Reta is not a registered medicine in Singapore, and no regulator anywhere has approved it. HSA, Malaysia's health ministry and Victoria's health department have each warned about products sold under the name, and Victoria reported 6 cases of acute liver injury in people who had used an unapproved product labelled as retatrutide (Victoria 2026). GetLean Clinic does not prescribe or supply retatrutide; it does prescribe and supply HSA-registered GLP-1 medications, after a consultation with Dr Quek.
HSA does not mention gyms; it says retatrutide is marketed through social media and online platforms for weight loss and muscle gain (HSA 2026).
Availability in Singapore. This is an investigational medicine. It is not registered with Singapore's Health Sciences Authority, and it has no approved application with the United States Food and Drug Administration either, so it cannot be prescribed in either country. Outside clinical trials, Lilly releases it only through a pre-approval expanded access programme for a small group of adults with severe obesity who cannot join a trial, on their own doctor's request and where Lilly makes it available, and anything offered for sale under this name is not what the trials studied.
Education only. This page is general education about a medicine that is not registered in Singapore. It is not an advertisement or an offer. GetLean does not prescribe or supply retatrutide, and nothing here recommends using it.
Reta: the shorthand used for products labelled as retatrutide. "R-10" and "R-20" are other names that appeared on products in Victoria's alert (Victoria 2026).
Research use only: a label saying a substance is sold for laboratory research, not for use in people. HSA says such labels are a warning sign, because they imply the substance has not been evaluated for safety or efficacy in humans (HSA 2026).
Is Reta legal in Singapore?
Reta is not a registered medicine in Singapore, and no regulator anywhere has approved it. "Reta" is the shorthand used for products labelled as retatrutide (Victoria 2026), an investigational injectable medicine from Eli Lilly (HSA 2026; Lilly, September 2026). Singapore's register of therapeutic products, read on 8 October 2026, contains no retatrutide product (HSA register), and on 25 September 2026 HSA stated that no regulatory authority, including HSA, has approved retatrutide as a medicine (HSA 2026). Lilly's release of 29 September 2026 says: "Retatrutide is an investigational molecule that cannot be legally sold or marketed for human use" (Lilly, September 2026).
HSA says it monitors local online platforms and e-commerce sites for illegal product listings and will take enforcement action against sellers found to be in breach of regulatory requirements (HSA 2026). Under the Health Products Act, supplying an adulterated, counterfeit or tampered health product is an offence (Health Products Act).
HSA says products like these are at the experimental stage and have not undergone the rigorous evaluation required before approval as medicines (HSA 2026). From unregulated sources, "you cannot be certain ... whether they contain the correct active ingredients or dosages, or whether they contain harmful ingredients or may be contaminated" (HSA 2026). Labels such as "research use only" should be treated as a warning sign (HSA 2026). HSA has received reports of anaphylaxis, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting after people used such products bought online (HSA 2026). Anyone considering injectables for weight management is advised to consult a doctor first (HSA 2026). Suspicious sales or advertising can be reported to HSA on 6866-3485 or hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg (HSA 2026).
What has HSA said about Reta for weight loss and muscle gain?
HSA's consumer safety article of 25 September 2026 names retatrutide and cagrilintide as injectable peptides still in clinical development, marketed through social media or online platforms for weight loss and muscle gain. It describes them as being at the experimental stage and says no regulatory authority, including HSA, has approved their use as medicines (HSA 2026).
Its message to people already obtaining such products is direct: consumers who have been buying prescription medicines and unapproved injectable peptides from unauthorised sources "should stop this practice immediately". HSA says those sources "could include overseas sellers, online platforms or even well-meaning friends and family" (HSA 2026).
HSA reports harm. It has received reports of anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, and of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, after people used such substances bought online (HSA 2026). The reta peptide page sets out the rest of what HSA said.
Why is "research use only" a warning sign?
HSA says labels such as "research use only" or "not for human consumption" should be treated as a warning sign, because they imply the substance has not been evaluated for safety or efficacy in humans and should not be consumed (HSA 2026). Of the unapproved injectable peptides it names, which include retatrutide, HSA says some may be marketed under misleading labels like these "in an attempt to circumvent regulatory controls and avoid being detected, while being promoted and sold to the public" (HSA 2026).
