From the Guardian · · 1m 20s
A fake weight-loss peptide put someone in hospital
An Australian patient vomited so hard on a counterfeit peptide that their oesophagus tore, and the vial held something else entirely.
In brief
An Australian patient vomited so hard on a counterfeit peptide that their oesophagus tore, and the vial held something else entirely. An unmarked vial bought online can hold a different drug at a different dose than the label promises, and the damage lands before anyone finds out what was in it. Originally reported by…
A torn oesophagus
Someone in Australia took what they thought was retatrutide and vomited so severely they tore their oesophagus. It can be fatal. They ended up in hospital.
The drug isn't even legal
Retatrutide is experimental. No regulator in Australia or overseas has approved it, so it cannot be legally prescribed or sold there.
Sold as Reta, R-10, R-20
Despite being unapproved, it is pushed hard on social media and the hidden market under several names, usually shipping in unmarked vials.
The vial held something else
The TGA tested the product and found no retatrutide at all. It contained semaglutide, at roughly eight times the level in approved semaglutide products.
Nobody knows what's inside
The TGA's chief medical adviser said the real danger is total uncertainty: what substance, how much, whether it's sterile, what contaminants came along.
“The biggest risks with unapproved peptide products are not knowing what is in the vial”
This isn't the first case
Victoria's health department flagged six cases of acute liver toxicity from products labelled retatrutide in June. Australia's chief medical officer has warned about peptides before.
The headline
An unmarked vial bought online can hold a different drug at a different dose than the label promises, and the damage lands before anyone finds out what was in it.
