{"id":993916,"date":"2026-08-12T05:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/lilly-calls-on-online-platforms-payment-companies-and-regulators-to-shut-down-the-illegal-retatrutide-black-market\/"},"modified":"2026-08-12T05:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-12T09:33:16","slug":"lilly-calls-on-online-platforms-payment-companies-and-regulators-to-shut-down-the-illegal-retatrutide-black-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marketnewsdesk.com\/index.php\/lilly-calls-on-online-platforms-payment-companies-and-regulators-to-shut-down-the-illegal-retatrutide-black-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Lilly calls on online platforms, payment companies and regulators to shut down the illegal retatrutide black market"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PR Newswire<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\n Files six new lawsuits as company escalates fight to protect patients<\/i>\n <\/p>\n

\n INDIANAPOLIS<\/span>, Aug. 12, 2026<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ — Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today escalated its continued fight to protect patients from the dangerous black market for retatrutide, filing six new lawsuits against U.S. entities selling black-market products in addition to having referred hundreds of bad actors to regulators and law enforcement worldwide. Lilly is also calling on the entities that sellers use to conduct their illegal business\u2014social media and e-commerce platforms, credit card companies, payment processors and shipping and logistics carriers\u2014to help protect patients and fight this illicit activity. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), unapproved drugs sold for human use may pose significant risks for patients and are illegal.<\/p>\n

“Retatrutide is being rigorously studied as part of a comprehensive clinical trial development program,” said David A. Hyman, M.D., Lilly’s chief medical officer. “We take the responsibility\u00a0of evaluating the safety and efficacy of our investigational medicines\u00a0seriously. What is being sold on the black market is not a medicine \u2013 it is entirely\u00a0unverified, unapproved and not worth the risk.”<\/p>\n

Retatrutide is an investigational molecule in Phase 3 clinical trials for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other related indications<\/a>. No medicine containing retatrutide has yet been approved for human use by any regulatory agency in the world. It cannot be sold to consumers.<\/p>\n

FDA has made clear<\/a>\u00a0that sales of unapproved retatrutide to consumers are illegal, that retatrutide cannot be lawfully compounded, and that so-called “research-use only” products “are of unknown quality and may be harmful to [consumers’] health.” Yet black-market sellers and businesses posing as legitimate medical providers openly sell retatrutide as a weight-loss “hack.” These “medical spas,” “wellness clinics” and self-styled suppliers are not practicing medicine; they are selling illegal drugs, frequently made by unregulated foreign manufacturers. Regulators, customs agencies and law enforcement worldwide have warned of the same dangers and acted on them, raiding clandestine manufacturing sites, seizing shipments and arresting those involved.<\/p>\n

Lilly’s lawsuits target U.S. entities selling illegal retatrutide products, including compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and online sellers that falsely claim their drugs are for “research-use only” when they are actually intended for human use. Lilly has also referred more than 200 individuals and entities to FDA, the U.S. Department of Justice, state attorneys general, law enforcement, and professional licensing boards, and is working with global regulators, law enforcement, and customs authorities to stop this illegal market. The company has reported more than 14,000 websites, advertisements, social media posts and product listings that unlawfully market retatrutide in over 100 countries to internet service providers, social media platforms, and e-commerce companies, but some continue to amplify misleading content to vulnerable consumers.<\/p>\n

Now, Lilly is calling on others to join the fight for patient safety:<\/p>\n