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# Fake Weight Loss Drugs Concern Califf
- URL: https://www.fdaweb.com/fake-weight-loss-drugs-concern-califf/
- Published: 2024-02-28T12:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T14:24:06.000Z
- Author: David McFarland
- Tags: Drugs, #legacy-id-D5156445

FDA commissioner **Robert Califf** says he is very concerned about the prevalence of compounded and fake versions of the new weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and Lilly’s Zepbound and Mounjaro (tirzepatide). In a Reuters [interview](https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-chief-says-very-concerned-about-sales-fake-weight-loss-drugs-2024-02-28/?ref=fdaweb.com), he says that consumers seeking the branded medications are attracted to compounded versions that are sold without proper controls to ensure the consumers get the correct active drug.

“In the context of the total picture of illicit drugs being sold on the Internet,” he said, “it’s almost certainly bigger than, much bigger than what we see.”

The commissioner also told Reuters he was concerned about the “enormous disparity” between consumers who can access the new weight-loss drugs based on wealth or connections to the medical community and those who do not have those advantages but might have a greater need for the treatments.

Asked about therapeutic areas not receiving sufficient investment, he mentioned a lack of development for medicines to treat mental health issues and the need for more treatments for chronic lung diseases.