LETTER: Beware of medications sold online

In my years of nursing, I’ve seen the promise and peril of new medications. Few drugs have shifted public interest the way GLP-1 receptor agonists — like semaglutide and tirzepatide — have. Originally developed to treat Type 2 diabetes, they are now household names thanks to their role in weight loss. But behind the headlines and hashtags lies a disturbing trend that deserves urgent attention: the rise of compounded GLP-1s sold online, often under a veil of deceptive marketing and limited accountability.

Online platforms are using the guise of compounding to mass-produce and sell semaglutide and tirzepatide at scale — without the quality controls, manufacturing standards, or transparency that FDA approval demands. These websites frequently bypass any meaningful clinical oversight. There’s little attempt to confirm a patient’s medical history, monitor side effects, or provide follow-up care. That’s not medicine; that’s retail.

And patients are being misled into thinking they’re receiving the same standard of treatment they’d get from a licensed prescriber with access to their full medical background.

We need to start calling this what it is: Health misinformation with a credit card checkout. Regulators must crack down on companies misrepresenting their products as FDA-approved. Health professionals, from physicians to pharmacists to nurses, need to speak clearly with patients about the real risks of compounded GLP-1s.

Medication safety relies on quality control, informed prescribing, and honest communication. Strip those away, and you’re gambling with people’s health.

Kimberly Statler, RN,Phoenixville