Unapproved weight loss jab nicknamed ‘triple G’ and made in Chinese labs is being illegally sold online for as little as £2 a pop

Counterfeit supplies of an experimental slimming jab nicknamed the ‘new Ozempic’ are being sold in Britain for just £2 a pop, MailOnline can reveal.

Retatrutide is still being tested in rigorous trials and is years away from being approved for use.

Despite this, opportunistic hawkers are tapping into the hype and illegally creating knock-off versions of the next-gen drug using the pharmaceutical firm’s own recipe. 

Chinese firms making the substance in labs are even brazenly offering samples for as little as 80p per dose.  

Adverts list it as a ‘weight loss supplement’, with vials emblazoned with the words ‘not for human consumption’ and ‘research only’ in a bid to not be accused of supplying an unapproved medication.  

Some are being made in EU or Chinese labs and marketed to Brits directly online. 

It follows interest in the approved weight-loss jab drug semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, reaching fever pitch.

The drugs work by triggering hormones in the brain which trick the body into slowing digestion and keeping the stomach full, reducing appetite, and consequently, the amount people eat. 

Demand for semaglutide is so high that supplies for the version of the drug specifically designed for diabetics have occasionally run out. 

Retatrutide is made by US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, who already make the weight-loss jab Mounjaro, a rival to Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide.

The drug, still deep in the clinical trial stage of development, has been dubbed ‘triple G’ because it targets three different hormones involved in how much we eat.

This compares to Ozempic and Wegovy which target one, and Mounjaro, which targets two. 

Early trials suggest patients taking retatrutide experience up to 24.2 per cent weight loss after 48 weeks, the greatest amount seen yet with any obesity medicine.

For comparison, Wegovy can help people lose 15 per cent of their weight. 

Mounjaro, dubbed the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss jabs, had a comparison figure of 22.5 per cent. 

However, it is still likely years away from reaching approval for use in the UK, with currently underway clinical trials not expected to conclude until 2026. 

One knock-off version, made by a company called Centurion Sarms, based in North Shields in England, is branded as ‘the ultimate weight loss supplement’ for £82 a pop.

Pictures on its website featured 5mg vials of retatrutide with labels emblazoned with the words ‘research only’ and ‘not fit for human consumption’.

Centurion Sarms also recommends what it calls ‘essential items’ customers should purchase alongside retatrutide, like sterile ‘water for injection’.

The firm is not listed on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) register of authorised online sellers of medicines.

Other examples of firms offering counterfeit retatrutide uncovered by this website include the EU-based business Biolab, which ships retatrutide via Royal Mail in the UK for £110 per 5mg vial. 

Similarly to Centurion Sarms, Biolab claims its products are for research purposes only.

However, reviews it publishes on its website show people are purchasing and taking the product as a weight-loss drug.

‘Perfect supplement for anyone looking to cut down and control their food intake,’ one review reads. 

‘My girlfriend loves this product which helps her to stay very lean a whole year long,’ another says.

Brits can also order supplies of retatrutide ‘fat loss injection’ from Chinese labs for a fraction of the cost of other supplies.

MailOnline found one lab offering 10 vials for just £20, with the seller promising ‘no customs issues’ for delivery to Britain.

All the companies offering the them are thought to have made them using details submitted by its developer as part of the patent process.  

Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA chief safety officer, said: ‘Retatrutide is currently in clinical trials and has not been approved for use in the UK. 

‘This means it has not yet been shown to meet our standards for safety, quality and efficacy.’

She urged people not to buy medications such as these from online sellers like those highlighted by MailOnline.  

‘Buying any medicinal product such as semaglutide or a product labelled as retatrutide from illegally trading online suppliers significantly increases the risk of getting a product which is either falsified or not authorised for use in the UK,’ she said.

‘Purchasing from illegal suppliers means there are no safeguards to ensure products meet our quality and safety standards, and taking such medicines may put your health at risk.’

A spokesperson for Eli Lilly said: ‘Retatrutide has not been reviewed or approved by the FDA or any regulatory agency anywhere in the world, and is not available to patients outside of Lilly’s clinical trials. 

‘Lilly is deeply concerned that actors falsely representing that they are selling Lilly investigational products that have not yet received regulatory marketing authorisation, like retatrutide, may expose patients to potentially serious health risks.’

Centurion Sarms’ webpage for retatrutide was removed shortly after MailOnline highlighted it to UK regulators.

While the new hormone-mimicking weight loss jabs have been hailed as ‘gamechanger’ in the fight against bulging waistlines, the drugs have notable downsides. 

Patients have to take the currently approved jabs for life or see the pounds they lost pile back, doctors have warned.

Some rival pharma companies have also labelled the drugs as indiscriminate in application as people not only lose weight on them but muscle mass as well. 

Additionally, like any medication, they can have side effects that vary in both frequency and severity.

For semaglutide these include nausea, constipation and diarrhoea, fatigue, stomach pain, headaches and dizziness.

Weirder and much rarer side effects, like hair loss, have also been reported. 

MailOnline also recently revealed that semaglutide has been linked to 20 deaths in Britain.