Drug safety chiefs were warned last year about rogue beauty therapists injecting illegal Botox-style products but failed to act before the jabs hospitalised dozens.
The procedures, carried out by beauticians using unlicensed versions of botulinum toxin, left 38 people across the North East, North West, East of England and Midlands seriously ill with paralysis-like symptoms and breathing difficulties.
The alarming outbreak this month has exposed 'gaping holes' in regulation, claim senior doctors now calling on the Government to ban medically unqualified practitioners from administering cosmetic injections.
Dr Steven Land, a Newcastle-based expert in aesthetic medicine, said he first raised concerns in November 2023 with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
'Our only surprise is that this didn't happen sooner,' he said. 'I was getting WhatsApp messages and emails every week from people selling knock-off toxin – illegal, unlicensed products that you can buy online with no checks.'
