{"id":39544,"date":"2026-05-29T02:44:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T02:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/?p=39544"},"modified":"2026-05-29T02:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T02:44:15","slug":"weight-loss-drugs-like-glp-1s-are-easy-to-buy-online-raising-overdose-and-safety-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/?p=39544","title":{"rendered":"Weight-loss drugs like GLP-1s are easy to buy online raising overdose and safety concerns"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"anchor-a45348\" class=\"body-graf\">Within 24 hours of injecting the first dose of a weight loss medication she received following a visit with a telehealth doctor, Karleigh McClain was admitted to the hospital, she said.<\/p>\n<p><button class=\"styles_subscriptionCTA__LOUeY\" id=\"subscriptionCTA\" type=\"button\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"styles_textWrapper__vxvko\">\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB styles_textLarge__qlzwu\">Subscribe to read this story ad-free    <\/p>\n<p class=\"styles_text__daaVB\">Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/rockcms\/2026-01\/arrow-f55fa5.svg\" alt=\"arrow\" class=\"styles_arrow__tnruW\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/button><\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ee6973\" class=\"body-graf\">The 31-year-old compliance consultant from Hendersonville, Tennessee, said she couldn\u2019t stop vomiting.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ab63f1\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cSunday morning, it all hits,\u201d McClain recalled, as she described what happened that weekend in January. \u201cI can\u2019t keep anything down.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-679725\" class=\"body-graf\">McClain said she thought the dosage the telehealth company had prescribed seemed too high. She tried to contact her doctor, but when she didn\u2019t get an immediate response, she said she called the company and a \u201ccare team\u201d representative confirmed the instructions \u2014 which said to inject 2.21 milligrams of the semaglutide medication once a week \u2014 were correct.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-86300c\" class=\"body-graf\">It turned out, however, that was nearly nine times the amount patients are typically told to take for their first dose.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-4703e9\" class=\"body-graf\">Nearly a month after she was diagnosed with an overdose, McClain said she was \u201cstill dealing with the residual side effects,\u201d including an elevated heart rate and vision problems she felt were tied to the medication.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"styles_inlineImage__FvnTh styles_medium__MEKii styles_portrait__NEQhG\" id=\"anchor-052684\"><picture class=\"styles_image__i32F7\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"fit\" data-original-height=\"3126\" data-original-width=\"2500\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1000px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260528-Karleigh-McClain-2-rs-c9bf53.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-560w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260528-Karleigh-McClain-2-rs-c9bf53.jpg 1x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_avif,q_auto:eco,dpr_2\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260528-Karleigh-McClain-2-rs-c9bf53.jpg 2x, https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260528-Karleigh-McClain-2-rs-c9bf53.jpg 1x\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_fit-760w,f_auto,q_auto:best\/rockcms\/2026-05\/260528-Karleigh-McClain-2-rs-c9bf53.jpg\" alt=\"The dose the telehealth company prescribed to Karleigh McClain was nearly nine times the amount patients are typically told to take for their first dose.\" height=\"3126\" width=\"2500\"\/><\/picture><figcaption class=\"caption styles_caption__TCewG\" data-testid=\"caption\"><span class=\"caption__container\" data-testid=\"caption__container\">The dose the telehealth company prescribed to Karleigh McClain was nearly nine times the amount patients are typically told to take for their first dose.<\/span><span class=\"caption__source\" data-testid=\"caption__source\">NBC Nightly News<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p id=\"anchor-ef643f\" class=\"body-graf\">Most patients who have taken a GLP-1 received their prescription through a primary care doctor or a specialist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/health-costs\/kff-health-tracking-poll-may-2024-the-publics-use-and-views-of-glp-1-drugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KFF polling data<\/a> shows. But as the uptake of telehealth has grown substantially since the start of the covid pandemic, McClain is one of millions of Americans who have used online companies to meet a variety of their medical needs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-322569\" class=\"body-graf\">Many of the companies have started offering GLP-1 medications for weight loss as demand for these drugs has exploded. But certain medication errors tied to GLP-1s have exploded too, according to a KFF Health News review of Food and Drug Administration data, and physicians and telemedicine researchers worry that adverse experiences tied to telehealth companies are becoming more common.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d0b2cf\" class=\"body-graf\">Bad outcomes aren\u2019t unique to telehealth providers or to the compounded weight loss drugs many of them offer. In fact, product liability lawsuits alleging patient injuries have been filed overwhelmingly against pharmaceutical giants Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk, which manufacture name-brand weight loss drugs, court data shows. The drugmakers have defended their products.