Tests of Unapproved Weight- Loss Drug Reveal Its Dangers

An obesity drug that hasn't cleared federal safety checks is being hawked online and even at a New York bodega, and buying it is disturbingly simple. CBS News correspondent Adam Yamaguchi ordered vials of retatrutide, a next-generation weight-loss peptide that Eli Lilly is still researching, from two websites that promised medical oversight but shipped the drug without any real consultation. He then bought a $90 vial of "Reta" over the counter in Brooklyn, despite a "research use only" warning label that added the drug was "not for human consumption."

Lab tests raised more alarms. University of Iowa scientists found the online samples resembled a basic form of retatrutide, but the bodega vial contained no peptide at all—just phenylacetic acid, which is considered a filler, and 13 bacteria colonies. Experts warned that users are essentially experimenting on themselves, risking infection and serious illness as regulators struggle to keep up with a fast-growing black market. The FDA has received reports of two deaths this year tied to illegal retatrutide, per Gizmodo. In the UK, shady versions are being sold everywhere, from gyms and nail salons, to hairdressers and even vendors selling flowers on the street, reports the BBC.