Med spas and wellness clinics are openly promoting and dispensing knockoff retatrutide, a drug still in clinical trials; state regulators haven’t stopped them.
(Photo Illustration: Broly Su/AJC | Source: AJC, Getty)
At the Balanced Bodies Anti-Aging Clinic in Lawrenceville, patients can choose their weight-loss plan from a card at the front counter that lists both the drugs and the cost of the weekly injections.
The options, subject to a provider’s approval, include the well-known GLP-1 drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide as well as one that’s supposedly the next big thing — retatrutide — although it comes with risks for those providing it as well as those using it.
The Food and Drug Administration hasn’t yet deemed retatrutide safe and effective or approved it for sale to the general public. What’s more, the company developing it, Eli Lilly, is aggressively seeking to stop the sale of knockoff versions, filing lawsuits and flagging regulators.
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Lea Winkles, a clinical professor of pharmacy practice in Mercer University’s College of Pharmacy, warns against using versions of retatrutide from compounding pharmacies. In those cases, “they’re most likely receiving their active ingredient from some place offshore,” she says, “so then you have questions about safety of the product, because it’s not FDA approved.” (Arvin Temkar/AJC)
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A drug in development
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sresu ,smoor .setar enilno deton traeh ,sehcadaeh evah detavele ssenizzid tahc dna osla nI
snoisrev ot ot esoht eht eht taht nekat stnemetats dlos seires gnilles gnilles editurtater cilbup decudorp .seicamrahp ,trap ro ro fo fo ron gnikam gnikam enil yllagel stiuswal sti deussi sah sah sah drah rof delif .gurd .gurd sremusnoc gnidnuopmoc t’nac yb sessenisub deveileb eb eb gnitressa osla tsniaga tsniaga a a ,ylliL tI tI ilE
The Balanced Bodies Anti-Aging Clinic in Lawrenceville is one of more than a dozen medical facilities in Georgia that say they can dispense the weight-loss drug retatrutide despite the fact that the FDA has yet to approve it. (Danny Robbins for the AJC)
ssol-thgiew ot ot ot eht eht eht eht taht detegrat pots saps os srelles gnikees elas ,editurtater deriuqer stiforp ,ycamrahp ro enilno fo dem erutcafunam stiuswal stiuswal snoitcnujni ni ni ni evah evah morf raf .gurd egrogsid stnadnefed gnidnuopmoc cinilc eb deksa dna dna dna lla noitidda a a ehT .saxeT desab-saxeT saxeT ,anaisiuoL nI ainrofilaC anozirA
eW“ enoynA“ — — esohw ssenllew llew tnegru ot ot ot ot ot ot taerht siht ,meht eht eht ekat tnemetats ,saps secivres srelles srelles lles ,selas dias editurtarter editurtater srotaluger derrefer gnitroprup cilbup enilno no fo lacidem tekram tekram ”,wal wal si gnidulcni ni sderdnuh ”.htlaeh evah rof thgif tnemecrofne elbane evisiced sremusnoc ynapmoc seinapmoc scinilc llac gnikaerb kcalb kcalb sa sa dna dna dna noitca a ehT .noitutitsnoC-lanruoJ atnaltA
`Say hello to Reta’
,setisbew ,dlot yeht rieht eht taht taht laicos .editurtater edivorp lanoitomorp segap rehto no fo lacidem aidem lairetam ni deifitnedi evah smrof seitilicaf demialc nac dna aigroeG llA CJA 71
htiw ssenllew ssol-thgiew tuohguorht rieht eht eht ,etats saps gniwohs snaicisyhp srenwo ro fo ylraen dexim lacidem dem ,flah ,dnuof .srotcerid scinilc gab sa dna dna a s’tI CJA
yaS“ — .raey ”,ssenllew thgiew ot ot eht troppus editpep llarevo no fo msilobatem ,tnemeganam tsal ni ni devorpmi olleh dengised egde-gnittuc decnuonna dna DMevirhT apS rebmetpeS ateR nanweN margatsnI htlaeH
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ThriveMD Health Spa in Newnan announced the availability of retatrutide in a September 2025 Instagram post that told patients: “Say hello to Reta.” (Instagram)
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dluow saw ot eht eht eht eht eht deppots stnemetats s’aps gnilles dias dias dias editurtater nosaer edivorp gnitarepo fo ton detimil ytilagel .ti ti ti ,weivretni ni dah rednuof mrof rof gurd gnisnepsid .sliated dnamed denilced eunitnoc ,renwo-oc .desolc tub ssenisub feirb erofeb rehtona dna dna tuoba a a s’ylliL nI eH eH ilE nimajneB ,hguaB
