The General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) has issued a statement around unregulated products, including the fat dissolving injectable ‘Lemon Bottle’.
The GPhC’s chief pharmacy officer, Roz Gittins, has written to pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy owners to raise awareness of the potential risks around the substance ‘Lemon Bottle’, which claims to dissolve fat. The statement also raises concerns about pharmacies dispensing medicines from unregulated online platforms and reminds them to avoid providers that bypass UK regulations.
Gittins wrote, “We have received concerns relating to non-medicinal, unregulated and unlicensed products, including ‘Lemon Bottle’, being supplied by community pharmacies, or being administered by pharmacists via injection in other settings. It is the responsibility of the pharmacy owner to ensure that if they decide to stock unlicensed, unregulated products of this nature, there are no medicinal claims made on the packaging or promotional material for those products.”
Oleg Seo, global director of SIF Medicos, the brand owner of Lemon Bottle, commented, “Lemon Bottle is currently registered with the Submit Cosmetic Product Notification (SCPN) portal, and is insured for injectable use by reputable UK-based insurance providers. We believe it is essential to frame the UK’s regulatory debate within the broader context of non-medicinal injectables, rather than targeting a single brand that is taking proactive steps in safety, compliance and global standardisation.”
