Why was last year a record year?

20:49 Weight loss jabs (GLP-1s) and the fake Ozempic pens

23:46 Erectile dysfunction medicines

24:38 Controlled drugs: the bulk of the 28 million doses

25:30 Who is buying these drugs, and why?

27:36 Why your credit card details are at risk

28:33 What happens to the criminals?

29:37 Taking their money: reverse burden of proof

31:11 Wrap-up

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