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.etisbew ot eht ekops editurtater devomer fo noitnem sti morf lla retfa yltrohS sutoL ,erogliK htlaeH CJA
A regulatory dilemma
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gninraw snoitaloiv gnitaloiv gnisu ot ot yeht taht taht gnitats eruzies ,editurtater tluser .stcudorp fo gniton elpitlum srettel lagel wal deussi gnidulcni ni sah laredef eruliaf srednuopmoc nac era dna osla sserdda ,snoitca ehT ADF
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seesnecil“ hcihw denraw devorppanu ot ot siht eht taht ”.noisnepsus tcejbus tnemetats ,gnilles editurtater esiwrehto ,gniredro ro no fo yam erusnecil ti deussi ni etaidemmi dnuof gnitatilicaf gurd noitubirtsid ,gnidnuopmoc draob eb eb osla gnitartsinimda a ehT
htiw hcihw ot eht eht eht tcejbus delggurts etats cificeps ,saps editurtater .noitaluger ro slaiciffo fo fo hcum dem tekram ylniam desnecil ,eussi sevlovni evah mrof rof yb kcalb esuaceb t’nera yna aigroeG
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sA“ ew eseht rieht .dias snaicisyhp ”,snoitagilbo erom gnitacude ,nommoc sesac emoceb era tuoba senoJ
ot“ evitaroballoc“ htiw htiw eht eht eht eht taht ”.selur ”ssecorp snaicisyhp ycamrahp ycamrahp fo lacidem si noitatnemelpmi gnirolpxe erusne ylpmoc draob draob elbacilppa dna dna dna lla dedda a scitocraN eH aigroeG sgurD ycnegA
The suburban market
eht eht eht nekat .sbrubus aps editurtater ylralucitrap revo fo nrehtron ortem dem erusaem tekram egral si si ni ni woh dloh sah rof elpmaxe gnillepmoc niahc kcalb esuaceb lla a ,aigroeG seidoB decnalaB ,atnaltA
sraey sraey htiw htiw ohw hcihw saw ot yeht ,neht detrats lareves nees moor deretsiger ecitcarp naicisyhp fo .esrun ynam ,snoitacol ti evah worg .sesihcnarf rof ycnegreme thgie deifitrec-draob era dna na oga detailiffa decnavda miT ecniS edishtroN ,latipsoH deniart-yromE nehoC ,agerraC seidoB decnalaB A 01
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Dr. Kent Cohen, the co-owner and medical director at Balanced Bodies, says his business is getting retatrutide from compounding pharmacies he knows and trusts and that Eli Lilly only says it’s illegal to protect its financial interests. (Balanced Bodies website)
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gnirednow ohw eht eht taht tnes editurtater redaer noitacol .lagel denrael ti si woh tog morf liame gurd gnisnepsid dluoc eb ta dna na a ehT ellivecnerwaL seidoB decnalaB CJA
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Retatrutide is included on a card listing the weight-loss options at Balanced Bodies Anti-Aging Clinic in Lawrenceville. Eli Lilly, the company developing the drug, is aggressively seeking to stop sales prior to FDA approval. (Danny Robbins for the AJC)
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d’I“ tI“ ,deirrow ekow ”,taht ”’?ekorts .peels ehs .dias tuo fo reven ym em ekil ehcadaeh gnivah dah a a mA` I I
dluow namow eht eht ekat emos ehs ehs dnoces dias hcraeser no on regnol .ti noitcejni flesreh evag gurd gniod dediced tub retfa lanoitidda ehT
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s’tI“ htiw htiw ew taht .dias ”,editurtater erar smelborp ytterp eh evah ydobyna
fO“ tnaw ot ot yeht eseht rieht rieht eht naht sredlohkcots yas :dias ytefas lacituecamrahp tneitap tneitap erom .yenom ekam wonk s’ti ti ti ?tseretni ni ni .lagelli .htlaeh eh ”.yppah rof rof ,esruoc seinapmoc erac gib dna tuoba uoY s’tahW er’yehT er’yehT ,ylliL ilE sA
tey elihw ,weiv rieht eht ,taht elpoep gnireffo ton ekam .sevil ni hgih reihtlaeh eh sah ,dnuorg ,tcaf gurd egnahc nac ,devorppa ,dna a nI ADF s’nehoC
I“ sA“ lliw tahw ew ,esu kniht ”.gniht eseht s’ereht s’ereht ereht eht eht gnihtemos .dias ksir thgir .editurtater ,editurtater yllaer ,seditpep tneitap tuo ro no ym enicidem gnol .elbail wonk gnidulcni ni fi eh ,sneppah evig rof leef hguone tceffe sgurd .gniod gniod atad ”,tnedifnoc reerac reveileb dab sa dna lla lla a a a a m’I m’I m’I m’I I I I I tuB
Danny Robbins is a long-time investigative reporter who has worked for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Associated Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and other media outlets. He was part of the team at the AJC that was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in national reporting in 2017 for its investigation of sexually abusive doctors.