HealthDay News \u2014 Despite the end of nationwide shortages of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), the market for compounded GLP-1 RA alternatives remains strong, and some of these products are from pharmacies with concerning regulatory histories, according to a study published online July 17 in JAMA Health Forum.<\/p>\n
Michael J. DiStefano, Ph.D., from University of Colorado Anschutz, and colleagues characterized available compounded GLP-1 RA<\/a> products offered by weight-loss clinics and medical spas, described aspects of patient care and monitoring, and identified characteristics of compounding suppliers. The analysis included 75 brick-and-mortar weight-loss clinics and medical spas offering compounded GLP-1 RAs located in West Virginia and Oklahoma, identified by a \u201csecret shopper\u201d approach.<\/p>\n The researchers found that 9.3 percent of the businesses reported offering oral compounded GLP-1 RA formulations and 56.0 percent reported offering compounded GLP-1 RA products combined with B vitamins<\/a>. Suppliers included 23 compounding facilities, four of which were not licensed to perform sterile compounding. One facility had received multiple warning letters from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and three had been subject to state-level disciplinary action.<\/p>\n \u201cOur findings suggest this market didn\u2019t shrink after the shortages ended as many expected,\u201d DiStefano said in a statement. \u201cInstead, it has remained remarkably robust, raising important questions about how these products are regulated and how patients can know whether they\u2019re receiving medications that meet appropriate quality standards.\u201d<\/p>\n One author disclosed financial ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n