Investigation Reveals Illegal Sales of Weight-Loss Drug Retatrutide

Concerns have emerged regarding the illegal sale of counterfeit weight-loss injections, specifically a drug known as Retatrutide, which is still undergoing clinical trials and has not been approved for public use. An investigation conducted by Channel 4 News uncovered that these counterfeit products are being marketed on popular social media platforms, including TikTok and Facebook.

Early studies suggest that Retatrutide, being developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, could be twice as effective as existing weight-loss medications. Despite its potential, the drug remains in clinical testing and is legally available only to trial participants. The investigation revealed that undercover reporters easily purchased fake versions of the drug, highlighting significant regulatory gaps in the online marketplace.

When approached for comments, sellers falsely asserted that these injections were acquired from pharmacies and could be accessed through the NHS. During the undercover operation, the reporter received conflicting usage instructions for the injections, raising further alarms about the safety of these products.

Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace, a former contestant on Big Brother, shared her alarming experience after purchasing a counterfeit weight-loss drug online. She reported severe health issues, including loss of vision in one eye, and described her ordeal as “the worst time of my life physically.” She noted that the package contained “no guidance, no instructions,” and expressed her fear during the experience, stating, “I thought, that’s it. I’m either gonna die or I’m gonna be blind.”

Dr. Nancy Allen, a General Practitioner with the NHS, expressed her concerns after examining one of the illegal packages. She stated she had never seen such products before and highlighted the potential dangers they pose to patient safety.

The investigation also pointed to a significant increase in the sales of legitimate fat-fighting injections, with Mounjaro and Wegovy experiencing a sevenfold rise in demand compared to the same period last year. According to figures obtained by The Telegraph, these drugs sold 2.5 million units in July 2023. Although plans are in place to make them more widely available through the NHS, many individuals are opting for private prescriptions due to limited availability.

In response to the investigation, both TikTok and Meta, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, took action by removing the content associated with these illegal sales. Meta stated that it is “constantly working to get better at detection,” while TikTok announced a ban on related hashtags and search suggestions, reinforcing its community guidelines against the marketing of regulated substances.

Eli Lilly has also taken a firm stance against the illegal sales, stating, “Retatrutide is an investigational molecule that is legally available only to participants in Lilly’s clinical trials. Anyone purporting to sell Retatrutide for human use is breaking the law, and no one should consider taking anything claiming to be Retatrutide outside of a Lilly-sponsored clinical trial.”

This investigation, titled “Inside the Black Market for Illegal Weight-Loss Jabs,” aired on Channel 4 News on March 15, 2024, and has sparked a broader conversation about the safety of online health products and the need for stringent regulations to protect consumers from counterfeit medications.