In a worrying trend, social media influencers are pushing counterfeit versions of an experimental weight loss drug to impressionable youngsters grappling with their body image.

A quick search for 'retatrutide' on TikTok and Instagram directs users to a flurry of videos promoting the product as a miracle solution for shedding body fat while preserving muscle mass. The medication is currently being developed by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly and is in its third phase of development.

As the first drug to tackle weight loss in three distinct ways, it could become a significant contender in the pharmaceutical industry's escalating battle against obesity. Retatrutide has yet to receive approval anywhere globally, and experts forecast that the product won't be market-ready for at least another year.

However, social media users could be easily misled into thinking otherwise, given the deluge of posts advertising products labelled as 'retatrutide'.

Eli Lilly, the developer of the drug, has categorically stated that no one is authorised to sell retatrutide for human use at this time - and those who promote fake versions are putting people's health at serious risk. Despite this, drugs bearing the name can be readily found online, with sellers claiming they are intended solely for research purposes and not for human consumption.

Yet, the Manchester Evening News has unearthed a series of online videos on two of the world's most frequented social media platforms, reaching millions of young users. In these clips, content creators claim to share their personal experiences with 'retatrutide', often touting its alleged health benefits.

The UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of the issue, stating that the products seen on social media, "are likely to be illegal and potentially dangerous".

A leading doctor warned the publication that those who use these items are risking a host of serious health conditions. Since being approached by MEN, both TikTok and Instagram have removed several videos making bold claims about the counterfeit drugs.

There are high hopes that retatrutide could become an extremely effective weight loss drug for people suffering from obesity in the future, working in three distinct ways. It targets GLP-1, a hormone that controls appetite, which could mean the person using the drug feels more satisfied - similar to how drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic function.

It also targets GIP, a hormone that regulates blood sugar and metabolism, to further aid weight loss. Mounjaro does this too, alongside targeting GLP-1.

But unlike mounjaro, retatrutide also targets glucagon receptors, which control blood glucose levels, by increasing insulin sensitivity. However, while the drug sounds promising, it is still undergoing safety tests, and the drug has not yet been approved.

A spokesperson for Eli Lilly UK told MEN: "Retatrutide is an investigational molecule that Lilly is studying for the treatment of obesity - it is in phase three clinical trials and is not available to patients outside of these trials.

"Retatrutide has not been reviewed or approved by the Food and Drug Administration [in the USA], European Medicines Agency, or any regulatory agency anywhere in the world, and therefore at this time no one can sell retatrutide for human use."

Medical trials are conducted under stringent supervision. Doses are gradually increased, and participants are meticulously monitored for side effects and changes.

However, leading Bolton GP Dr Helen Wall told the publication that patients are already becoming aware of 'reta' thanks to what they see online. She believes that if it eventually becomes available on the NHS, there would be 'very tight criteria' for it - and this could be years away.

"It is being tested on humans at the minute, with an average current weight loss of around 23 to 24 per cent of body weight, which is more than we've seen with Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro," said Dr Wall.

"But we just don't know around the safety of it as yet, and it's going to be a while before it gets regulatory approval - and that's if it does.

"It's likely to go by the FDA in the USA around mid-to-late 2026, with real-world availability possibly around early 2027 - but in the UK, I would think it's going to be later than that.

"It's going to have to go through regulatory approval through the MHRA - they can take a long time to ensure these things are safe."

While genuine retatrutide remains unapproved, the internet is flooded with individuals claiming to either supply the product or have tried it. Posts about 'retatrutide' appear across all social media platforms to varying degrees.

The MEN discovered numerous accounts discussing the counterfeit drug's use on X, formerly Twitter, along with several Reddit threads. However, the most concerning content was discovered on TikTok and Instagram, where content creators have posted multiple videos alleging to have taken the drug.

These include fitness influencers, featured in videos displaying their abs and arms, who could in no way be characterised as obese. TikTok and Instagram users could easily find themselves scrolling from one video to the next - viewing toned, muscular individuals boasting about the purported benefits of what they had consumed.

Other videos found showed users displaying before-and-after photos, claiming to show the transformation made by taking 'retatrutide', while some made particularly questionable claims in their videos. Some were posted by accounts that claimed to sell retatrutide, while the comments section of many posts was packed with users enquiring how to obtain the drug.

The products being sold are alleged to be 'research chemicals', typically including peptides - short chains of amino acids. Videos showed the products being sold in vials and shipped in boxes labelled 'retatrutide'.