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-cc756e\" class=\"body-graf\">However, some critics are also concerned that getting a weight loss prescription online is usually much easier than getting one through an in-person appointment. Not only do many telehealth companies write quick prescriptions for GLP-1s, but they often sell the medications, too, allowing patients to bypass in-person pharmacy visits. This one-stop shopping isn\u2019t necessarily a good thing, according to critics who say some telehealth providers are writing prescriptions for people who should not be taking GLP-1s and then providing little or no follow-up care.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-606392\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cIt gives a black eye to telemedicine,\u201d said Elizabeth Krupinski, an experimental psychologist at Emory University who has conducted research on the effectiveness of telehealth.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0d4ddd\" class=\"body-graf\">Telemedicine stands to benefit \u201cso many people,\u201d Krupinski said, particularly when the technology is integrated within a larger healthcare system. That way, patients benefit from the convenience of telehealth while maintaining a connection with their in-person providers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-fd5517\" class=\"body-graf\">But some telehealth companies are marketing GLP-1s as an easy way to lose weight \u2014 sometimes with the help of paid celebrity endorsements \u2014 without emphasizing the importance of healthy eating and exercise, she said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-1f6a78\" class=\"body-graf\">They may be following the letter of the law, Krupinski said. But writing prescriptions while skimping on care \u201cis not in the Hippocratic oath.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-298794\" class=\"body-heading\"><strong>A \u201cperfect storm\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-cd30d2\" class=\"body-graf\">Starting around 2020, many states loosened restrictions on telehealth, which allowed online companies to proliferate. This helped accommodate patients who could not, or chose not to, be seen in person at <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/health-industry\/coronavirus-fuels-explosive-growth-in-telehealth-%e2%80%95-and-concern-about-fraud\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the height of covid transmission<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5e3105\" class=\"body-graf\">Expanded telehealth access was also intended to lower <a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/dead-zone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">barriers in rural communities<\/a>, as well as mitigate doctor and nurse shortages. In many places, telehealth doctors and nurses are legally allowed to treat patients across state lines. But the way telemedicine is practiced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cchpca.org\/topic\/cross-state-licensing-professional-requirements\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">varies widely<\/a>, and state laws largely dictate rules that telehealth providers must follow.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a9c4bf\" class=\"body-graf\">Some companies, such as Mochi Health, require patients to meet virtually with a provider, such as a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant, before they can get a GLP-1 prescription.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-b87c49\" class=\"body-graf\">But others, including Ro, sometimes require nothing more of patients than an \u201casynchronous\u201d evaluation, which does not include a live conversation with a healthcare provider. During this type of evaluation, customers are typically asked to fill out an intake form and answer a medical history questionnaire before they are evaluated for a prescription. Ro requires a follow-up conversation in real time when required by state law, said Nicholas Samonas, a spokesperson for the company.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c2ccb3\" class=\"body-graf\">Some medical experts are concerned that virtual care may be insufficient for prescribing weight loss drugs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-fce8d9\" class=\"body-graf\">Patients with a history of pancreatitis, for example, should be counseled about potential complications, medical studies show. The same goes for people with a condition called gastroparesis, which affects stomach nerves and muscles, and those susceptible to medullary thyroid cancer.<\/p>\n<section class=\"inline-video inline-video--in-body\" data-testid=\"inline-video\" id=\"anchor-27c235\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__background\">\n<div class=\"inline-video__player\">\n<div class=\"styles_gridStackWrapper__Z_AMc styles_videoContainer___xc7B video-container paused\" data-testid=\"gamma-video-player\">\n<div class=\"styles_gridStackWrapper__Z_AMc videoSlate styles_videoSlate__IvkAP\"><picture class=\"\" data-testid=\"picture\" data-flavor=\"focal\"><source media=\"(min-width: 1240px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-860x484,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_05\/1779365084250_tdy_health_7a_azar_retatrutide_260521_S3_1920x1080-ukdcx4.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 758px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-1000x563,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_05\/1779365084250_tdy_health_7a_azar_retatrutide_260521_S3_1920x1080-ukdcx4.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 320px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_05\/1779365084250_tdy_health_7a_azar_retatrutide_260521_S3_1920x1080-ukdcx4.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com\/image\/upload\/t_focal-760x428,f_auto,q_auto:best\/mpx\/2704722219\/2026_05\/1779365084250_tdy_health_7a_azar_retatrutide_260521_S3_1920x1080-ukdcx4.