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Tests of purchased retatrutide show mismatches and contamination, CBS News reports

CBS News reports that retatrutide bought from online sellers and a Brooklyn store showed sample inconsistencies in lab tests, including bacteria in one sample.

The short version

  • CBS News reports correspondent Adam Yamaguchi bought retatrutide online without speaking to a health professional.[CBS News]
  • A Brooklyn corner store sold a vial labeled Retatrutide for $90, marked research use only and not for human consumption.[CBS News]
  • Lab tests found the online samples matched a basic standard rather than the trial drug, and the bodega sample lacked a peptide and contained bacteria.[CBS News]

Key facts

  • Yamaguchi ordered 20 milligrams of retatrutide online through Reset Wellness and received it a week later without speaking to a health professional.[CBS News]
  • Yamaguchi bought Reta from the Bodystreet Jupiter website after confirming a BMI requirement, and it arrived two days later without a consultation.[CBS News]
  • A Brooklyn corner store sold a vial labeled Retatrutide for $90 with a label reading Research use only, not for human consumption.[CBS News]
  • University of Iowa research scientist Jason Galpin found both online samples consistent with a basic standard for retatrutide, which differs from the drug in Eli Lilly's clinical trials.[CBS News]
  • Galpin said the bodega sample did not appear to contain a peptide and instead contained phenylacetic acid, a filler.[CBS News]
  • Carl Ross found 13 colonies of bacteria in the bodega sample and warned that injecting bacteria-contaminated material could cause infection.[CBS News]

What remains uncertain

  • It is not established whether the online samples are the drug being studied in clinical trials, since they matched a basic standard that differs from the trial drug.[CBS News]
  • The reporting does not establish whether other retatrutide products sold online or in stores share the bodega sample's problems.[CBS News]
  • Ross warned about infection risk from contaminated material, but the reporting does not say whether anyone who used the bodega product was harmed.[CBS News]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.