The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently took action against online vendors for selling unapproved versions of semaglutide and Tirzepatide, the active ingredients found in popular GLP-1 class medications marketed as Wegovy and Tirzepatide respectively.
 

In letters sent to two companies (Semaspace and Gorilla Healing) at the beginning of October, the FDA emphasised that the only approved semaglutide products are Wegovy and Novo Nordisk's diabetes drugs Ozempic and Rybelsus. Additionally, Tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, has only received approval for treating diabetes.
 

The FDA's primary concern is safeguarding public health. It stressed that unapproved new drugs lack the safety and effectiveness assurances provided by FDA oversight. Such drugs can be contaminated, counterfeit, contain varying levels of active ingredients, or even have different ingredients altogether. The vendors were also found in violation of U.S. law for selling these medications without ensuring that customers had valid prescriptions from licensed healthcare practitioners.

The FDA warned that if the vendors didn't cease selling these unapproved drugs, it might resort to legal actions such as seizures and injunctions.

Customers in the UK need to be on their guard for similar scams. We have seen companies passing-off as official partners of Novo Nordisk to sell Wegovy and TikTok has people advertising vials of “semaglutide” powder to which water is added and injected.

So, the message is clear: beware the weight loss scams only buy from respected companies who are committed to providing a quality service, such as CheqUp.