Websites Selling Compounded GLP-1 RAs Often Misinform Consumers
TUESDAY, Jan. 21, 2025 -- Websites that sell compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) often partially inform or misinform consumers, including with respect to U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval, according to a research letter published online Jan. 17 in JAMA Health Forum.
Ashwin K. Chetty, from the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues examined advertising practices of websites selling compounded GLP-1 RAs, including semaglutide, tirzepatide, and liraglutide.
The researchers found that 98 unique websites sold any GLP-1 RA during the study period; the analysis included 79 of these websites that sold compounded GLP-1 RAs or a prescription for compounded medications. All 79 websites sold compounded semaglutide and 72.2 and 3.8 percent sold compounded tirzepatide and liraglutide, respectively. Overall, 52 websites featured a mark of certification; 50 displayed LegitScript certification. Two websites required a prior prescription for compounded GLP-1 RAs and did not provide a prescription. Eleven and seven of the websites did not disclose GLP-1 RAs were compounded and referred to compounded medications as generic, respectively. Thirty-four of the websites stated that the compounded medications were not FDA approved, while 29 stated or implied that these drugs were approved. Adverse effects, warnings and precautions, and contraindications of compounded GLP-1 RAs were not reported by 39 websites (49.4 percent), while 32 sites advertised an efficacy claim not in the authorized label of the FDA-approved branded GLP-1 RA.
"Enhanced regulatory guidance and oversight are needed to clarify criteria for 'truthful, non-misleading, and accurate' advertising to ensure consumers are informed of the risks and benefits of compounded GLP-1 RAs and other compounded medications," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to industry.
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