Doctors warn against using fake drug for weight loss
Weight loss drugs are almost everywhere you look, and a new one that could give you results faster might soon hit the market, but some companies are already selling it, even without FDA approval.
An experimental drug called retatrutide, also known as reta or Triple-G, is in a pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly-sponsored clinical trials. Retatrutide is an injection administered once weekly that mimics hormones that suppress hunger.
Retatrutide is not publicly available since it’s still being tested in clinical trials.
Eli Lilly is in phase 3 of those trials, testing retatrutide for obesity, type 2 diabetes, knee osteoarthritis pain, moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea, chronic low back pain, cardiovascular and renal outcomes, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, according to the company’s website.
Phase 2 clinical trial results were released in 2023. People lost on average 24% of their body weight, about 58 pounds in 48 weeks, which seems to be faster than other weight loss drugs, according to a report by NBC News.
Even though retatrutide is still being tested, at least 10 companies were selling it online. The FDA sent warning letters to those companies for selling unapproved and misbranded drugs.
Dr. Mohit Chatpar, who is board-certified in obesity medicine, said it’s very dangerous to use medication that is not federally approved because you don’t know exactly what you’re getting.
“It could be more or less of a compound or an ingredient, it could be contaminated,” he said. “Maybe it wasn’t sterile or stored properly. It’s really important for injectable medications to make sure that it’s actually sterile. It’s stored properly. You’re putting something directly into the body. You’re bypassing the gut so you want to make sure it’s the proper medication that you should be taking.”
The drugs approved for weight loss, such as Zepbound and Wegovy, have undergone rigorous testing and trials, according to Chatpar.
More results from retatrutide clinical trials are expected over the next year, and the drug would need FDA approval before it hits the market.
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