A gray market of GLP-1 drugs is growing on TikTok, new analysis alleges

A new report accuses TikTok of failing to appropriately moderate a growing "gray market" for GLP-1 weight loss drugs as they continue to surge in popularity.The content analysis, conducted by gender justice nonprofit UltraViolet, pinpointed hundreds of TikTok accounts promoting unregulated GLP-1 drugs, including GLP-1 alternatives advertised as "research-grade." Accounts often directed users off the platform to purchase drugs on WhatsApp, Discord, and Telegram.

Content about the pharmaceuticals, including the non-FDA approved retatrutide, was easily accessible to users with and without TikTok accounts before and after TikTok's ownership transition in early 2026, the organization found. In addition, the platform's Discover page automatically generated related searches suggesting the sale and purchase of GLP-1s. SEE ALSO: GLP-1s are inescapable online.

Here's why that's a problem. Many of the posts specifically targeted women or used photos of real and AI-generated women on account profiles, according to UltraViolet. A large portion of off-market GLP-1 content used harmful messaging about weight loss and appearance, included sexual imagery, or made false claims about women's health, according to the researchers.

UltraViolet reported 202 accounts to the platform for violating Community Guidelines. On average, around one-third of them were removed. "The volume and accessibility of this content — and the way this content is surfaced and recommended by TikTok’s curation features — suggest the issue is widespread, persistent, and TikTok is not doing enough to stop it," UltraViolet writes.

The organization surveyed the platform in two phases, one prior to TikTok's transition in ownership in late 2025 and one shortly after it was turned over to an American board of investors in early 2026. The analysis notes TikTok updated its Community Guidelines in line with the new ownership before the first phase of the study. The platform also edited its Terms of Service in January.

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