Demand for glucagon-like peptide-1 weight-loss drugs — such as Ozempic, Zepbound and Wegovy — coupled with limited insurance coverage has fueled a risky but growing “gray” market for purchasing active ingredients from China, Reuters reported recently.
Reuters cited a 44% monthly increase in January in shipments of tirzepatide and semaglutide from Chinese suppliers not registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to data from the Partnership for Safe Medicines. The gray market — named because the drugs are technically legal to buy for “research purposes” — provides users with GLP-1 compounds, including semaglutide, tirzepatide and even retatrutide, which is still in clinical trials, in powder form for as little as $50 a vial. Buyers then mix the powder with bacteriostatic water at home to create an injectable solution.
