The Emirates Drug Establishment has flagged Retatrutide, an injectable weight-loss compound still under clinical testing, as a leading example of unregistered products spreading through UAE online markets. The regulator stressed that calling a product a “peptide” does not make it an approved medicine, noting many such compounds remain confined to research or trial stages.
Enforcement action covered 71 entities marketing peptide-based slimming goods. Of the violations, 14 involved locally licensed businesses, while 14 social media personalities were referred to the National Media Office for breaking rules on selling medicines online.
Fares Al Mazmi, head of the Inspection and Control Department, said non-compliant pharmaceuticals inside the market remain few, but their online reach keeps surveillance and inter-agency coordination essential. His team tracks offending accounts and pursues legal steps including shutdowns and prosecution referrals.
Citing WHO figures, the establishment noted up to one in 10 medicines in some markets may be fake or substandard, and over 90 percent of drugs from unauthorized online sellers can be illegal. Al Mazmi warned that research-only substances used outside sanctioned trials endanger users because studies confirming their safety in humans are unfinished.
