Online platform agrees to stop selling GLP-1 drugs to US customers
An international online platform settled with the Connecticut attorney general's office Wednesday and agreed to stop selling GLP-1 weight-loss medications to customers in the United States, according to a press release from the attorney general's office.
The platform, called Made-in-China, had sold so-called "research grade" GLP-1 drugs without prescriptions or any medical oversight, which are not approved for human use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to consumers without prescriptions, according to the press release.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic or Wegovy are FDA-approved for weight loss, but the federal agency has raised concerns about unapproved versions that have not undergone "review for safety, effectiveness and quality" and the risks they may pose to consumers.
The drugs sold on Made-In-China were marketed as generic versions of popular, brand-name weight loss medications such as Mounjaro, Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound, but the claims were often false, and the drugs "contained impurities, potential bacterial contamination, and inconsistent quantities of active ingredients, which can result in medication overdoses," according to the attorney general's office.
"There are currently no generic GLP-1 weight loss injections on the market, and anyone advertising or offering this is not telling the truth and exposing patients to potentially unsafe bootleg drugs. We will continue to identify and shut down sales of these illegal and unsafe products," Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said in a statement.
GLP-1 drugs used for weight loss have exploded in popularity in recent years. One poll from November 2025 by the nonprofit KFF estimates that 1 in 8 or about 12% of adults report taking a GLP-1 drug to lose weight or treat a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease, an increase from 6% in May 2024.
The attorney general's office said Made-in-China cooperated with the investigation and agreed to not allow manufacturers to use the platform to promote or sell GLP-1 medications to U.S. customers.
The platform is required to implement a monitoring system that looks for and removes GLP-1 drug listings within a five-day period.
Made-in-China is also subject to a penalty of $300,000, which would be paid to the state of Connecticut and will be suspended after $30,000. If the platform doesn't abide by or violates any part of the settlement agreement, the company will be subject to further penalties, the attorney general's office said.
"Additional enforcement actions are active and ongoing, and we will not hesitate to take strong action to protect patients and consumers," Tong added.
ABC News has reached out to Made-in-China for comment.
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