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There is a real risk to people's health if they buy weight-loss injections from unregulated sources, the Department of Health has warned.

It said a number of the injection pens were in circulation across Northern Ireland.

The department added that there had been increased demand for the pens, including from online sellers.

It said they may not be subject to normal safety controls on manufacture or prescribed by a doctor.

Semaglutide is a medication that can be prescribed for weight loss.

It is mainly approved for the management of diabetes and is available under different brand names.

The department said the potential risk to public health had been recently highlighted during an investigation by the department's medicines regulatory group (MRG), which found fake injectable weight loss pens in circulation..

Officials said the investigation was ongoing and a number of pens had been seized.

Peter Moore, senior medicines enforcement officer at the department, said people might be breaking the law by advertising or unlawfully supplying prescription-only medicines outside the legitimate supply chain.

"I would urge people not to source their prescription medication from unregulated sources," he said, adding that it presented "a real risk of adverse health effects".

Canice Ward, head of the MRG, said it was extremely important that people took prescription-only medicines after consultation with their GP or healthcare provider, who have access to patient health records and are aware of the risks and benefits of every medicine.

The department said anyone who suspected a medicine had been falsified should tell a healthcare professional such as a pharmacist.