Reta belum lulus di Malaysia, KKM pesan jangan guna ‘pen kurus’

Malaysia's Department of Health has warned the public against purchasing or using weight loss injections containing Retatrutide, as there is no registered product with the Drug Control Authority (PBKD) in the country. Retatrutide is currently undergoing phase three clinical trials and has not received any marketing approval from global regulatory authorities.

The ministry expressed concern over the increasing trend of online sales of weight loss products, including injections, without proper assessment, prescription, or monitoring by healthcare professionals. Unsupervised use of such products can lead to adverse effects and serious complications, especially if unknown adverse reactions or complications are left untreated.

The Pharmaceutical Control Division has received 65 complaints and conducted 30 investigations related to weight loss products, including 17 linked to online sales, amounting to RM477,142 in total losses between January and July 2024. A total of 209 advertisements for weight loss products, including those claimed to contain Retatrutide, have been removed from e-commerce platforms since 2026.

Additionally, 1,243 advertisements across various media channels have been identified, filtered, and taken appropriate action. The ministry advises the public to ensure that any weight loss product they intend to purchase is registered and approved for use, and to obtain it from a reputable source. Product registration status can be checked via the Product Search function on the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency's website, while the FarmaTag hologram verification can be done using the MyUbat application.

Selling unregistered medicines is a violation of the 1952 Drug Selling Act (Act 368) and related regulations, with penalties up to RM50,000 for the first offense and RM100,000 for subsequent offenses.