FDA flags hundreds of adverse events from compounded and "research-grade" GLP-1 drugs as enforcement tightens

The FDA's standing consumer-safety statement on unapproved GLP-1 weight-loss drugs — updated in mid-2026 — reports 990 adverse events tied to compounded semaglutide and over 730 tied to compounded tirzepatide as of May 31, 2026, including dosing errors that required hospitalization. The agency reiterates that retatrutide and cagrilintide cannot lawfully be compounded at all, warns that products falsely labeled "for research purposes" are being sold directly to consumers with dosing instructions, and has posted an import alert (66-80) to block suspect foreign-made active ingredients. The warning coincides with a broader 2025–2026 enforcement arc: dozens of warning letters to telehealth marketers and, per trade reporting, explicit FDA threats of seizure and injunction.