An underground market for unapproved weight-loss medications is being driven by social media fitness personalities and sellers on communication apps, based on recent findings.
Retatrutide, which is still in clinical trials, is being advertised by social media influencers for its supposed weight-reducing effects. Viewers are urged to message these accounts directly for source information, while also receiving discount codes.
Additionally, a flourishing trade exists on messaging services, where communities with thousands of members share comparison images, administration instructions and assertions of rapid UK delivery. Sellers promote the drug there before redirecting customers to WhatsApp for purchases.
This medication is an experimental injection developed by US drugmaker Eli Lilly. The drug targets three gut hormones – GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. Preliminary studies indicate it could help individuals lose up to a quarter of their total weight. Nicknamed the “triple G”, the drug is being hailed online as the successor to Ozempic.
Nevertheless, physicians and pharmacists have cautions that the distribution of what is still an unapproved drug in the United Kingdom is worrisome and could result in users administering products of unknown origin.
Some experts stated the popularity for retatrutide could be connected to the rising cost of licensed weight loss products such as Mounjaro.
Marketing retatrutide on TikTok or Telegram is illegal in the UK, as it is an unlicensed drug that cannot be promoted or distributed for human use under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
Some influencers try to sidestep the rules by referring to the substance as a “research chemical” or describing it as “not for human consumption”. Retatrutide is not a restricted drug, but advertising and distribution can still violate pharmaceutical, advertising, and consumer laws, potentially leading to penalties, prosecution or prison.
According to the social media company, the platform has taken down violative content and prohibited associated hashtags and query recommendations. The organization stated it was dedicated to keeping the service secure and allocating resources in strengthening enforcement strategies.
Investigations also found communities with up to 9,000 members marketing the experimental drug using the platform's built-in search feature, which functions like a online catalog. Entering “retatrutide” instantly displays channels with numerous of users, populated with images of slimming results, positive reviews and detailed instructions for preparing or injecting at residence.
After moments of entering one group, a vendor shared contact information, where most purchases take place. The seller sent an guidebook and promised shipping within two days. When questioned whether the product was genuine, one vendor said: “You can’t be sure.” Another provided a photo of a alleged laboratory certificate. Not one inquired about weight, health issues or previous experience.
Within these communities, posts show dark colored parcels with postal service stickers, claiming to contain new batches. One message stated: “It took eight of us to load them this morning.”
Customers can select between powder vials, mixed at home with sterile water, or pre-filled injectors usually sold at 160 pounds for 20mg. When asked how much time a injector should last, vendors give contradictory responses ranging from a few weeks to “depends on your body”.
A spokesperson for Telegram stated it regularly monitored harmful content on its service including content that encouraged the “misuse of controlled medications”. The company noted that it removed “millions of pieces of harmful content each day”.
“People are administering materials they cannot confirm. Even if the research behind retatrutide is sound, these online products may not include what they advertise,” said a pharmacy expert, the head of pharmacy at Chemist4U.
Dr Crystal Wyllie of an online medical service linked the increase in demand to current cost increases for authorized weight-loss drugs such as Mounjaro. “With prices increasing, individuals are using online platforms. But fake treatments are extremely risky. You can’t be certain what’s contained or whether the environment they were produced in was sterile,” she said.
Her staff has already encountered patients harmed by personal administration from unconfirmed sources. “We recognize the frustration, but buying from Telegram or communication platforms is taking chances with your health,” said Wyllie. “These substances could be impure or incorrectly dosed.”
A spokesperson from the pharmaceutical company said retatrutide was in third stage research studies and had not been reviewed or approved by any regulatory agency globally. “Therefore at this time no one can market [it] for personal consumption,” they explained, adding that any product “falsely representing itself as a Lilly investigational product not yet authorized … may expose users to possibly serious health risks”.
Elena Hartwell is a multidisciplinary artist and educator passionate about fostering creative communities in London.