Editorial
. 2025 May;59(5):485-490.
doi: 10.1177/10600280241277551. Epub 2024 Sep 17.
Affiliations
PMID: 39285774 DOI: 10.1177/10600280241277551
Editorial
Bypassing Prescribers and Pharmacists: Online Purchasing of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide "For Research Purposes"
Jordyn Belcourt et al. Ann Pharmacother. 2025 May.
Abstract
Unscrupulous manufacturers provide consumers with ways to circumvent access controls by purchasing drug products outside the legitimate prescription drug supply chain. Manufacturers are selling vials containing semaglutide and tirzepatide to consumers without a prescription for "research purposes only" and/or "not for human consumption," but frequently without the supplies and knowledge they would need to dissolve the active ingredient, draw it up into a syringe, and inject it into the body. Avoiding prescribers allows consumer access to products where the risk may outweigh the benefits and quality standards may not be met. It also makes it difficult to prevent drug interactions or perform adequate patient monitoring and follow-up.
Keywords: GLP-1; peptide; semaglutide; tirzepatide.
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Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.