TG SAFE warns public, doctors against unapproved weight-loss drugs sold online

TG SAFE has warned the public and medical practitioners against the use, prescription or purchase of unapproved weight-loss drugs and experimental peptide products being sold through online platforms and social media channels.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) on Wednesday issued a public advisory warning the general public and doctors against procuring, prescribing, or self-administering unapproved weight-loss medications and experimental peptide products from unregulated online platforms and social media channels.

TGSAFE in a statement on Wednesday said that certain medical practitioners and online vendors are distributing unapproved drugs like Retatrutide and Orforglipron, and experimental peptides such as Tesamorelin, BPC-157, and GHK-Cu. Many of these items are falsely marketed as ‘research chemicals’ or labelled ‘Not for Human Consumption’ and yet sold with injection kits.

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TG SAFE cautioned that such products lack necessary regulatory approvals, bypass sterility and quality controls, and pose severe health risks, including life-threatening complications.

The State drug regulatory authority has also warned that online marketplaces and messaging channels like Telegram frequently peddle fraudulent or mislabelled vials whose actual contents bear no reliable relation to their labels.

Since such injectable substances bypass standard sterility and safety evaluations, individuals who self-administer them face severe hazards, ranging from dangerous bacterial infections and severe adverse reactions to fatal outcomes.

Doctors have been warned against prescribing or administering unapproved formulations in violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, TG SAFE in a press release said.

The general public can report such instances to TG SAFE Drugs Wing toll-free number: 1800-599-6969 between 10.30 am and 5 pm on working days.