“GLP-1” drops, patches and peptides: what did the TGA find inside them?
The TGA tested 10 imported “GLP-1” liquids, drops and a patch in 2026. None contained any GLP-1. Here is what the alerts say, and why “peptides” bought online are a different risk.
Written for Australia. Reading from India? India version
Nothing that works like a GLP-1 medicine. In March 2026 the TGA tested 10 imported products sold as GLP-1 drops, oral liquids and a microneedle patch. It found no GLP-1 or GLP-1 analogue in any of them. Unapproved “peptide” injections bought online are a separate risk: you can’t know what’s in the vial.
Key takeaways
- TGA laboratory testing in March 2026 found “no GLP-1 or any GLP-1 analogues” in imported products labelled as GLP-1.1
- The 10 products the TGA listed were mostly oral liquids, drops and ampoules, plus a microneedle patch, and the TGA calls them counterfeit.1
- A 2025 TGA advisory said “GLP-1 peptide” drops were sold with fake health professional and celebrity endorsements and false claims of regulator approval.2
- Counterfeit products can’t be imported under the Personal Importation Scheme, and the TGA asks Border Force to seize and destroy them.1
- A product sold as “retatrutide” held about 8 times the approved semaglutide level, and the person who used it was hospitalised with a torn oesophagus.3
- Approved GLP-1 medicines are prescription-only in Australia and are used only under medical supervision.1
- We don’t name sellers or show products. This post explains what the regulator found.
On this page
What did the TGA find in “GLP-1” drops and patches?
No GLP-1 at all. TGA laboratory testing of imported products labelled as GLP-1 found “no GLP-1 or any GLP-1 analogues” in them.1
The TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration) published the results on 2 March 2026. It listed 10 products, mostly oral solutions, liquids, ampoules and drops, plus one “nano microneedle patch”. Every result read “No GLP-1 or analogues identified”.1
The TGA calls these products counterfeit under the Therapeutic Goods Act. None is on the ARTG, the register of medicines allowed in Australia.1 It warned they “provide no medical benefit, even if labelled as a GLP-1 medicine”.1
We don’t list the product names here. A name can change overnight, and a list can read like a shopping guide. The TGA alert has the full table.1
How are these products sold?
Online and on social media, as “GLP-1 peptide” drops or “GLP-1 formula” liquids, often with fake endorsements and false approval claims.2
A TGA advisory in September 2025 described the pattern. Products are “often marketed as ‘GLP-1 peptide’ oral drops or liquids”. Some are falsely labelled as approved by overseas regulators. Ads use “fake health professional and celebrity endorsements”.2
Some sellers aren’t selling anything. The TGA warned of “fake online stores” that “take payments without ever shipping products”.2
The label is the selling point. The TGA said there is “no indication of medical efficacy” for these products.2 The natural GLP-1 hormone itself isn’t on the ARTG and can’t lawfully be supplied.2
Why can’t a drop or patch do what an injection does?
Approved GLP-1 medicines are tested in trials in the form they are sold. The TGA has assessed none of these drops or patches, and its testing found no GLP-1 inside.1,4
Approved peptide medicines, including GLP-1 medicines like semaglutide, are “tested broadly in human clinical trials” before the TGA approves them.4 A drop or patch sold online has had no such check.4
Getting a GLP-1 into the body by mouth is hard even for the real thing. In Australia, the only GLP-1 tablet on the register is Rybelsus, for type 2 diabetes.5 In the UK, semaglutide tablets for weight must be taken on an empty stomach, because food or drink within 30 minutes lowers absorption.6
So a product that claims to deliver GLP-1 through a few drops under the tongue or a skin patch has nothing behind it. What a doctor can prescribe is set out in our guide to your options.
Where to start in Australia: your GP, the evidence and the real options.
What about “peptides” sold online as injections?
