The MHRA crackdown on black-market Botox

LBC News · Radio interview · 31 August 2025

Nothing downloads until you press play. Broadcast on LBC News; shared with permission.

On 31 August 2025 Dr Ed joined Mark McQuillan live on LBC News after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) warned that people selling fake or unlicensed Botox could face prison. The warning followed more than 40 people being taken to hospital across the UK that summer after suspected use of unlicensed products.

What Dr Ed said

Dr Ed welcomed the announcement. He explained that botulinum toxin is a prescription-only medicine that should only be given after a prescription and a face-to-face consultation, and that unlicensed toxins bought online come with no quality control, so neither practitioner nor patient can know what dose, or even what substance, is being injected.

He described the harm he has seen: unusual infections that do not respond to standard antibiotics, chronic inflammation, granulomas, scarring and, in some cases, tissue necrosis. When a large unknown dose spreads through the body it can cause botulism, and some of the recent patients needed ventilation in intensive care. The antitoxin is expensive and, he said, supplies ran short quickly.

He was clear that licensed botulinum toxin is a well-researched medicine, used for decades in migraine, excessive sweating and overactive bladder, and safe for cosmetic use when given in modest doses that respect the individual's anatomy. His view is that prescribers should carry out or supervise treatment, and he welcomed the new regulations England had announced.

Summarised from the broadcast. Listen above for Dr Ed's own words.

Clinical context

Very low prices are a warning sign, because a genuine licensed product costs the clinic money before any treatment begins. Before booking, ask who will prescribe the medicine, what their qualifications and training are and whether they are insured. A good practitioner will be happy to answer. You can read about our clinicians on Meet the team, and about the medical uses of toxin in treatment for excessive sweating.

Questions patients ask

Related treatments and advice

• Meet the team
• Anti-wrinkle injections
• Excessive sweating treatment
• Treatment aftercare

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