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p id=\"anchor-5aef60\" class=\"body-graf\">Some patients may also benefit from blood work or muscle mass screening before starting a GLP-1.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-05c247\" class=\"body-graf\">But not all telehealth companies are adequately evaluating patients before writing prescriptions, said Marc-Andre Cornier, an endocrinologist at the Medical University of South Carolina and the immediate past president of The Obesity Society.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-a2a24c\" class=\"body-graf\">When it comes to parsing the good from the bad, \u201cwhose job is it to police that?\u201d he asked. The problem, he said, is there aren\u2019t criteria written by a government agency or a medical society to determine which providers are treating patients appropriately and which aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ac100d\" class=\"body-graf\">While the first GLP-1 was approved by the FDA more than 20 years ago, to treat Type 2 diabetes, the use of these drugs took off in 2021 when Novo Nordisk received approval for a semaglutide drug to treat obesity, with the brand name Wegovy. In a 2025 KFF poll, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/public-opinion\/poll-1-in-8-adults-say-they-are-currently-taking-a-glp-1-drug-for-weight-loss-diabetes-or-another-condition-even-as-half-say-the-drugs-are-difficult-to-afford\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nearly 1 in 5 adults<\/a> said they had taken a GLP-1.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-798b39\" class=\"body-graf\">In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nejm.org\/doi\/full\/10.1056\/NEJMp2600300\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent paper<\/a> in The New England Journal of Medicine, physician Amanda Banks noted that the proportion of GLP-1 prescriptions written for people who were not diabetic, obese, or overweight increased from 4.5% in 2018 to 17% in 2023.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-11948a\" class=\"body-graf\">In the paper, Banks called it \u201ctroubling\u201d how easy it is to obtain a prescription for weight loss drugs and worried they might exacerbate existing eating disorders or cause new cases, including of anorexia.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-83a096\" class=\"body-graf\">Cornier, who has received compensation from Novo Nordisk for serving as a consultant, echoed some of Banks\u2019 concerns. \u201cIt\u2019s not just filling out a form online and then having some random healthcare provider sign off on it,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are concerns with some of these online programs that there\u2019s not a proper evaluation, there\u2019s not a baseline, and there\u2019s not proper supervision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-43c3f4\" class=\"body-graf\">The American Telemedicine Association, which advocates for the expansion of \u201cdigitally enabled care,\u201d has not addressed how telehealth providers prescribe GLP-1s, spokesperson Gina Cella said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-570c83\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cThis is a bit out of our scope,\u201d Cella said, when asked if the association had addressed the topic of telehealth providers and GLP-1 prescriptions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-d2b6ec\" class=\"body-graf\">The lack of clarity makes choosing a company potentially confusing for patients, and the medical profession is partly to blame, said Jamy Ard, an obesity doctor and researcher at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-cd8ba4\" class=\"body-graf\">Doctors have historically done a bad job counseling patients about weight loss, and many people aren\u2019t comfortable talking to their primary care doctor about it, Ard said. Patients think, \u201cWhy would I go to my doctor and have them say, \u2018Eat less and move more,\u2019 when I have heard that a million times and I don\u2019t want to have that lecture again?\u201d Ard said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-290cea\" class=\"body-graf\">This problem, combined with past shortages of name-brand versions of GLP-1s, such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Trulicity, has created a \u201cperfect storm\u201d for telehealth companies to flourish, said Ard, who has received support from pharmaceutical and telehealth companies.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-14f949\" class=\"body-graf\">While some telehealth companies prescribe only name-brand weight loss drugs, many also offer cheaper, compounded versions. They act as intermediaries between customers and mail-order compounding pharmacies, which create GLP-1s by mixing active ingredients, such as semaglutide, with additives. The ingredients for compounded drugs are commonly sourced from overseas suppliers, and the formulations are not reviewed by the FDA for safety.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-009a7b\" class=\"body-graf\">The environment is \u201cvery much uncontrolled and poorly, if at all, regulated,\u201d Ard said. \u201cThere is just no standard of care.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3e2747\" class=\"body-graf\">Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said that compounded drugs \u201cshould only be used in patients whose medical needs cannot be met by an FDA-approved drug.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-fc8b7c\" class=\"body-graf\">Hilliard said the agency urges \u201cconsumers to be vigilant and know the source of their medicine.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-1758c9\" class=\"body-heading\"><strong>Understanding the risks<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-206edb\" class=\"body-graf\">While weight loss drugs have helped millions of people lose weight, they\u2019re not without risk, the data shows.