Summary
- Retatrutide has not yet been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and has no marketing authorisation in the Netherlands.
- The drug is in the final stage of the TRIUMPH phase 3 research programme; legal availability is not expected until around late 2027 or 2028.
- At the moment, retatrutide can only be obtained legally as a participant in an approved clinical trial.
- What is sold online as a "research peptide" is illegal: its content, purity, dosage and sterility are not controlled.
- The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) takes action against webshops selling these products.
- The Dutch Poisons Information Centre (NVIC) is seeing a rise in poisonings with weight-loss medication and warns against self-injecting.
- Want to work on weight loss safely right now? At The Body Clinic, doctors guide you with approved treatments.
Retatrutide is spreading like wildfire on social media. It is called "Triple G" and the first research results are impressive. No wonder more and more people are asking: can I already buy it somewhere? The honest answer: not in a safe and legal way. Retatrutide has not been approved and is still being researched. Yet more and more online sellers are popping up offering the drug as a "research peptide", often with slick websites and convincing stories.At The Body Clinic, we see every day how much people want results. We understand that completely. That is exactly why this blog explains why it is better to wait, what the real risks are, and what you can already do safely today.
Where does retatrutide stand now?
Retatrutide is an experimental drug developed by Eli Lilly. It acts on three hormone receptors at once: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. That is why it is also called a tri-agonist. You can read more about how it works and the research results in our blog Retatrutide: a new approach to weigth loss. The drug is in the final stage of the TRIUMPH phase 3 programme. The first results are promising, but its long-term safety still needs to be studied. According to the IGJ, retatrutide therefore has no marketing authorisation yet. Retatrutide is not expected to become available in the Netherlands until around late 2027 or 2028. Until then, you can only obtain it legally as a participant in an approved clinical trial. Any other seller is therefore selling it illegally.
Why "research peptide" is a red flag
Online, retatrutide is often sold as a "research peptide" or "not for human use". Sometimes you even have to tick a box confirming you will only use it for research. That is not a formality: it is a way to get around the rules. What you buy is a vial of powder whose contents nobody checks. You do not know:
- whether it really contains retatrutide, or something else;
- how much active ingredient it contains;
- whether the product is sterile and free of contamination;
- under what conditions it was made, stored and shipped. On top of that, you have to dissolve and inject the powder yourself. A calculation error or a contaminated needle is easily made. And there is no doctor watching if you develop symptoms.
The risks to your health
The numbers speak for themselves. In 2025, the Dutch Poisons Information Centre (NVIC) received 149 reports of poisonings with injectable weight-loss drugs. In 2024 there were 76: almost double. For retatrutide specifically, the NVIC received 6 poisoning reports in 2025. In just the first five months of 2026, there were already 12. The NVIC warns that in many cases people do not even know what they are injecting. Possible consequences of illegal weight-loss drugs include:
- severe nausea, vomiting and dehydration;
- low blood sugar due to incorrect dosing;
- infections or inflammation at the injection site;
- symptoms caused by unknown or contaminated substances; no support with side effects, because no doctor is involved.
The inspectorate steps in
The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) actively takes action against illegal sellers. On 24 August 2026, the IGJ issued an order against the webshop Peptidekoning, which sold retatrutide, tirzepatide and semaglutide under several names. A week later, this was followed by an order subject to a penalty. The reason: the inspectorate had received several reports of harmful effects in consumers after using retatrutide. The webshop was also found to be selling counterfeit tirzepatide and semaglutide. Why that is so dangerous is explained in Vervalste GLP-1-medicatie: waarom illegaal kopen enorm gevaarlijk is.
How to recognise a trustworthy provider
- A legal online provider of medicines is listed on aanbiedersmedicijnen.nl and displays the European logo.
- Weight-loss medication is only available on prescription, after a consultation with a doctor.
- A BIG-registered healthcare professional is always involved, including during treatment.
- A provider that already sells retatrutide today is, by definition, not trustworthy.
Choose safe, not fast
Retatrutide may be the weight-loss drug of the future, but that future is not here yet. Anyone who buys it online now is gambling with their health: you do not know what you are injecting, how much, or what it does in the long term. The good news: you do not have to wait to get started safely. Approved medicines are already available, such as Mounjaro and Wegovy At The Body Clinic, our doctors guide you from intake to results, with genuine medication supplied through a licensed pharmacy. Do you have a BMI of 30 or higher, or a BMI of 27 or higher with a weight-related condition? Book a no-obligation intake and discover what medical weight loss can do for you. Curious about the costs? Read whether Mounjaro or Wegovy will soon be reimbursed. As soon as retatrutide is officially approved, you will be the first to read about it here.
