{
  "id": 16344134,
  "title": "Someone Ran a Chemical Analysis of Bodega Retatrutide and Dear Lord",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/someone-ran-a-chemical-analysis-of-bodega-retatrutide-and-dear-lord",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T15:55:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Futurism",
    "slug": "futurism",
    "url": "https://futurism.com/health-medicine/chemical-analysis-bodega-retatrutide-peptides"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a recent investigation, a New York City bodega was found to be selling a knockoff of Eli Lilly's yet-to-be-released injectable weight loss drug, retatrutide. To analyze the product, CBS sent a sample to Jason Galpin, a researcher of bioorganic chemistry at the University of Iowa. Galpin's findings revealed that the vial contained no peptide-like-substances but instead was composed of phenylacetic acid, a filler-compound typically used in perfume and illicit amphetamine manufacturing. Furthermore, the vial also harbored at least 13 bacterial colonies, which could easily cause a dangerous infection, according to Carl Ross, the director of development at the University of Iowa's Center for Biocatalysis and Bioprocessing. Ross warned that injecting bacteria under the skin could lead to a serious infection. Similar to CBS's findings, Wired conducted a similar analysis last month, also discovering that the \"peptides\" purchased from a Brooklyn bodega were not actual peptides, but a chemical slurry that technicians couldn't identify. The report emphasizes that the ease of access to these gray market peptide products comes with a significant risk to one's health, and consuming such products is \"pretty terrifying.\"",
  "summary": "\"It does not look anything like a peptide.\" The post Someone Ran a Chemical Analysis of Bodega Retatrutide and Dear Lord appeared first on Futurism .",
  "key_points": [
    "Bodega sold counterfeit retatrutide, a weight loss drug",
    "Sample contained phenylacetic acid, not peptide-like substances",
    "Vial had 13 bacterial colonies, risk of infection"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}