Commentary: Gray Market GLP-1 Medications Put Lives at Risk, Especially in the Latino Community

by Raul Lopez

The obesity crisis sweeping across the United States is profound. However, with the advent of GLP-1 medications, Americans have a real chance to combat chronic illnesses like heart disease and other obesity-related complications. While GLP-1 medications are incredibly effective, patients need to make sure they are getting the real FDA-approved version and not a counterfeit, copycat or illicit compounded material, which could jeopardize patient health and safety.

Unfortunately, between non-FDA approved compounded versions, aggressive digital marketing campaigns of GLP-1s that might appear to be FDA approved, but really aren’t and an illicit and counterfeit market of drugs coming across the border that oftentimes contain active pharmaceutical ingredients from China that are mislabeled, aren’t intended for humans (e.g. made for animals), have major safety violations and countless other issues endangering patient safety.

This “gray market” for GLP-1s needs to be addressed by our policymakers and federal regulators like the FDA as it is endangering the health, safety and ultimately lives of countless Americans.

Across the world, foreign actors are concocting compounded GLP-1 medications as a cheaper alternative to FDA-approved options and selling them patients in the United States. Meanwhile, the FDA drags its feet to enforce regulations on these dangerous drugs while Americans suffer a myriad of health complications. The compounded GLP-1 medications flooding into the American market are oftentimes products made with either potentially unsafe active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), unregulated APIs or completely illegal APIs.

For clarity, compounded medicines are not inherently malicious. American pharmacies use compounded medicines to treat patients dealing with unique illnesses that require special dosages. The difference between those medications and the compounded GLP-1 options flooding our markets is that the latter is created with APIs from unknown sources using unregulated supply chains and there is no longer a supply shortage to justify continued compounding of GLP-1s. Americans taking these gray market products have no way of knowing what they’re putting into their bodies.

And, these cheaper and often imitation GLP-1s are not sold in back-alley, black market deals and distributed on street corners. Telehealth marketers, social media influencers and mail-order subscription models are pushing these products to everyday Americans. However, chances are they are not FDA-approved versions and these alternatives pose a health risk to patients.

Most of the gray market GLP-1 products are imported from overseas. Inspections on foreign suppliers discovered unknown residue on equipment, products contaminated with insects and unsterilized needles.

Thankfully, the current administration took steps to successfully bring down the cost of GLP-1 medications using TrumpRx to negotiate lower costs for FDA-approved products, but that doesn’t fix the root issue. No matter how much work the federal government does, misleading imitation suppliers will continue to flood social media ads until the government steps in and takes stern action.

Most Americans aren’t going out of their way to buy bootleg alcohol, even though it may be cheaper, so why are they buying knock-off weight loss drugs? They trust that if they’re able to buy it from a legitimate distributor, then it must be safe. When people buy liquor from the store, they trust that no matter what they purchase, that alcohol was made from a licensed distiller under strict regulatory guidelines. Yet, the FDA, despite countless public statements, letters and promises, still refuses to enforce their own rules when it comes to GLP-1 options.

Fewer communities will be more negatively affected by this neglect than Latino Americans. More than 44% of the Hispanic-American community suffers from obesity. Understandably, the advent of medications like GLP-1 are encouraging.

At Latinos for Tennessee, our core values are faith, family, freedom, and fiscal responsibility. By continuing to allow members of our community to fall victim to the false promise of contaminated GLP-1 medications, these products put the health of our families and economic freedom at risk.

The FDA cannot be allowed to renege on its promise to crack down on foreign GLP-1 distributors. Every American that takes one of these unregulated, compounded medications is unknowingly putting their health and safety at risk. GLP-1 medications are a medical and scientific breakthrough and should be celebrated for what will likely save millions of lives. Unless the FDA cracks down on cheap imitation products, not only will Americans suffer, but their trust and goodwill in this incredible drug will dissipate. We cannot look back wondering how we came so close to solving one of our nation’s most pressing health crises, and never crossed the finish line.

Thankfully, our terrific U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn has teamed up with our fearless Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to call on both the FTC and the FDA to turn concern into action and address the harms that these non-FDA approved drugs are causing to Tennesseans and American families across our country.

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Raul Lopez is Chairman of the Board at Latinos for Tennessee and a Board Member at Rx Border Defense. Lopez was born in Havana, Cuba and escaped communism at the age of 5 with his family. Today, he resides in Middle Tennessee with his wife and 6 children.