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-637759\" class=\"body-graf\">A KFF Health News data analysis of the FDA\u2019s Adverse Event Monitoring System found that medication errors made by providers or patients with popular weight loss drugs exploded from just over 2,000 reports in 2020 to over 25,000 in 2025. Those self-reported events involved semaglutide, tirzepatide, dulaglutide, and liraglutide, the generic names for leading GLP-1s.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-f1b860\" class=\"body-graf\">Among frequent issues cited in the adverse event reports were administration of an extra or incorrect dose, issues with communication about a product, and prescribing errors.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-72bb9b\" class=\"body-graf\">Since 2019, the National Poison Data System has fielded a <a href=\"https:\/\/poisoncenters.org\/track\/GLP-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">nearly 1,500% increase in calls<\/a> related to overdoses or side effects from injectable weight loss drugs. The data does not distinguish between overdoses tied to a telehealth prescription and those stemming from an in-person medical appointment, but it is a reflection of how prevalent these drugs have become.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-355f51\" class=\"body-graf\">Yet data on potential medication errors and adverse reactions to GLP-1 medications is incomplete, because many issues are never reported to federal officials.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-7c8ac2\" class=\"body-graf\">For example, in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations\/warning-letters\/novo-nordisk-inc-717576-03052026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March 5 warning letter<\/a>, the FDA accused drugmaker Novo Nordisk, the maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, of failing to report some adverse events to the federal government, including suicidal ideation and death.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-5f9be0\" class=\"body-graf\">Nobody knows how often adverse events occur, said Kristen Nixon, a Johns Hopkins University researcher who has studied posts about weight loss drugs on Reddit, a popular online forum.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-3a413e\" class=\"body-graf\">Her team analyzed hundreds of Reddit posts from 2020 through last August and identified frequent mentions of drug reactions and user errors, such as patients\u2019 not knowing how to correctly dose and inject the medication.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-64bb28\" class=\"body-graf\">But another finding also stood out to her.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-79e68f\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cWow, there are a lot of people talking about telehealth,\u201d Nixon recalled thinking. Reddit commenters said they got GLP-1 prescriptions from scores of telehealth platforms, Nixon found. Commenters also mentioned several dozen compounding pharmacies \u2014 often in the same posts about telehealth.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-9b39f7\" class=\"body-graf\">Pharmacies are typically required to counsel patients on medications they receive. But Nixon\u2019s research found that telehealth companies often mail the medications directly, meaning patients do not need to go to a pharmacy.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-f299a9\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cAnecdotally, it seems like the telehealth companies are really facilitating access to compounded medications,\u201d Nixon said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-30eebf\" class=\"body-graf\">Leslie Gammon, 54, an office manager from Wendell, North Carolina, said she turned to a telehealth company called Amble Health for a weight loss drug prescription. She was given a GLP-1 after filling out an online form, she said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-892faf\" class=\"body-graf\">Like McClain, when she received her mail-order compounded medication in late October, she thought the dosage that accompanied it seemed too high. She\u2019d received a box of semaglutide earlier in the month with a much lower dose. But the refill she received was a stronger formulation, and the instructions told Gammon to inject three times the volume she had been taking in previous weeks.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e30997\" class=\"body-graf\">Even though she injected slightly less than that recommended amount before bed on a Sunday evening, she woke up in the middle of the night \u201cthrowing up every 20 to 25 minutes,\u201d she said. And it didn\u2019t stop until Tuesday. She was eventually admitted to a hospital in Raleigh and now owes the hospital over $9,000, a medical bill shows.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-428262\" class=\"body-graf\">Amble Health did not respond to questions for this article.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-655046\" class=\"body-graf\">The delivery system for injectable versions of weight loss drugs is more complicated than for a pill. In its National Poison Data System alert, America\u2019s Poison Centers noted that some people reported \u201caccidentally taking 10-times the recommended dose due to confusing measurement units while using a syringe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-42b3d8\" class=\"body-graf\">And people who are eager to lose extra weight \u2014 before a wedding or a vacation, for example \u2014 may choose to self-administer a higher-than-recommended dose, said Arthur Caplan, a bioethics professor at New York University\u2019s Grossman School of Medicine.