Congress Sends Letter Urging FDA Action on Counterfeit GLP-1 Drugs
- Dave Knapp
- Sep 10
- 4 min read
But will they vote to expand access to the legitimate forms?
This morning, a bipartisan group of 81 members of Congress sent a letter to the FDA calling for immediate enforcement against the flood of research grade illegally manufactured GLP-1 medications, counterfeit semaglutide, tirzepatide, and others, that are making their way into the country through unregulated suppliers.
Let me say that again. Eighty-one members. That is nearly one in five members of the entire House.
Now more than ever, the distinction between regulated compounded medications you receive through your doctor or telehealth matters. This is not that. This is about research grade, or as they call them “unregulated” suppliers.
What the Letter Says
The letter was sent to FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and lays out a grim reality. The United States is being flooded with counterfeit anti-obesity medications, often shipped from places like China, India, and Turkey, and disguised in boxes labeled dog food, tea, facial masks, or even t-shirts.
It references a February warning from the FBI, where fake semaglutide batches were tested and found to contain no semaglutide at all. Some had dangerous impurities, others had completely unknown substances. And these weren’t just one-offs. This is part of a widespread pattern.
Even more disturbing? Patients are mixing these powders themselves, injecting them with equipment that’s not sterile, and trusting that what they ordered online is close enough to the real thing.
Sometimes it is. Sometimes it’s not. And sometimes it’s fatal.
What Congress Wants
The members who signed the letter are calling on the FDA to use the power it already has. They're asking for:
A full import alert to stop these substances at the border
Enforcement actions against sellers who are offering unapproved meds online and on TV
A clear distinction between state-licensed compounding pharmacies and the unregulated businesses sourcing cheap powder from overseas
They also want the FDA to coordinate with Customs and Border Protection to refuse entry of any drug ingredients coming from foreign companies that aren’t registered or approved.
And they want this to happen now. They asked for an update from the FDA by July 30.
Why This Letter Matters
This isn’t the first time someone raised the alarm. In February, 38 state attorneys general signed a separate letter asking for the same thing. But this new congressional letter ramps up the pressure.
Here’s the twist. A lot of lawmakers who signed this letter have never supported expanding access to GLP-1 medications. They’re not backing coverage under Medicare. They’re not co-sponsoring the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act. But now that the unregulated market is exploding and people are getting hurt, they’re stepping in.
But we are in D.C. as I write this article, educating many co-signers of this letter, on how they can do just that.
Who Signed It?
A total of 50 Republicans and 31 Democrats. That leans more conservative than the makeup of the House overall, but the bipartisan support is real.
Here is the list of co-signers:
1. Richard Hudson (R-NC)
2. Herbert C. Conaway, Jr. (D-NJ)
3. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA)
4. Russ Fulcher (R-ID)
5. Claudia Tenney (R-NY)
6. Rudy Yakym III (R-IN)
7. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA)
8. Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
9. Tim Moore (R-NC)
10. Adrian Smith (R-NE)
11. Kevin Hern (R-OK)
12. David G. Valadao (R-CA)
13. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL)
14. Craig A. Goldman (R-TX)
15. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN)
16. Neal P. Dunn, M.D. (R-FL)
17. Gus M. Bilirakis (R-FL)
18. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI)
19. Vince Fong (R-CA)
20. Troy Balderson (R-OH)
21. Mike Carey (R-OH)
22. Julie Fedorchak (R-ND)
23. Mike Kelly (R-PA)
24. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
25. Adam Gray (D-CA)
26. Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
27. Addison P. McDowell (R-NC)
28. Carol D. Miller (R-WV)
29. James Comer (R-KY)
30. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX)
31. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO)
32. John R. Moolenaar (R-MI)
33. Brad Knott (R-NC)
34. John Joyce, M.D. (R-PA)
35. Donald G. Davis (D-NC)
36. Mariannette J. Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA)
37. Bradley Scott Schneider (D-IL)
38. Deborah K. Ross (D-NC)
39. Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
40. Marc A. Veasey (D-TX)
41. Robert B. Aderholt (R-AL)
42. Russell Fry (R-SC)
43. Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY)
44. Aaron Bean (R-FL)
45. Robert E. Latta (R-OH)
46. Kat Cammack (R-FL)
47. Ashley Hinson (R-IA)
48. Ben Cline (R-VA)
49. Scott H. Peters (D-CA)
50. Robert J. Menendez (D-NJ)
51. George Whitesides (D-CA)
52. Gabe Evans (R-CO)
53. Andrea Salinas (D-OR)
54. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX)
55. Mark B. Messmer (R-IN)
56. Ami Bera, M.D. (D-CA)
57. Cliff Bentz (R-OR)
58. Rick W. Allen (R-GA)
59. Laurel M. Lee (R-FL)
60. Nellie Pou (D-NJ)
61. Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
62. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA)
63. Steve Cohen (D-TN)
64. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)
65. W. Gregory Steube (R-FL)
66. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA)
67. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)
68. Linda T. Sánchez (D-CA)
69. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
70. Ted W. Lieu (D-CA)
71. Eugene Simon Vindman (D-VA)
72. Jefferson Shreve (R-IN)
73. Julie Johnson (D-TX)
74. Chuck Edwards (R-NC)
75. Sam T. Liccardo (D-CA)
76. Sheri Biggs (R-SC)
77. Kevin Mullin (D-CA)
78. Haley M. Stevens (D-MI)
79. Bryan Steil (R-WI)
80. Thomas H. Kean, Jr. (R-NJ)
81. Lucy McBath (D-GA
What Now?
We wait to see if the FDA responds. They’ve issued some warnings already, but this letter is a direct challenge. Either act decisively, or risk being seen as asleep at the wheel while people inject mystery compounds into their bodies.
We’re watching. And we’re going to keep telling the truth about what patients are actually facing out here.
If You’ve Been There
If you’ve ever been in the position of choosing between skipping your meds and taking a risk on a cheaper alternative…If you’ve ever found a random vial in the mail and told yourself this must be safe because it looks legit…If you’ve ever had to gamble on your health because the system locked you out…
Then you know exactly why this matters.
Stay tuned to OnThePen.com for more updates and in-depth analysis on the latest developments in weight loss and diabetes treatments. Sharing this article is a powerful form of advocacy that brings us closer to our goal of educating the masses and reducing the stigma of obesity. If you found this article insightful, please share it within your networks, especially in Facebook groups and Reddit forums dedicated to GLP-1 medications and diabetes management. Together, we can make a difference.
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