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CNBC

The weight-loss drug boom has become one of the internet's biggest scams

CNBC
Summary
Nutrition label

77% Informative

Supply and demand issues have led to a boom in pharmaceutical cybercrime.

Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk continue to ramp production facilities for booming weight-loss drugs.

Consumers are flocking to TikTok and other social media platforms and websites to purchase branded and illicit GLP-1s , often without a prescription.

A recent CNBC investigation explored the murky international world of counterfeit weight-loss drugs.

Compounding of GLP-1s is another contributor to the dodgy marketplace for the drugs.

Social media companies and web operators have employed human monitors and machine technology to identify and shut down online scammers.

Survey: About one in eight adults said they had taken GLP-1 drug, with about half , or 21 million , actively using the medications.

Nearly 80% purchased the drugs or a prescription for them from a primary care doctor or a specialist.

Hundreds of influencers are touting the drugs and their journeys using them across social media.

The FDA has sent warning letters to a handful, including Miami -based US Chem Labs .

VR Score

70

Informative language

66

Neutral language

30

Article tone

formal

Language

English

Language complexity

64

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

short-lived

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