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-8c5493\" class=\"body-graf\">Some telehealth companies aren\u2019t doing enough, he said, to make sure patients understand the risks or the complex delivery system associated with the injectable drugs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-4f16a3\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cThe consent is not adequate,\u201d Caplan said. \u201cThere\u2019s no probing to see if you understood anything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-613d1f\" class=\"body-graf\">Cella, with the American Telemedicine Association, said the group has not addressed the difficulty of educating patients about the risks of injecting weight loss drugs. But she pointed to the association\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americantelemed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/ATA-Provider-Principles-May-2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Principles of Practice<\/a>,\u201d which states that telehealth business models \u201cmust put the patient first.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-258c39\" class=\"body-heading\"><strong>Proceed with caution<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-20353c\" class=\"body-graf\">Pharmaceutical companies must list potentially harmful side effects when they advertise the name-brand versions of their FDA-approved medications. Potential <a href=\"https:\/\/my.clevelandclinic.org\/health\/treatments\/13901-glp-1-agonists\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">side effects of GLP-1s<\/a> include nausea, vomiting, changes in vision, low blood sugar, and, in rare cases, thyroid cancer. Meanwhile, telehealth companies have not historically followed the same rules that drugmakers have in disclosing medication risks in advertisements. But the FDA has started cracking down on misleading drug ads.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-2afbab\" class=\"body-graf\">A national shortage of weight loss medications in 2022 opened the door for compounding pharmacies to manufacture these drugs. But since the FDA declared the shortage over last year, companies that offer compounded drugs are increasingly facing legal and regulatory challenges related to their marketing tactics.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-8f5555\" class=\"body-graf\">Mounjaro manufacturer Eli Lilly and other drugmakers are suing multiple telehealth companies for promoting compounded versions of their drugs. In one legal complaint, Eli Lilly alleged Mochi Health had engaged in \u201cdeceptive\u201d business tactics. In a motion to dismiss the lawsuit last year, lawyers for Mochi Health called the complaint part of a \u201cnationwide campaign to bolster Lilly\u2019s profits by dictating patient care through the elimination of compounded drugs as a treatment option for weight management.\u201d The lawsuit is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-289dca\" class=\"body-graf\">Eli Lilly spokesperson Michael Jamison said in a written comment that telehealth companies sued by the drug manufacturer threaten \u201cpatient safety by falsely promoting supposedly \u2018personalized\u2019 compounded tirzepatide\u201d and mislead \u201cconsumers about the safety, clinical testing, and effectiveness of their compounded knockoffs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-40608f\" class=\"body-graf\">Meanwhile, Novo Nordisk has filed 130 lawsuits against \u201centities engaged in unlawful marketing and sale of knockoff semaglutide drugs,\u201d said Liz Skrbkova, a spokesperson for the drugmaker.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-e46202\" class=\"body-graf\">She said the company is committed to \u201cprotecting patients from unapproved knockoff drugs made with foreign, inauthentic active pharmaceutical ingredients that pose significant safety and efficacy risks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-418f36\" class=\"body-graf\">The Trump administration sent a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/news-events\/press-announcements\/fda-warns-30-telehealth-companies-against-illegal-marketing-compounded-glp-1s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">flurry of warning letters<\/a> in September and February to online companies such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations\/warning-letters\/hims-hers-health-inc-dba-hims-716567-09092025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hims &amp; Hers<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations\/warning-letters\/lean-rx-inc-dba-skinnyrx-717989-02202026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">SkinnyRx<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations\/warning-letters\/join-josie-717986-02202026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Join Josie<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations\/warning-letters\/genesis-health-international-inc-dba-genesis-721451-02202026\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Genesis Health International<\/a>. The FDA said these and other companies had made false or misleading claims related to compounded versions of weight loss drugs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-1e7467\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cYour claims imply that your products are the same as an FDA-approved product when they are not,\u201d the agency\u2019s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations\/warning-letters\/hims-hers-health-inc-dba-hers-09092025\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote to Hims &amp; Hers<\/a> on Sept. 9. The Department of Health and Human Services later referred the company to the Department of Justice after it announced the launch of a $49 version of Novo Nordisk\u2019s Wegovy pill.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-ab22a5\" class=\"body-graf\">When asked about the FDA warning, Abby Reisinger-Moley, a spokesperson for Hims &amp; Hers, pointed to a <a href=\"https:\/\/investors.hims.com\/news\/news-details\/2026\/Hims--Hers-Announces-Strategic-Shift-for-US-Weight-Loss-Business\/default.