What did Malaysia's health ministry say about "Reta pens"?
Malaysia's Ministry of Health warned the public on 28 August 2026 against buying or using "weight-loss pens" claimed to contain retatrutide or Reta, saying that as of 17 August 2026 no product containing retatrutide was registered with its Drug Control Authority (The Star, 29 August 2026).
The ministry called retatrutide an investigational medicine in phase three clinical trials that "has not received marketing approval from any regulatory authority in the world". It said use of such products without proper medical evaluation and monitoring can cause adverse effects and serious complications. It reported 30 raids related to weight-loss products between January and July 2026, 17 of them involving online sales, and said 209 weight-loss product advertisements, including ones claiming to contain retatrutide, were taken down from e-commerce platforms during 2026. It added that selling unregistered medicines is an offence under Malaysia's Sale of Drugs Act 1952 (The Star, 29 August 2026).
The report of the statement does not mention Singapore. The law and the figures are Malaysia's, and they are not a statement of the position in Singapore, which is set out above.
What went wrong in Victoria, Australia?
Victoria's Chief Health Officer issued a health alert on 19 June 2026 reporting six cases of acute liver injury since January 2026 in people who had used an unapproved peptide product labelled as retatrutide. The alert names the products as "Retatrutide", "Reta" and "R-10, R-20", and says they had been purchased online, through friends and through social media accounts (Victoria 2026).
The department said the toxic effects were possibly associated with a contaminant in the products and that all such products are at risk, and that the pattern of illness in the cases suggested additional contaminants may be contributing. It said further investigation of the products' contents was underway when the alert was issued (Victoria 2026). This page reports the alert as issued on 19 June 2026 and does not report later findings.
The alert concerns products in Victoria. It does not describe what is on sale in Singapore.
Why can the contents of an unregistered product not be known?
HSA puts it plainly: from unregulated sources, "you cannot be certain where or how these products were manufactured, whether they contain the correct active ingredients or dosages, or whether they contain harmful ingredients or may be contaminated" (HSA 2026). A label does not settle the question. Victoria's alert shows the problem: people used a product labelled as retatrutide, and the toxic effects were possibly associated with a contaminant (Victoria 2026).
The trial results that make retatrutide newsworthy, set out on the retatrutide status page, describe Lilly's medicine given under supervision in a trial. They say nothing about the contents of a product sold under the same name. Lilly's chief medical officer said of the black-market products that they are "not a medicine – it is entirely unverified, unapproved and not worth the risk" (Lilly, August 2026).
What are the warning signs, and when should someone stop and seek care?
The authorities' instruction is to stop. HSA says anyone obtaining prescription medicines or unapproved injectable peptides from unauthorised sources should "stop this practice immediately" (HSA 2026). Victoria's alert advises that anyone who already has a product labelled as retatrutide should not use it and should dispose of it safely (Victoria 2026).
The authorities report these effects and symptoms:
- HSA has received reports of anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, and of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, after people used unapproved injectable peptides bought online (HSA 2026).
- Victoria's alert lists tiredness, abdominal pain, itchy skin, dark urine, yellow eyes or skin and easy bruising, and advises that anyone who develops unusual or concerning symptoms after using these products should seek medical attention promptly (Victoria 2026).
For a medical emergency, call 995 (SCDF).
What do registered options look like in general terms?
HSA says GLP-1 medicines such as semaglutide, liraglutide and tirzepatide are prescription-only medicines, approved to treat type 2 diabetes and/or weight management in people with obesity or overweight and weight-related health problems. It says they should only be used under the supervision of a doctor, who will assess whether the medicine is appropriate and prescribe the correct dosage (HSA 2026). Medicines registered for weight management already exist in Singapore (Singapore NDF).
HSA's advice to anyone considering prescription medicines or injectables for weight management is to consult a doctor first: "Approved, evidence-based treatments are available, and a qualified medical practitioner can assess what is safe and suitable for you" (HSA 2026). To see whether a registered medicine could be suitable, book your consult and speak to a doctor about whether it is suitable.
