Attorney General William Tong says there are currently no generic GLP-1 weight loss injections on the market. Any being advertised as such are unsafe bootlegs.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Attorney General William Tong made a major announcement on Wednesday, after the state agreed to a settlement with international trade platform “Made-in-China.”

This will require Made-in-China to stop all sales of unlawful “research grade” GLP-1 weight loss drugs into the United States.

Last May, Tong launched his investigation into the platform over its alleged illegal sales of bootleg GLP-1 weight loss drugs to Connecticut consumers without prescriptions or any medical oversight.

“Research grade” GLP-1s are not FDA approved to be used by humans, and studies have found that the bootlegs often contain impurities, potential bacterial contamination and inconsistent quantities of active ingredients, which can lead to medical overdoses.

RELATED: Settlement reached in lawsuit alleging sales of ‘bootleg’ GLP-1s without prescriptions

Despite this, Tong says some sellers dishonestly claim that such drugs are FDA-approved or are “generic” versions of Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro or Zepbound.

Tong reports that Made-in-China cooperated with investigators before entering into the agreement prohibiting manufacturers from using the platform to advertise or sell GLP-1s to customers in the U.S.

The company must also create a monitoring system to detect and remove such listings and remove any GLP-1 listings within five days.

Made-in-China is also subject to a $300,000 penalty to the state, suspended after $30,000. If the company violates the settlement, it will be subject to further fines.

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The settlement is similar to one reached with Triggered Brand in 2025, requiring the company to stop all sales of GLP-1 weight loss drugs. It resolved a lawsuit brought up in May 2025 alleging violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

Triggered Brand was also subject to a $300,000 lawsuit, suspended after $18,500. The company will be responsible for paying the full $300,000 if it violates the settlement.

On Wednesday, Tong also announced a settlement with Avon-based Radiance Medspa for advertising and prescribing non-FDA approved compounded semaglutide and/or tirzepatide GLP-1 weight loss injections.

Clinics and spas across the state were previously warned they could no longer market GLP-1 drugs produced by compounding pharmacies.

Those businesses were informed that the FDA identified multiple health and safety concerns connected with these compounded weight loss drugs. 

These concerns were sparked by dosing errors, use of salt forms sourced from overseas factories with spotty inspection records and multiple adverse event reports, some requiring medical intervention.

RELATED: Weight loss drugs for kids: What parents need to know

Tong reached a similar settlement with Advanced Medical Weight Loss, of East Hartford, in 2025.

Now, both companies have reportedly stopped advertising and selling the compounded drugs.

“There are currently no generic GLP-1 weight loss injections on the market, and anyone advertising or offering this is not telling the truth and exposing patients to potentially unsafe bootleg drugs,” Tong said.

The attorney general pledged to carry on his mission to eliminate the presence of bootleg GLP-1 weight loss drugs from Connecticut.

“We will continue to identify and shut down sales of these illegal and unsafe products. Additional enforcement actions are active and ongoing, and we will not hesitate to take strong action to protect patients and consumers,” Tong added.

Dalton Zbierski is a story desk editor and writer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dzbierski@FOX61.com. 

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