Police have made two arrests after a woman died following a suspected unlicensed slimming injection.

Northumbria Police said they were investigating the death of a woman in her 50s in the Sunderland area on 10 August.

No further details about the circumstances have been released.

But a police spokesperson said two women in their 40s had been arrested and released pending further inquiries.

‘A woman in her 40s has been arrested on suspicion of administering poison with intent to endanger life.

‘Another woman, also in her 40s, has been arrested on suspicion of possession of unauthorised medication with intent to be sold to another person.

‘Both have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.’

A source close to the case said: ‘The family of the deceased are upset and angry and determined to fight for justice.’

If confirmed, it will be the first known death in the UK connected to an unlicensed slimming injection.

The arrests come amid fears of a boom in the sale of black market slimming injections across the country.

In August the National Pharmacy Association (NPA) urged people not to buy fake weight loss injections.

The association warned of a possible ‘explosion in the unlicensed sale of medication online’ and said people were risking their health by purchasing the two recognised brands Ozempic and Wegovy without proper checks.

Ozempic is available on the NHS for people with type two diabetes, while Wegovy can be prescribed for weight loss via specialist weight management services, with strict criteria around who can get the drugs.

The NPA, which represents more than 5,000 independently-run community pharmacies, is urging patients to speak to their pharmacist or GP instead of buying medicines online from sellers who are not registered and regulated in the UK.

Several weight loss injections are currently licensed for use in the UK and the jabs are being hailed as having the potential to transform the health of people with obesity.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the jabs could be given to help people to lose weight to get back to work and may be ‘life changing.’

He wrote in the Telegraph: ‘Widening waistbands are also placing significant burden on our health service. 

‘The long-term benefits of these drugs could be monumental in our approach to tackling obesity.’

The government also announced a five-year trial in Greater Manchester of the weight loss drug Mounjaro.

Nearly 250,000 people are expected to receive the Mounjaro jab over the next three years, officials said.

These licensed weight loss drugs are given as weekly injections via pre-filled pens that can be self-administered into the upper arm, thigh or stomach. 

They work as an appetite suppressant.

But there have been cases of people become ill after taking weight loss jabs bought online.

Mother-of-three Jodi Jones, 37, was taken to hospital after an injection bought on Facebook for £20. 

After the second injection she became ‘violently ill’ and now believes the drug was a ‘fake.’