Weight loss drugs without a prescription? Study warns it’s a ‘very risky business’ Katie Palmer By Katie Palmer Aug. 2, 2024

https://www.statnews.com/2024/08/02/weight-loss-drugs-semaglutide-illegal-pharmacies/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-93bYptKOqsnc50vSo03Yq_SsArPiRIJ1cQ65SV7Ua8W7WN1_A0GjXfJsuEf6kyQIrRfmV9_wiEoybU93wXSvP3yjDFGQ&_hsmi=318674733&utm_content=318674733&utm_source=hs_email The 'risky business' of buying weight loss drugs online As shortages of blockbuster obesity and diabetes medications continue, people have found a “wild west” of online prescribers that provide compounded versions of the drugs, which are not FDA-approved and have not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness. Illegal online pharmacies also offer to mail out the drugs without any prescription at all. But how safe are the products they’re shipping? In a new study, published on JAMA Network Open, researchers found that semaglutide ordered from illegal sites contained significantly more of the drug than labeled, and one sample even contained signs of potential bacterial contamination during manufacturing. “It's just a very, very risky business, going online and buying this product,” study co-author Tim Mackey told STAT’s Katie Palmer. “Just because it's online and it's accessible and it can be sold without a prescription, does not mean it's authentic.”