Eli Lilly on Wednesday said it had filed six lawsuits against US companies it accuses of illegally selling black-market versions of its experimental obesity drug retatrutide, escalating its campaign against unauthorized sellers before the medicine has won regulatory approval.
The Indianapolis-based drugmaker said the lawsuits target a range of businesses, including compounding pharmacies, medical spas and online sellers that allegedly marketed retatrutide products to consumers despite the drug remaining under clinical development.
Retatrutide is still in Phase 3 clinical trials for obesity, type 2 diabetes and other related conditions. No regulators have approved the compound for human use, Lilly said.
In June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stated that sales of retatrutide and other unapproved versions of GLP-1 products to consumers are illegal and cannot lawfully be compounded.
