Australia’s medicines regulator has issued an urgent warning after a patient was hospitalized following severe injury linked to a counterfeit version of an unapproved experimental weight loss drug. The incident involves retatrutide, a peptide-based medication that has not received approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration or any overseas regulator, making its prescription or sale illegal in the country. Authorities are cautioning the public about the dangers of unregulated weight loss products, which may contain harmful or mislabeled substances. The alert underscores the risks of obtaining medications outside official channels.
TGA issues alert after person was hospitalised after believing they were taking experimental weight loss drug retatrutideFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA patient who tore their oesophagus after taking a counterfeit version of an experimental weight loss drug has prompted Australia’s medicines regulator to warn of serious risks of such products.The concern relates to retatrutide, a type of drug known as a peptide. Retatrutide has not been approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) or regulators overseas, and it cannot be legally prescribed or sold in Australia. Continue reading...
