Costly new generation weight loss drugs are unaffordable for most people, which has opened up a black market for cheaper, unregistered and untested versions of the medicines being sold across the country, posing a public health threat, as highlighted by a newspaper exposé and unpacked by Bhekisisa health journalists. – MedicalBrief (8 July 2026)
Societal pressure and media trends encourage patients to use drugs not approved by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
One of these unauthorised drugs, Retatrutide, is the most popular with the highest price tag.
“Early-stage clinical trials have produced unprecedented weight-loss results, eclipsing even the massive success of semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), wrote
Hasina Kathrada for Mail & Guardian.
“In reality, there is absolutely no way for the consumer – or often even the middleman selling it – to verify where the powder was synthesised, what chemicals were used to bulk it out, or whether it is safe for human tissue.
“For SAHPRA, trying to dismantle this decentralised, online marketplace has turned into a frustrating, constant game of digital whack-a-mole”