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">March statement from the company<\/a> announcing a shift away from compounded weight loss drugs. The company said in the press release that it had entered into an agreement with Novo Nordisk to sell name-brand versions.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-613f4c\" class=\"body-graf\">Alex Smith, CEO of Join Josie, an online platform that helps women in menopause lose weight by prescribing GLP-1s, said his company also made changes in response to an FDA letter, to include removing Join Josie\u2019s name from medication vials. \u201cWhich I agree with,\u201d Smith said, \u201cbecause you don\u2019t want patients thinking you\u2019re the compounding pharmacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-8ad3ef\" class=\"body-graf\">SkinnyRx and Genesis Health International did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-7b3fd9\" class=\"body-graf\">But these warnings aren\u2019t the first time the federal government has stepped in to ensure that telemedicine is being used appropriately, said Mei Wa Kwong, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0381e5\" class=\"body-graf\">Prior cases involved attention-deficit\/hyperactivity disorder medications and other controlled substances prescribed by telehealth providers, she said. While those drugs pose more risk to patients than GLP-1s, the companies were also accused of improperly screening potential customers.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-f5e1d3\" class=\"body-graf\">The onus still falls on consumers to research companies before signing up for their services, Kwong said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-7c08af\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cAlways approach anything on the internet with a hint of skepticism,\u201d Kwong said.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"anchor-f3dfdd\" class=\"body-heading\"><strong>\u2018Keeps getting worse\u2019<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p id=\"anchor-532906\" class=\"body-graf\">McClain, the Tennessee woman hospitalized this year after a GLP-1 overdose, said she lost 50 pounds a few years ago by taking a name-brand GLP-1 prescribed by her doctor.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-45c768\" class=\"body-graf\">At the time, the medication was covered by her health insurance. This year, when she was ready to take a GLP-1 again following a pregnancy, the drug was no longer covered for weight loss.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-0d9236\" class=\"body-graf\">To save money by obtaining a cheaper, compounded GLP-1, McClain signed up for Mochi Health after doing her own research. \u201cThat was just the most affordable option,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-c0e359\" class=\"body-graf\">But within hours of her first dose, she said, she found herself on the phone with poison control.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-1f7e2a\" class=\"body-graf\">After her overdose, McClain said, she spoke to a clinical director at Mochi Health, once by phone but mostly via email, about her lingering symptoms before communication paused.<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-2de30e\" class=\"body-graf\">David Pilip, a spokesperson for Mochi Health, said in a statement that the company would not discuss individual patients due to privacy obligations. But he said adverse events are \u201cimmediately flagged\u201d and \u201cinvestigated with extreme precision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-87b54c\" class=\"body-graf\">\u201cMochi Health takes patient safety extremely seriously,\u201d Pilip wrote in an email. \u201cWe promptly initiated a review and have been in direct and ongoing communication with the patient to reach a resolution. We remain committed to doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-017da6\" class=\"body-graf\">McClain anticipates her healthcare bills related to the hospital stay will total at least $900. She said that to get the $159 refund for her three-month membership and reimbursement for the hospital expenses, she has been asked to sign a document saying she won\u2019t take legal action against the company. Her experience, she said, \u201cjust keeps getting worse.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"anchor-4a6148\" class=\"endmark body-graf\"><a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/about-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>KFF Health News<\/em><\/a><em> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/health\/health-news\/glp1-weight-loss-drugs-online-safety-risks-overdose-rcna347187\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Within 24 hours of injecting the first dose of a weight loss medication she received following a visit with a telehealth doctor, Karleigh McClain was admitted to the hospital, she said. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. The 31-year-old compliance consultant from Hendersonville, Tennessee, said she [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39545,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-conditions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=39544"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39544\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39546,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39544\/revisions\/39546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/39545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=39544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=39544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pickbydoc.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=39544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}