Thousands of pounds worth of unlicensed and unprescribed products used in cosmetic injections have been seized by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) from a Glasgow warehouse.
Glasgow City Council’s Environmental Health Officers and officers from the MHRA inspected the premises at an industrial estate in the north of the city after receiving complaints about the type of products being stored, distributed and sold from the premises.
During the inspection, enforcement officers from the MHRA seized a number of unauthorised aesthetic products including almost 400 non-compliant dermal fillers and 320 non-compliant needles/cannulas. More than 180 vials of unlicensed and suspected illegally traded botulinum toxin were also seized.
Andy Morling, MHRA deputy director (criminal enforcement), said, “Medicines like these are powerful and dangerous in the wrong hands, potentially leading to serious adverse health consequences. The criminals trading in these products are not only breaking the law, they also have no regard for people’s safety.”
Commenting on the misconduct on behalf of the British College of Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM), Dr Nestor Demosthenous said, “The recent seizure of unlicensed fillers and toxins in Glasgow is very worrying. Non-medics are not adequately trained in the diagnosis, assessment and treatment of many aesthetic concerns, and we have seen a massive increase in complications as a result. Tissue necrosis, sepsis, paralysis and death are all risks resulting from the wrong people injecting unsafe products. This has to stop. BCAM has been lobbying and advocating that the government regulate who can and cannot carry our specific procedures.”
Scottish aesthetic practitioner Jackie Partridge agreed, highlighting the need to enforce regulation, “The recent seizure in Glasgow of unlicensed aesthetic products is very likely to be the tip of the iceberg. The risk this could pose to the public is highly alarming. There must be a change in the law to protect the public from harm.”
