OAC Statement About Grey Market GLP-1 Products and Safe Obesity Care

OAC Statement About Grey Market GLP-1 Products and Safe Obesity Care

People in our Community are doing everything they can to improve their health while living with the chronic disease of obesity. But the reality is that long-term obesity management is made harder by a healthcare system that limits access to safe, effective treatment options. We understand that almost all people would rather be taking FDA-approved medicine if they had affordable coverage. When people cannot get the care they need, they are faced with impossible choices and the system is failing – not the individual.

Why grey market GLP-1 products are a growing concern

FDA-approved GLP-1 medications have helped many people, but high costs and frequent insurance exclusions mean they are out of reach for far too many. This lack of access has created a market for products advertised as “compounded” GLP-1s, but many of those are not compounded at all – they are grey market .

There is an important difference between:

• Legitimate compounding, done by licensed pharmacies (503A) or FDA-registered outsourcing facilities (503B) when there is an individual patient need or an FDA-approved medication is in shortage 
• Grey market products, sold online or found around the community without proper medical oversight, safety standards or ingredient verification

Grey market products often come as powders, vials, “research peptides” or self-mixed kits and may not contain what they claim. They are not reviewed for safety, and their supply chains are unclear. This puts people at risk for contamination, incorrect dosing or even entirely different substances being sold as treatment.

You deserve better

People living with obesity deserve affordable access to treatments that are safe, effective and supported by strong scientific evidence, not unapproved substitutes or products that place their health at risk.

For those prescribed obesity medications, real care includes more than the medication alone. Comprehensive support is essential, including:

• Nutrition guidance
• Physical activity support
• Mental health care
• Long-term medical management or surgical follow-up

Obesity is a complex, chronic disease. It requires coordinated, high-quality care.

Why the system needs to change

As prices for approved obesity medications decrease, more treatments receive FDA approval and insurance coverage expands, we have a real opportunity to reshape obesity care. It is time to ensure that obesity treatment is included in every standard health benefit plan.

Right now, we are living in a two-tiered system:

• The few people with coverage can receive safe, evidence-based care.
• The rest of people without coverage are forced to pay out of pocket for FDA-approved treatments or pushed toward unregulated alternatives.

This is not acceptable! Everyone living with obesity deserves access to mainstream, high-quality care.

What OAC is calling for

OAC urges policymakers, insurers, healthcare leaders and industry to:

• Increase transparency in the medication supply chain
• Strengthen enforcement against unregulated products
• Improve access to FDA-approved obesity treatments
• Establish patient assistance programs
• Include obesity care as an affordable and standard part of all health plans

Our goal is simple: ensure people living with obesity are no longer put in this position and have access to the safe, comprehensive care they need to protect their health and improve their quality of life. We continue the fight to change the system and increase access to obesity care.

We’re here for you

If you have questions, concerns or just need support as you navigate treatment options, the OAC community is here to help. You deserve obesity care that is safe, affordable, respectful and grounded in science and we are committed to advocating for exactly that.