Peptide products sold without ARTG approval are unapproved medicines, and “research use only” labels don’t change that. The TGA warns you can’t know what’s in the vial.3,4
The TGA says unapproved peptides come as injections, powders, capsules, tablets, oral liquids, nasal sprays, creams and drops.4 It has not assessed them “for safety, quality or effectiveness”.4
Labels like “research use only” or “not for human use” “do not change whether a product is regulated as a therapeutic good”.4
The TGA’s Chief Medical Adviser named the biggest risks. The first is “not knowing what is in the vial”. Others are whether it is sterile, and whether it contains “other contaminants or toxins”.3 For injections, she said, non-sterile manufacturing raises the risk of infection and severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis).3 One product sold as retatrutide held about 8 times the approved semaglutide level; read retatrutide in Australia.3
Can you import them, and what should you do if you bought one?
Counterfeit products can’t be imported under the Personal Importation Scheme, and Border Force may seize them. If you used one and feel unwell, get medical advice and report it to the TGA.1,4
The Personal Importation Scheme lets people import some unapproved medicines “only if all conditions of the scheme are met”.4 Counterfeits never qualify.1 If an import looks unlawful, “You may lose the products and the money you paid.”4
Report side effects and suspected counterfeits to the TGA online, or ask your GP or pharmacist to help.9 The TGA’s phone line is 1800 020 653.1
Tell your doctor exactly what you used, even if it says “herbal” or “natural”. It matters for any medicine they might prescribe later. Our post on online scripts explains how a proper consult works.
Questions people ask
Do GLP-1 patches work?
The only patch the TGA tested in March 2026, a microneedle patch, contained no GLP-1 or GLP-1 analogue.1
Are GLP-1 drops legal in Australia?
Products labelled as GLP-1 that aren’t on the ARTG are unapproved, and the TGA calls the tested ones counterfeit. It asks Border Force to seize them.1,2
Is Mounjaro a peptide?
Approved GLP-1 medicines are peptide-based medicines on the ARTG, prescription-only. That is different from unapproved “peptides” sold online.4
Can I import peptides for personal use?
Only if every condition of the Personal Importation Scheme is met, and never counterfeits. Unlawful imports can be seized.1,4
How do I report a fake GLP-1 product?
Report it to the TGA online or call 1800 020 653. You can also report side effects through the TGA’s online system.1,9
How we researched this
We read four TGA pages in a browser on 12 October 2026. They were the March 2026 and September 2025 safety advisories, the page on peptide regulation and the September 2026 retatrutide alert.
We left out product names and photos. The TGA alert lists them; repeating them here could act as advertising for look-alike products.
Before you move on
- A “GLP-1” drop or patch is not a GLP-1 medicine.
- Fake endorsements and approval claims are common.
- “Research use only” is still regulated.
- Tell your doctor about anything you have taken.
- Report fakes and side effects to the TGA.
More from the Australia blog
The monthly Australia update
An independent guide to GLP‑1 medicines. We don’t sell medicines, take drug-company money, earn commissions or link to any provider. Once a month: PBS decisions, TGA approvals and safety alerts. How we write
Sources
- TGA. Counterfeit weight loss products claiming to contain GLP-1. Safety advisory, 2 March 2026. Link
- TGA. Imported unregistered GLP-1 weight-loss products. Safety advisory, 29 September 2025. Link
- TGA. TGA tests counterfeit retatrutide product following serious adverse event report. Safety advisory, 14 September 2026. Link
- TGA. How we regulate therapeutic peptide products. Link
- TGA. Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods: search for semaglutide tablets (3 results, all Rybelsus 3, 7 and 14 mg, registered 7 February 2022), 12 October 2026. Link
- MHRA (UK). First GLP-1 tablet for weight loss approved in the UK. Press release, 11 June 2026. Link
- healthdirect. Pancreatitis. Link
- healthdirect. How healthdirect can help you (triple zero and the 1800 022 222 helpline). Link
- TGA. Reporting adverse events for consumers. Last updated 2 September 2026. Link
Last checked 12 Oct 2026 · Next review due 12 Apr 2027 · Report an error
How this post was made. Written by the GLP Guidebook team from the sources above. It’s general information, not medical advice. Talk to your GP, pharmacist or prescriber before starting, stopping or changing any medicine. We don’t sell, prescribe or recommend any brand or provider. How we write