A man known for promoting weight loss injections on social media has a criminal history as a drug dealer. Mark Allen, aged 46, advertises peptides on his Weight Loss and Gym Gains page, including Retatrutide, a substance not sanctioned for use in the UK. In 2018, he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison by Exeter Crown Court for possessing crack cocaine and heroin with the intent to distribute.
During the trial, evidence revealed that Allen was involved in manufacturing crack cocaine in a bedroom, with police discovering incriminating messages on his phone offering drug deals and boasting about the quality of the substances. Currently, he operates a garden fencing business while selling unlicensed weight loss and health peptides on the side for additional income.
Despite disclaimers that the products are not meant for human consumption, Allen shares videos on TikTok and Instagram demonstrating the preparation of injections, complete with instructions on sterilization. In one video, he refers to Retatrutide as “Rataloullie” in an attempt to circumvent regulations and encourages followers to use the product for weight loss.
Many of his social media posts are tagged with #weightloss, #energy, #weighttransformation, and #peps, showcasing transformative before-and-after pictures of weight loss. His wife, Becky, also promotes the peptides on TikTok, often featuring Mark in her videos. When questioned about his activities, Allen promptly deleted his TikTok account and denied any illegal operations in his business.
Retatrutide is currently in phase three clinical trials as an experimental weekly injectable medication for obesity and type 2 diabetes. In the UK, the sale of Retatrutide and most peptides is legal as long as they are labeled for research purposes only and not for human use.
However, selling Retatrutide on social media in the UK is prohibited as it is an unlicensed drug that cannot be marketed for human consumption under the Human Medicines Regulations of 2012. Many sellers attempt to bypass these restrictions by claiming the products are for research purposes only.
Ashton Collins from the government-backed watchdog Save Face expressed concern over the surge in reports of adverse effects from online purchases of injectable peptides. These substances, often endorsed on TikTok, are marketed for cosmetic and performance purposes under the guise of being for research use only, breaching UK medicines laws.
Experts in Australia have warned about the risks associated with tanning peptides like Melanotan II, purchased online and self-administered, leading to potential skin cancer risks. The misuse of peptides poses a significant public health threat if not addressed promptly by the authorities.