Warnings grow over illicit retatrutide in South Africa as US lab test finds contamination

An experimental drug sold outside the law

Retatrutide, often shortened to "Reta", is a weight-loss injection that Eli Lilly is studying as a possible next-generation obesity treatment. According to a University of Pennsylvania release dated 21 October 2026, the drug is in Phase 3 trials, the last stage of testing before a regulatory decision. A report by the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism, published by the Mail & Guardian, states that because retatrutide is still being studied, no drug regulator anywhere in the world has licensed it for sale.

That has not stopped people from using it. In an article published on 25 October 2026, News24 described the illicit product as a weight-loss drug that South Africans are injecting. One user featured in the report, Alinda Pretorius, believes her results have outweighed the risk of using a product that has not been cleared for use, according to the publication.

Stavros Nicolaou, chairperson of the Pharmaceutical Task Group, said at a panel discussion in Sandton that retatrutide is sold "openly and brazenly" around the world, including in South Africa, the Bhekisisa report states. Background on the drug's status is available in the retatrutide guide.

What a laboratory found in products sold as retatrutide

CBS News bought three products sold as retatrutide in the United States: two online and one over the counter at a Brooklyn corner shop, where a $90 vial carried a label reading "Research use only, not for human consumption". According to the broadcaster, the online orders arrived without the buyer ever speaking to a health professional, despite promises of an evaluation or doctor review.

A University of Iowa research scientist, Jason Galpin, analysed the samples. The two online products matched a basic standard he had created for retatrutide, which CBS News noted is not the same as the drug being tested in Eli Lilly's trials. The corner-shop vial did not appear to contain a peptide at all. Instead, Galpin found phenylacetic acid, a compound he described as a filler and which is commonly used in fragrances and lip balms.

Further testing by Carl Ross of the university's Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing found 13 colonies of bacteria in that sample. Ross warned that injecting contaminated material could cause infection, describing the result as "pretty terrifying". The full findings are set out in the CBS News investigation.

Yale physician Dr Reshma Ramachandran told CBS News that people using products labelled as retatrutide are effectively acting as guinea pigs, because the drug has not been shown to be safe and effective. In a statement to the broadcaster, Eli Lilly said a single test is only a snapshot and does not guarantee that the next vial will be safe.

Unexpected side effects reported online

A study published in JAMA Network Open by University of Pennsylvania researchers used artificial intelligence to analyse nearly 150,000 Reddit posts and comments. About 14,000 users claimed to have taken an unapproved version of retatrutide, and 7,823 reported at least one symptom that could be medically classified.

Increased appetite was the most common classifiable complaint, the researchers reported, even though the drug is designed to suppress hunger. Compared with earlier posts about semaglutide and tirzepatide, retatrutide discussions also mentioned sleep disturbances, a faster heart rate and muscle-related symptoms proportionally more often. The authors stressed that the findings do not prove the drug caused these symptoms, and that users may not even be taking genuine retatrutide.

Regulators struggling to keep pace

According to the Bhekisisa report, SAHPRA has received about 600 complaints so far this financial year about illegitimate and fake medicines reaching the public through online portals, gyms and even hairdressers. Daphne Fafudi, the regulator's head of regulatory compliance, said the authority is worried that the problem is getting out of control, adding that "people do die, and it doesn't even come to our attention".

SAHPRA chief executive Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela acknowledged that regulators are "on the back foot" when consumers see others losing weight, and pointed to a loophole that allows experimental products marked for "research purposes" to be sold directly to the public. Nicolaou urged the police and the Hawks to make an example of people selling retatrutide in South Africa.

Regulators advise the public to use authorised channels and to check that medicines are registered. Warning signs listed at the Sandton meeting include unusual or blank packaging, no printed expiry date, a missing package insert and broken or dented packaging. Semaglutide medicines registered with SAHPRA include Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus, Extensior and Semagard. Anyone considering weight-loss treatment should speak to a doctor or pharmacist; see the medical disclaimer.