Published Oct 15, 2026 | 2:22 PM ⚊ Updated Oct 15, 2026 | 2:22 PM
Injectable products obtained from unregulated sources might not have been adequately tested for sterility or bacterial endotoxins.
Synopsis: Telangana’s drug regulator, TG SAFE, has warned people against buying or injecting unapproved weight-loss drugs and experimental peptides sold through Telegram and other online platforms. It said the products may contain the wrong substances or concentrations and may not meet safety and quality standards, putting users at risk of contamination, serious reactions and death. The authority directed doctors not to prescribe or administer unapproved products and warned of stringent action.
The Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE) has issued a warning against purchasing injectable products from online marketplaces, such as Telegram and other social media networks and messaging platforms. It said self-administering unapproved weight-loss drugs and experimental peptides could lead to serious complications, including death.
In a public advisory on Wednesday, 14 October, TG SAFE said products were being sold as research chemicals, including some labelled “Not for Human Consumption”, yet came allegedly with instructions for use in humans.
The regulator said that certain medical practitioners in Telangana were offering unapproved drugs, including retatrutide and orforglipron, for weight-loss treatment. It said members of the public and healthcare professionals were sourcing these products without adequate assurance of their safety, efficacy and quality.
“The public is strongly advised not to purchase or self-administer unapproved weight-loss drugs or experimental peptide products from unregulated websites, online marketplaces, social media channels or messaging platforms,” TG SAFE said.
“No medicine or injectable product should be self-administered on the basis of online instructions, promotional claims or advice circulated through social media.”
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TG SAFE said experimental peptides, including BPC-157 and GHK-Cu, along with retatrutide and tesamorelin, were being sold online.
“Some online platforms market these products as ‘research chemicals’ with labels stating ‘Not for Human Consumption’,” the authority said.
“However, reports indicate that certain platforms are also supplying vials of these products along with instructions or user manuals for self-administration, thereby encouraging their use in humans despite the absence of appropriate regulatory approval,” it added.
The regulator said products bought through these channels might not have undergone the regulatory assessment and quality controls required for medicines intended for human use.
“The safety, efficacy, identity, purity and quality of such products cannot be assured,” TG SAFE said.
“Such unapproved products have not undergone the requisite regulatory review and approval by the drug regulatory authorities to establish their safety, efficacy and quality for the intended use.”
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The authority said injectable products obtained from unregulated sources might not have been adequately tested for sterility or bacterial endotoxins.
“[They can pose] additional risks of contamination, infection and other serious adverse reactions,” the advisory said.
TG SAFE said self-administration of these products could have severe consequences.
“Self-administration of such products may lead to serious health complications, including severe adverse reactions, life-threatening complications and even death,” it said.
TG SAFE said online platforms and social media channels, including Telegram, could be used to sell fraudulent, counterfeit or mislabelled products. Consumers cannot reliably establish whether a vial contains the substance or concentration stated on its label.
“Consumers purchasing such products have no reliable assurance that the contents of the vials correspond to the information stated on the label,” TG SAFE said.
“The use of such products may therefore pose a serious risk to public health,” it added.
The authority said claims about a product’s purity, effectiveness or use in research did not establish that it was safe for human administration. Products sold online without the required regulatory approvals could not be assumed to meet the standards for medicines intended for patients.
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TG SAFE directed registered medical practitioners and other healthcare professionals not to procure, prescribe or administer unapproved products for weight-loss treatment or other indications in violation of applicable regulations. The authority said certain practitioners had been offering unapproved drugs for weight loss.
“Products marketed as research chemicals or labelled ‘Not for Human Consumption’ must not be treated as approved medicines for human use,” the advisory said.
The regulator directed practitioners to ensure that medicines prescribed or administered to patients complied with the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the rules made under it.
“Any instances of procurement, prescription or administration of such unapproved drug products will be viewed seriously and shall invite stringent action in accordance with the provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and the rules made thereunder,” TG SAFE warned.
The authority said it would take stringent action against individuals and entities supplying unapproved drugs and experimental peptide products for weight loss or other indications in violation of the law.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
