Counterfeit versions of retatrutide, an experimental weight-loss injection that has not been approved for human use by any medicines regulator, are being sold openly across the UK, a BBC News investigation published on 5 September 2026 has found. Vials sold as "reta" are changing hands in gyms, nail and beauty salons, hairdressers, on social media and by street sellers, the BBC reported. Retatrutide is being developed by Eli Lilly and is still in Phase III testing. The company's website warns that "no one should take anything claiming to be retatrutide outside of a Lilly-sponsored clinical trial" and that illicit products "may contain unknown ingredients, harmful contaminants and impurities". A Lilly spokesperson told the BBC that "any retatrutide available online is unapproved, unverified and simply not worth the risk". Prof Donal O'Shea, an endocrinologist quoted by the BBC, said young, fit patients were coming into hospital with nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, kidney failure.
What the regulator has done
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has been running enforcement operations against the trade. On 28 May 2026 its Criminal Enforcement Unit raided a country estate near Northampton with Northamptonshire Police, recovering around 12,000 doses of unlicensed weight-loss medicines including retatrutide and tirzepatide, and arrested two men aged 29 on suspicion of offences under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The MHRA called it its largest ever seizure of such products. Andy Morling, head of the unit, said: "Medicines regulation isn't discretionary - it exists to protect people." The agency told the BBC it is working to disrupt illegal importation and distribution.
What this means in practice
The distinction that matters here is a legal one. Retatrutide is an unlicensed medicine, and supplying it in the UK is an offence under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Food supplements, including everything in Perqen's catalogue, sit under food law instead: they are regulated as food, cannot lawfully be presented as treatments for any condition, and are a different category of product from an injectable drug still in trials. The overlap the BBC describes is one of setting rather than substance, with unlicensed injections sold in the same gyms and social feeds where sports nutrition is bought. The MHRA runs a FakeMeds service with guidance on buying medicines online, and suspected side effects can be reported through its Yellow Card scheme.
How Perqen members save
Perqen is a membership retailer selling food supplements from established brands sourced through an authorised EU distributor, with member pricing at £4.99 a month or £29.99 a year. It does not sell prescription or unlicensed medicines, and no product it stocks is an alternative to one.
This article reports published news and research and is for information only. Food supplements are not a substitute for a varied diet or medical care, and no product mentioned is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Speak to your GP or pharmacist before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking prescribed medicines.