Former Olympic boxer Anthony Fowler has entered the market for 'DIY Ozempic' alternatives, selling unlicensed weight-loss peptides through his company Supreme Peptides, a development that scientists warn could put lives at risk. An investigation found that the company offered a 40mg dose of a weight-loss peptide for £120, claiming it was similar to the licensed drug Mounjaro but with no side effects.
Under UK law, any company making medical claims to sell products, including obesity treatments, must obtain authorization from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Daily Mail Sport found no evidence that Supreme Peptides has any products registered with the MHRA. The MHRA stated that if a product is classified as a medicine and is not appropriately authorized, they will take regulatory compliance action.
One product pictured on Fowler's website, Tesamorelin, used in the U.S. for HIV patients and to reduce abdominal fat, is not an MHRA-authorized medicine and its sale in the UK is illegal. Fowler was offering it for £89.99 for 10mg.
Channa Jayasena, a professor of medicine at Imperial College London, expressed concern that individuals unable to access prescription weight-loss drugs are being offered unlicensed products. "This could put people's lives at risk," Jayasena said. "My concern is that these are black market synthesized peptides, which have potential impurity and no guarantee of what is inside them."
Previous investigations have highlighted that peptides, the active ingredient in licensed weight-loss drugs, are being sold for home-use kits without required medical checks or monitoring. Scientists have warned that consumers may not know what they are buying or if the advised dosage is safe, with potential harms including increased cancer risk and organ damage. The high demand for weight-loss injections has fueled a growing black market.
Fowler, who has previously been criticized for making potentially dangerous claims about his cannabis oil products, has promoted his peptides on social media, claiming he has a laboratory in London that tests them. He has faced difficulties with Instagram, which suspended his account, leading him to direct followers to alternative contacts for purchases.
When approached as a potential buyer, an individual named Anthony Lloyd, whose WhatsApp profile picture featured the Supreme Peptides brand, offered a 40mg dose of a weight-loss peptide for £120, including a syringe and ice pack. Lloyd reportedly did not inquire about the buyer's Body Mass Index or underlying health conditions and suggested a dosage of 2mg per week for three to four weeks, advising the buyer to "see what kind of results you get."
Lloyd claimed the product was similar to Mounjaro but without side effects and stated that Fowler's brother had lost two stone using it. When asked for specifics about the chemical ingredients, Lloyd referred the buyer to the Supreme Peptides website, where the product was described as being for "research purposes only," a claim that Professor Jayasena found contradictory to the direct solicitation of the public.
Lynda Scammell, head of borderline products at the MHRA, stated that claims of products being for "research purposes" are disregarded if evidence suggests an attempt to bypass medicines regulations. The MHRA will take action if promotional material indicates unauthorized medicines intended for human use.
Fowler's Supreme CBD firm has also been listed as a non-compliant repeat offender by the Advertising Standards Authority for unsubstantiated medical claims regarding its cannabis oil supplements, raising questions about scrutiny from local trading standards. Fowler has not responded to requests for comment regarding his peptide business.