The MEN spotted at least two TikTok posts and one Instagram post providing instructions on 'how to mix retatrutide', complete with dosage and other necessary ingredients. "For educational and research purposes only," read one of the posts.

However, other accounts clearly suggested the product's use for humans, with one describing it as the 'ultimate wellness journey'. In some videos, influencers who have built an audience by promoting the drug's perceived benefits assured social media users that the drug was 'legit' as a 'research chem'.

Most of the content creators discussing the drug were young, physically fit men, but some women also marketed the drug, including one older woman seen offering a discount code for a website selling the item.

Over on Instagram, one influencer, who told followers he had 'never felt better', said he could provide more information about the product on a Telegram group. Another made outrageous claims about the benefits of eating dangerously low levels of food, despite the risk of malnutrition, asserting that people would 'live longer'.

And in one post, a user said he was out delivering boxes of 'retatrutide' across the West Midlands, while the rest of the UK could order for postage. However, the videos on both TikTok and Instagram weren't all positive, with some containing warnings about the counterfeit drugs.

One TikTok user, who claims to be a nurse, warned: "I'm seeing so much [of it]... anything that you are buying online with that name reta, retatrutide, is not safe, it is not approved in the UK.

"These companies are not registered, they are not licensed, they have no certificate of analysis, you have no idea what is inside these bottles."

Another user who claimed to have used it described suffering 'horrendous' side effects, saying: "In hindsight, I should have taken a lot less, because I feel like f*ing s**."

Cautioning that people could 'end up in hospital', one fitness influencer said: "People are risking their lives right now... these black market sellers are preying on people who feel trapped and it has to stop."

Eli Lilly has strongly condemned those pushing fake versions of the drug online. A spokesperson commented: "Any product falsely representing itself as a Lilly investigational product not yet approved by the FDA, like retatrutide, may expose patients to potentially serious health risks. Lilly aims to take all necessary actions to safeguard public health.

"We continue to support international educational efforts by joining forces with non-governmental organisations such as the World Health Organisation, World Health Professionals Association and World Customs Organisation, to warn patients and healthcare professionals about the dangers of buying medicines from unregulated outlets."

TikTok took down multiple videos highlighted by the MEN, which it confirmed breached its community guidelines concerning trading or marketing high-risk or prohibited items, while hashtags 'retatrutide' and 'reta' have also been blocked. The company says it has thousands of professionals working on the platform's safety, and 99.8 per cent of videos which violated its rules on regulated goods and commercial activities involving alcohol, tobacco or drugs were removed proactively in the first quarter of this year.

Meta, which owns Instagram, also removed the videos flagged by the M.E.N. It says the platform does not allow the sale of pharmaceutical drugs, content about weight loss that contains a miracle claim, or any attempts to buy, sell, trade, donate or gift weight loss products. The company also says it has restrictions to protect under-18s from viewing weight loss and potentially dangerous content, and it urges other users of the platform to report anything that flouts its rules.

Under the newly implemented Online Safety Act, tech firms are legally obliged to remove illegal content and stop children from accessing harmful material. Ofcom has the authority to enforce action against those who disregard these regulations.

Dr Helen Wall has warned that, similar to other research chemicals, there are 'lots of risks' for individuals attempting to acquire the so-called 'retatrutide' now. She cautioned: "There could be anything in those drugs, it might not even be retatrutide - not that we know that retatrutide is safe yet, even if it is the true drug. It could be counterfeit or contaminated products.

"Even if it is retatrutide in there, you don't know what dose is in there, and we don't know what dose is safe yet or effective. Any of these things could have harmful fillers or additions to them.

"Sometimes things that people maybe buy online or from black market sources don't have any active drug in at all - it's just complete nonsense, and that can be quite dangerous."

Given how retatrutide is intended to function, Dr Wall believes individuals are risking serious illness by taking a gamble with the contents of the counterfeit drug and varying dosage amounts. Severe nausea, vomiting and significant dehydration could result in electrolyte imbalances, which is hazardous for heart rhythm and could cause the heart to stop, she warned.

Dr Wall informed that there could also be a risk of pancreatitis, which can lead to critical illness. A substance affecting glucagon receptors could cause an increased heart rate and affect the liver, and extreme weight loss can 'overwhelm' organs like the kidney, gall bladder and pancreas.

Urgent warning as 'dangerous' fake weight loss drug is being pushed on social media - The Mirror