How the hunger for a new weight loss drug is feeding an industry of fakes
Illicit and potentially dangerous counterfeit versions of the experimental weight-loss drug retatrutide are being sold on the black market. Experts warn that these unapproved substances pose significant health risks as they bypass regulatory safety testing.
Why it matters
The rise of black-market pharmaceuticals for weight loss highlights the dangers of social media-driven health trends and the lack of oversight for experimental drugs.
Image source, Tom Davies/MHRA Image caption, Tom accidentally took eight times the recommended dose of a fake version of retatrutide and says he nearly ended up in hospital
Excitement around the creation of a new drug, especially one showing early promise in clinical trials, is often celebrated by those developing it.
But new weight-loss drug retatrutide has become a headache not only for Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company behind it, but for regulators in the UK and around the world.
The jab has not yet been approved for human use by any regulatory body.
But illicit, counterfeit dupes of retatrutide are currently flooding the black market.
Experts have told the BBC this is one of the first times they have seen copycat versions of an experimental drug, still in the throes of being tested, become so widely available.
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