Drugmaker Eli Lilly warns of copy-cat Mounjaro, Zepbound claiming weight loss help [Video]

The manufacturer behind two popular drugs linked to significant weight loss is sounding the alarm over copycat versions of its medications.5 Investigates first reported last month that a surge in demand for Ozempic and Wegovy was leading to the rise of a booming online industry selling compounded versions of the drugs. Now Eli Lilly — the maker of similar drugs Mounjaro and Zepbound — has published an open letter warning of the risks of counterfeit versions of its drugs. The active ingredient in those medications is “tirzepatide.” In the letter, the drug company wrote that they are “… the only lawful supplier of FDA-approved tirzepatide medicines,” adding that they do not provide that ingredient to “compounding pharmacies, med-spas, wellness centers, online retailers or other manufacturers.”Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an obesity expert at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the risks of taking copycat forms of these drugs are clear. “What I want …