People Are Already Taking This Unapproved New Weight-Loss Drug

Such endorsements abound online. Other reta boosters also flag its alleged ability to reduce cravings for drugs and alcohol. (Some clinical literature has suggested the potential of GLP-1-type drugs in the treatment of addiction, attributable to their ability to rewire dopamine signaling in the brain.) Less desirable side effects reported, in trials and anecdotally, include low energy, dizziness, cutaneous hyperesthesia (a form of extreme sensitivity to touch), and decreased libido.

Eli Lilly, the drug’s aboveboard manufacturer, is currently completing Phase III trials. If all goes according to plan, FDA approval should follow, and marketability by late 2026 or early 2027 could be possible, based on the timelines of other drugs in the category. In a statement to WIRED, a Lilly spokesperson Niki Biro noted that, given its effectiveness, retatrutide is currently being targeted to “those with high BMI or with obesity-related complications that require a high degree of weight loss, where the clinical need may be greater.”

Biro also cautions that “retatrutide is an investigational molecule that is legally available only to participants in Lilly’s clinical trials. Anyone purporting to sell retatrutide for human use is breaking the law, and no one should consider taking anything claiming to be retatrutide outside of a Lilly-sponsored clinical trial.” When WIRED put this to Terry, he reiterated that the products are not intended for human consumption. “It’s for research purposes only,” he says. “It’s all over the website.”

Suffice to say, online retailers potentially risk infringing on patents protected by pharmaceutical companies. Indeed, Dresser says producers of such chemicals can glean the drug’s molecular structure by referring to patent literature submitted by pharmaceutical sponsors to regulatory agencies like the FDA.

When reached for comment, the FDA pointed to past warnings issued against companies selling retatrutide. “These products have been sold directly to consumers for human use with dosing instructions,” the FDA’s statement to WIRED read. “The agency urges consumers not to purchase these products, which are of unknown quality and may be harmful to their health.”

Until FDA approval, the drug is likely to find a thriving market online, investigated by users looking to kick-start weight loss or speed up their cuts, and purveyed by middle-man retailers like Jake Terry. “The only reason I’ve done this is to make it more accessible,” Terry says. “If I can help people become more healthy, that’s my goal.”