Counterfeit supplies of an experimental weight loss vaccine dubbed the “new Ozempic” are being sold in Britain for just £2 each, MailOnline can reveal.
Retatrutide is still being tested in rigorous trials and is still years away from being approved for use.
Despite this, opportunistic peddlers are capitalizing on the hype and illegally creating knock-off versions of the next-generation drug using the pharmaceutical company’s own recipe.
Chinese companies that manufacture the substance in laboratories even shamelessly offer samples for as little as 80p per dose.
One version, manufactured by a company called Centurion Sarms, based in North Shields, England, is billed as “the ultimate weight loss supplement.”
The ads list it as a “weight loss supplement,” with vials emblazoned with the words “not for human consumption” and “research only” in an attempt to avoid being accused of supplying an unapproved drug.
Some are made in Chinese or EU laboratories and marketed to Brits directly online.
That’s because interest in the approved weight-loss drug semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, has reached a fever pitch.
The medications work by activating hormones in the brain that trick the body into slowing down digestion and keeping the stomach full, reducing appetite and, consequently, the amount people eat.
Demand for semaglutide is so high that supplies of the version of the drug designed specifically for diabetics have sometimes run out.
Retatrutide is made by US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, which already makes the Mounjaro weight-loss vaccine, a rival to Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide.
The drug, which is still in the development stage of clinical trials, has been dubbed “triple G” because it targets three different hormones involved in how much we eat.
This compares to Ozempic and Wegovy, who are aiming for one, and Mounjaro, who is aiming for two.
Early trials suggest that patients taking retatrutide experience weight loss of up to 24.2 percent after 48 weeks, the largest amount yet seen with any obesity drug.
In comparison, Wegovy can help people lose 15 percent of their weight.
Images on its website showed 5 mg vials of retatrutide with labels stamped with the words “research only” and “not for human consumption.”
Other examples uncovered by this website include the EU-based company Biolab, which ships retatrutide via Royal Mail in the UK for £110 per 5mg vial.
Mounjaro, nicknamed the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss punches, had a comparative figure of 22.5 per cent.
However, approval for use in the UK is likely still years away, with clinical trials currently underway not expected to conclude until 2026.
A knock-off version, manufactured by a company called Centurion Sarms, based in North Shields, England, is billed as “the ultimate weight loss supplement” for £82 each.
Images on its website showed 5 mg vials of retatrutide with labels emblazoned with the words “research only” and “not for human consumption.”
Centurion Sarms also recommends what it calls “essential items” that customers should purchase along with retatrutide, such as sterile “water for injection.”
The company is not listed on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) register of authorized online medicine sellers.
Other examples of companies offering counterfeit retatrutide uncovered by this website include the EU-based company Biolab, which ships retatrutide via Royal Mail in the UK for £110 per 5 mg vial.
Like Centurion Sarms, Biolab states that its products are intended for research purposes only.
However, the reviews it posts on its website show that people are purchasing and taking the product as a weight loss medication.
“The perfect supplement for anyone looking to reduce and control their food intake,” reads one review.
“My girlfriend loves this product, it helps her stay very slim for a whole year,” says another.
Britons can also order supplies of retatrutide ‘fat loss injection’ from Chinese laboratories for a fraction of the cost of other supplies.
MailOnline found a lab offering 10 vials for just £20, with the seller promising “no customs issues” for delivery to Britain.
All companies offering them are believed to have manufactured them using details submitted by their developer as part of the patent process.
Dr Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the MHRA, said: “Retatrutide is currently in clinical trials and has not been approved for use in the UK.
MailOnline found a Chinese lab offering 10 vials for just £20, with the seller promising “no customs issues” for delivery to Britain.
Experts have warned that Wegovy is not a “magic pill.” Trials have shown that users can quickly regain pounds once they stop taking it, and it can cause side effects such as nausea, constipation, and diarrhea.
“This means it has not yet been proven to meet our standards for safety, quality and effectiveness.”
He urged people not to buy medicines like these from online sellers such as those highlighted by MailOnline.
“Buying any medicine such as semaglutide or a product labeled as retatrutide from suppliers trading illegally online significantly increases the risk of obtaining a counterfeit or unauthorized product for use in the UK,” it said.
“Buying from illegal suppliers means there are no safeguards to ensure products meet our quality and safety standards, and taking such medications can put your health at risk.”
An Eli Lilly spokesperson said: ‘Retatrutide has not been reviewed or approved by the FDA or any regulatory agency anywhere in the world, and is not available to patients outside of Lilly’s clinical trials.
“Lilly is deeply concerned that actors who falsely claim to be selling investigational Lilly products that have not yet received regulatory marketing authorization, such as retatrutide, may expose patients to potentially serious health risks.”
Centurion Sarms’ website on retatrutide was removed shortly after MailOnline highlighted it to UK regulators.
While new hormone-mimicking weight-loss drugs have been hailed as “game-changers” in the fight against bulging waistlines, the medications have notable drawbacks.
Patients have to take the currently approved jabs for life or watch the pounds they lost pile up, doctors warned.
Some rival pharmaceutical companies have also labeled the drugs as indiscriminately applied, since people not only lose weight with them but also muscle mass.
Additionally, like any medication, they can have side effects that vary in both frequency and severity.
In the case of semaglutide, these include nausea, constipation and diarrhea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches, and dizziness.
Stranger and much rarer side effects, such as hair loss, have also been reported.
MailOnline also recently revealed that semaglutide has been linked to 20 deaths in Britain.