Kočović: Retatrutide not approved for use, even the most advanced healthcare systems struggle with counterfeit medicines
Retatrutide is a substance that acts as an agonist at three hormone receptors and is currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases. It has not been approved for use, and the manufacturer does not yet have complete data on its adverse effects, said representative of the Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices of Montenegro and head of the laboratory, Dr David Kočović, during the morning programme „Budilnik“ on Television E.
A patient was hospitalised at the Clinical Centre of Montenegro after using a weight-loss product purchased online. It has not been confirmed that the product was responsible for the patient’s health problems, but the case raises questions about what people are actually buying outside pharmacies and who monitors the origin, composition and safety of such products.
Kočović said that little information is available about the specific case. According to the information published so far, the patient purchased the product online and used it, while the label listed retatrutide as an ingredient.
- Retatrutide is a substance, an agonist at three hormone receptors, which is currently in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems and other clinical conditions. It is important to note that this substance cannot currently be legally obtained for use. In addition, the manufacturer itself does not yet have complete information about its adverse effects. Therefore, by purchasing and using such a product, we expose ourselves to considerable risk - Kočović said.
He stressed that this is not a problem specific to Montenegro.
- There is a global trend towards the use of pharmacological and experimental substances for weight loss, as well as a well-developed black market. This is not the first time that either we, European countries or much more advanced healthcare systems have encountered such problems - Kočović said.
He also pointed to the major problem of counterfeit medicines, which even the most developed countries are struggling to combat. Significant time and resources are being invested globally to prevent such products from entering the market, while the scale of the problem is also demonstrated by operations carried out by Interpol and Europol, he noted.
Kočović said that the Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices of Montenegro does not have a sample of the disputed product suspected of being linked to the patient’s health problems, nor does it have a photograph of the product or information about its origin.
- Hypothetically, if we had a sample, it is important to point out that this is not a medicinal product. Therefore, analysis in our laboratory, as well as in similar laboratories, would be significantly more difficult because we do not know what is actually in the product, in what form or at what concentration - Kočović concluded.