Lilly calls on online platforms, payment companies and regulators to shut down the illegal retatrutide black market

Files six new lawsuits as company escalates fight to protect patients

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) today escalated its continued fight to protect patients from the dangerous black market for retatrutide, filing six new lawsuits against U.S. entities selling black-market products in addition to having referred hundreds of bad actors to regulators and law enforcement worldwide. Lilly is also calling on the entities that sellers use to conduct their illegal business—social media and e-commerce platforms, credit card companies, payment processors and shipping and logistics carriers—to help protect patients and fight this illicit activity. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), unapproved drugs sold for human use may pose significant risks for patients and are illegal.

"Retatrutide is being rigorously studied as part of a comprehensive clinical trial development program," said David A. Hyman, M.D., Lilly's chief medical officer. "We take the responsibility of evaluating the safety and efficacy of our investigational medicines seriously. What is being sold on the black market is not a medicine – it is entirely unverified, unapproved and not worth the risk."

Retatrutide is an investigational molecule in Phase 3 clinical trials for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other related indications. No medicine containing retatrutide has yet been approved for human use by any regulatory agency in the world. It cannot be sold to consumers.

FDA has made clear that sales of unapproved retatrutide to consumers are illegal, that retatrutide cannot be lawfully compounded, and that so-called "research-use only" products "are of unknown quality and may be harmful to [consumers'] health." Yet black-market sellers and businesses posing as legitimate medical providers openly sell retatrutide as a weight-loss "hack." These "medical spas," "wellness clinics" and self-styled suppliers are not practicing medicine; they are selling illegal drugs, frequently made by unregulated foreign manufacturers. Regulators, customs agencies and law enforcement worldwide have warned of the same dangers and acted on them, raiding clandestine manufacturing sites, seizing shipments and arresting those involved.

Lilly's lawsuits target U.S. entities selling illegal retatrutide products, including compounding pharmacies, medical spas, and online sellers that falsely claim their drugs are for "research-use only" when they are actually intended for human use. Lilly has also referred more than 200 individuals and entities to FDA, the U.S. Department of Justice, state attorneys general, law enforcement, and professional licensing boards, and is working with global regulators, law enforcement, and customs authorities to stop this illegal market. The company has reported more than 14,000 websites, advertisements, social media posts and product listings that unlawfully market retatrutide in over 100 countries to internet service providers, social media platforms, and e-commerce companies, but some continue to amplify misleading content to vulnerable consumers.

Now, Lilly is calling on others to join the fight for patient safety:

• Drug regulators, customs agencies, law enforcement and other government authorities must treat the sale of unapproved retatrutide as the urgent public health crisis it is, prioritizing enforcement and coordinating across borders to dismantle the criminal networks selling these drugs.
• Social media and e-commerce platforms must stop enabling—and in some cases fueling—this illegal market and must take proactive steps to block this conduct before it reaches consumers.
• Credit card companies, payment processors, shipping and logistics companies, and other entities that sellers use to conduct their illegal businesses must cut off the infrastructure enabling this illegal trade.
• Healthcare providers should raise awareness of the potentially serious risks involved.
• Everyone can help by reporting illegal retatrutide products to law enforcement, drug and pharmacy regulators, and the Lilly Answers Center at 1-800-LillyRx.

Lilly's lawsuits include:

• Eli Lilly & Co. v. Aesthetic Envy Cosmetic Centers LLC, d/b/a Aesthetic Envy (N.D. Cal.)
• Eli Lilly & Co. v. Astra LLC, d/b/a Astra Peptides (W.D. Tex.)
• Eli Lilly & Co. v. Legendary Peptides, LLC (E.D. Tex.)
• Eli Lilly & Co. v. Striker Pharmacy, LLC (S.D. Tex.)
• Eli Lilly & Co. v. Texas Peptides Inc. (W.D. Tex.)
• Eli Lilly & Co. v. Lone Star Peptide Co. (S.D. Tex.)

About Lilly
Lilly is a medicine company turning science into healing to make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for 150 years, and today our medicines help tens of millions of people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges: redefining diabetes care; treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects; advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease; providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders; and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/news, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. C-LLY

SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company