Eli Lilly (LLY) is taking legal action against six U.S. companies it says are illegally selling black-market versions of its experimental weight-loss drug retatrutide. LLY stock was trading down 0.68% on Wednesday.
The lawsuits target Aesthetic Envy Cosmetic Centers, Astra, Legendary Peptides, Striker Pharmacy, Texas Peptides, and Lone Star Peptide. The defendants span a range of business types, including compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and online resellers.
Retatrutide is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and related conditions. No regulator has approved the drug for human use.
The FDA made its position clear in June, stating that sales of retatrutide and other unapproved GLP-1 products are illegal and cannot lawfully be compounded.
“What is being sold on the black market is not a medicine. It is entirely unverified, unapproved and not worth the risk,” said Lilly Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Hyman.
Despite that, demand for obesity treatments has created a thriving online market. Some sellers have marketed retatrutide through websites, social media, and businesses presenting themselves as legitimate medical providers.
Lilly says these sellers are sourcing products from unregulated manufacturers, raising serious patient safety concerns.
Beyond the six lawsuits, Lilly has referred more than 200 individuals and entities to the FDA, the U.S. Justice Department, state attorneys general, and law enforcement agencies.
The company is also calling on social media platforms, e-commerce sites, payment processors, credit card companies, and shipping firms to take stronger action against sellers of unapproved retatrutide products.
“Every single time that someone takes one of these, they’re exposing themselves to a huge amount of risk,” said Dr. Max Denning, Lilly’s Associate Vice President and Therapeutic Area Lead for Global Patient Safety, Cardiometabolic Health.
The scale of the problem is growing fast. U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted over 690 shipments, totaling more than 31,000 units, of illicit GLP-1 drugs during fiscal year 2025.
In July alone, those numbers more than doubled. Customs agents recorded over 1,400 seizures and intercepted nearly 90,000 vials in a single month.
The surge in seizures points to how quickly the black market for unapproved GLP-1 drugs has grown, driven by consumer demand for weight-loss treatments.
Lilly’s campaign against unauthorized retatrutide sellers began before the current round of lawsuits. Wednesday’s filings represent its most direct legal action yet against named defendants.
The six companies named in the lawsuits are Aesthetic Envy Cosmetic Centers, Astra, Legendary Peptides, Striker Pharmacy, Texas Peptides, and Lone Star Peptide.
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