Demand for Unapproved Weight-Loss Drug Surges on Social Media

"The FDA has warned six online companies for selling compounded retatrutide, an unlicensed weight-loss drug that has gained traction among social media influencers. Five U.S. firms and one in Germany received similarly worded letters in September for selling products labeled as retatrutide, a compound developed by Eli Lilly that is still in clinical testing, without FDA authorization. The agency said the companies violated federal law by marketing the unapproved drug and misbranding products that require medical supervision but lacked adequate directions for safe public use. The compound does not qualify for compounding exemptions."

""The GLP-1 boom has sort of taken over social media," Daniel Rosen, MD, a bariatric surgeon in New York City with a large Instagram following, told MedPage Today. "You have this idea of people treating themselves. You have a boom of new players on the scene looking to cash in." "So all of a sudden, you have pharmacies marketing directly to patients. You have coaches or content creators who are moving into the space of wellness and having brand deals with laboratories that are producing these drugs for experimental uses -- but that's wink-wink in terms of, the package says 'not for human consumption,'" Rosen added. "That's the kind of stuff that you'll see.""

"Retatrutide, a triple-hormone receptor agonist, targets glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP), glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1), and glucagon receptors. Phase II data have shown strong results: participants receiving the highest dose lost an average of nearly a quarter of their body weight within a year, and all in that group lost at least 5%."

Six online companies, five in the U.S. and one in Germany, received FDA warning letters in September for selling compounded retatrutide without authorization. The firms marketed an unapproved Eli Lilly experimental compound and misbranded products that require medical supervision while lacking adequate directions for safe public use; retatrutide does not qualify for compounding exemptions. Online demand has surged as fitness influencers and sellers on platforms including WhatsApp and Telegram promote the compound for fat-burning. Retatrutide is a triple-hormone receptor agonist targeting GIP, GLP-1, and glucagon receptors, and phase II data showed substantial weight loss at the highest dose.

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