If your own doctor has prescribed a GLP-1 medication and you are thinking about stopping, the guide to coming off GLP-1 covers how that is done under that doctor. Do not stop or change a medicine your own doctor prescribed without speaking to that doctor.
Where retatrutide itself stands, and what the trials reported, is on the retatrutide status page.
Where can a suspicious sale be reported?
To HSA, by phone on 6866-3485 during office hours or by email to hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg (HSA 2026).
Read the transcript
Is Reta used in Singapore gyms? Here's what regulators warn about Reta, retatrutide.
I can't tell you how common it is. HSA doesn't mention gyms. But it has warned that Reta is being marketed online.
I'm Dr Quek, a Singapore-registered doctor, and the doctor behind the GetLean GLP-1 Taper Plan.
Retatrutide and orforglipron are not registered in Singapore, and GetLean does not prescribe or supply them.
Is Reta legal in Singapore?
Reta is the shorthand for products labelled as retatrutide, an investigational injectable medicine from Eli Lilly. No regulator anywhere has approved it.
Lilly itself says retatrutide is an investigational molecule that cannot be legally sold or marketed for human use.
What has HSA said about Reta?
HSA names retatrutide as one of the injectable peptides marketed through social media or online platforms for weight loss and muscle gain. That is HSA describing the marketing, not a claim that it works.
HSA has also received reports of anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, and of abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, after people used such substances bought online.
Is Reta safe if it comes from a friend, or someone at the gym?
HSA says unauthorised sources can include overseas sellers, online platforms, or even well-meaning friends and family.
Who supplies a product does not change what HSA says about it: from such sources, the ingredients, the dosage and any contamination cannot be known.
HSA also says labels such as "research use only" or "not for human consumption" should be treated as a warning sign.
What have Malaysia and Victoria, Australia, warned?
Malaysia's Ministry of Health warned the public against buying or using "weight-loss pens" claimed to contain retatrutide or Reta.
Victoria's Chief Health Officer reported six cases of acute liver injury in people who had used an unapproved peptide product labelled as retatrutide.
Neither describes the position in Singapore.
What if someone has already used it?
The authorities' instruction is to stop, and Victoria's alert advises anyone with unusual or concerning symptoms after using these products to seek medical attention promptly.
If your own doctor has prescribed you a GLP-1 medication, don't stop or change it without speaking to that doctor.
For a medical emergency, call nine nine five.
If you're considering GLP-1 medication to reach your weight goal, and you'd like to taper off it one day, I invite you to visit getleanclinic.sg to learn about our approach and the GetLean GLP-1 Taper Plan.
Common questions
Is Reta legal in Singapore?
Reta is not a registered medicine in Singapore, and no regulator anywhere has approved it: no retatrutide product is on the register checked on 8 October 2026 (HSA register), and HSA states that no regulatory authority, including HSA, has approved it (HSA 2026). Lilly says retatrutide "cannot be legally sold or marketed for human use" (Lilly, September 2026).
Is Reta safe if it comes from a friend or someone at the gym?
HSA says unauthorised sources of unapproved injectable peptides could include overseas sellers, online platforms or even well-meaning friends and family, and that it exposes people to serious risk and harm. Who supplies a product does not change what HSA says about it: from such sources the ingredients, dosage and contamination cannot be known (HSA 2026).
What happened to people who used a product labelled retatrutide in Victoria?
Victoria's health department reported six cases of acute liver injury since January 2026 in people who had used an unapproved peptide product labelled as retatrutide. It said the effects were possibly associated with a contaminant, and that investigation of the products' contents was underway when it issued the alert on 19 June 2026 (Victoria 2026).
What are the warning signs after using a Reta product?
Victoria's health department lists tiredness, abdominal pain, itchy skin, dark urine, yellow eyes or skin and easy bruising, and advises anyone who develops unusual or concerning symptoms after using these products to seek medical attention promptly (Victoria 2026). HSA has received reports of anaphylaxis, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting (HSA 2026).
Where can a suspicious sale be reported?
To HSA, by phone on 6866-3485 during office hours or by email to hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg (HSA 2026).