Reta is not an approved or registered medicine anywhere, Singapore included. HSA's warning of 25 September 2026 named retatrutide among unapproved peptides sold online and called a "research use only" label a warning sign (HSA 2026). Retatrutide and orforglipron are not registered in Singapore, and GetLean does not prescribe or supply them. GetLean does prescribe and supply HSA-registered GLP-1 medications, after a consultation with Dr Quek.
"Reta" is the shorthand online sellers use for products labelled as retatrutide, an investigational weekly injection from Eli Lilly. HSA's warning covered injectable peptides marketed on social media and online platforms for weight loss and muscle gain, and it reported cases of anaphylaxis, abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting among people who used such products (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.
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).
What HSA said on 25 September 2026
HSA's consumer safety article opens with a direct instruction: consumers who have been buying prescription medicines and unapproved injectable peptides from unauthorised sources "should stop this practice immediately", and says those sources "could include overseas sellers, online platforms or even well-meaning friends and family". It names retatrutide and cagrilintide as injectable peptides still in clinical development, marketed through social media and online platforms for weight loss and muscle gain. HSA describes them as being "at the experimental stage", and states that "no regulatory authority, including HSA, has approved their use as medicines" (HSA 2026).
HSA also 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).
Why "research use only" is a warning sign
Sellers often label these products "research use only" or "not for human consumption". HSA says this is done "in an attempt to circumvent regulatory controls and avoid being detected, while being promoted and sold to the public", and that consumers should treat such labels as a warning sign (HSA 2026).
Lilly makes the same point from the other side. In August 2026 it said black-market sellers falsely describe their products as research-use only when they are intended for human use, and it quoted the US Food and Drug Administration's position that such products "are of unknown quality and may be harmful" (Lilly, August 2026).
What cannot be known about an unregulated vial
A medicine tested in a trial is made to a specification, and a regulator checks it before approval. A vial from an unregulated seller has none of that behind it. HSA puts it plainly: from such 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).
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). Is Reta stronger than Mounjaro? sets Lilly's trial results beside Mounjaro's.
What Lilly is doing about it
On 12 August 2026 Lilly filed six lawsuits against US businesses selling black-market retatrutide, including online sellers using the research-use-only label. It said it had reported more than 14,000 websites, advertisements, social media posts and listings marketing retatrutide in over 100 countries. Lilly's position is that no medicine containing retatrutide has been approved for human use by any regulator, and that it cannot be sold to consumers (Lilly, August 2026). In May 2026 it described the medicine as legally available only to people taking part in its clinical trials (Lilly, May 2026); its expanded access listing, first posted in June 2026 and shown as available when last verified in August 2026, also offers it before approval to a small group of adults with severe obesity who cannot join a trial, on their own doctor's request (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07629401).
The position in Singapore
Retatrutide is not on Singapore's register of therapeutic products, checked against a full download of the register on 8 October 2026 (HSA register). HSA says it monitors local online platforms and e-commerce sites for illegal 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 unregistered health product is an offence carrying a fine or imprisonment, and so is supplying an adulterated, counterfeit or tampered one (Health Products Act). The grey-market article covers unlicensed sellers of GLP-1 medicines more broadly.
A doctor here cannot prescribe it in the ordinary way. For an unregistered medicine, HSA's special access route lets a hospital or clinic import it for a patient only with HSA's approval, and HSA says this should only be considered for life-saving therapies where there is an unmet medical need (HSA). HSA's allowance for travellers bringing in their own medicine covers only a medicine lawfully prescribed to them in their country of residence, up to three months' supply with a prescription or doctor's letter (HSA), and no regulator has approved retatrutide as a medicine (HSA 2026).
Suspicious sales or advertising can be reported to HSA on 6866-3485 during office hours, or by email to hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg (HSA 2026).
What HSA advises instead
HSA's advice to anyone considering prescription medicines or injectables for weight management is to consult a doctor first. It adds that "approved, evidence-based treatments are available, and a qualified medical practitioner can assess what is safe and suitable" (HSA 2026).
Wanting to lose weight with a doctor, on medicines registered in Singapore, is what GetLean is built for: Dr Quek prescribes GLP-1 medication such as Mounjaro (Singapore NDF) after a consultation, daily WhatsApp coaching tracks your weight, eating and exercise, and the programme is built around a plan to get you off the medication from day one. Book your consult with Dr Quek to discuss whether treatment is suitable for you.
Read the transcript
Is Reta legal in Singapore? Is retatrutide legal here?
No. Retatrutide and orforglipron are not registered in Singapore, and GetLean does not prescribe or supply them.
And no regulator anywhere has approved retatrutide as a medicine.
I'm Dr Quek, a Singapore-registered doctor, and the doctor behind the GetLean GLP-1 Taper Plan.
Is retatrutide registered or approved anywhere?
A full download of Singapore's register of therapeutic products contains no product with retatrutide in its name or ingredients.
Lilly, the company that makes it, says it cannot be legally sold or marketed for human use. Lilly has also described it as legally available only to people taking part in its clinical trials.
Can a doctor in Singapore prescribe retatrutide?
Not in the ordinary way. A doctor here could prescribe it in the ordinary way only once it's on Singapore's register.
There is one narrow route: with HSA's approval for each consignment, a hospital or clinic can import an unregistered medicine for a patient, and HSA says that should only be considered for life-saving therapies where there is an unmet medical need.
What happens to the people selling it?
HSA says it monitors local online platforms and e-commerce sites for illegal listings. It will take enforcement action against sellers found to be in breach of regulatory requirements.
Under the Health Products Act, supplying an unregistered health product is an offence carrying a fine or imprisonment.
What has HSA warned about?
It named retatrutide among injectable peptides still in clinical development, being marketed on social media and online platforms for weight loss.
HSA has had reports of anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, and of stomach pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, after people used these products from online sellers.
A label saying research use only is a warning sign, and the trial results say nothing about what's in a product sold under the same name.
What does HSA say to do?
HSA's instruction is direct: if you've been relying on unauthorised sources for prescription medicines or unapproved injectable peptides, stop that practice immediately. Its advice for anyone considering prescription medicines or injectables for weight management is to consult a doctor first.
If you come across a suspicious sale or advert, you can report it to HSA by phone during office hours, or by email; the number and address are on screen.
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
What is reta peptide?
"Reta" is the shorthand sellers use for products labelled as retatrutide, an investigational Eli Lilly medicine. No regulator has approved retatrutide as a medicine (HSA 2026), and outside Lilly's clinical trials it is released only through a pre-approval expanded access programme for a small group of adults with severe obesity, on their doctor's request (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07629401).
Is reta legal in Singapore?
No. Retatrutide (Reta) is not registered in Singapore (checked against the register on 8 October 2026), and no regulator anywhere has approved it as a medicine (HSA register; HSA 2026). Its maker, Lilly, says it "cannot be legally sold or marketed for human use" (Lilly, September 2026). HSA has warned that unapproved injectable peptides such as retatrutide are being marketed on social media and online platforms, and says it will take enforcement action against sellers found to be in breach of regulatory requirements (HSA 2026).
What does "research use only" mean on a peptide?
It means the seller presents the product as being for laboratory research, not for people. HSA says such labels 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).
Has anyone been harmed?
HSA reports cases of anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction, as well as abdominal pain, diarrhoea and vomiting, after people used unapproved injectable peptides bought online (HSA 2026).
Where can a seller be reported?
To HSA, by phone on 6866-3485 during office hours or by email to hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg (HSA 2026).