Taiwan FDA warns against misuse of weight loss drugs

Taipei, Feb. 7 (CNA) The Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) on Saturday asked the public to refrain from procuring GLP-1 and GIP weight-loss medications from unknown sources, after the United Kingdom issued a heightened warning about the drugs last week.

On Jan. 29, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the U.K. enforced a strengthened warning on all Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists and dual GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonists.

The U.K. imposed "strengthened warnings on acute pancreatitis, including necrotising and fatal cases" upon both receptor agonists.

In a news release, the TFDA echoed the U.K.'s observations, explaining that Taiwan had documented 21 cases between early 2023 and the end of 2025 of people suffering side effects after using GLP-1 and GIP-based weight-loss drugs, colloquially known in Taiwan as the "slimming injection (瘦瘦針)."

Side effect symptoms documented in Taiwan from the receptor agonists include gastrointestinal disorders, hypoglycemia, nausea, vomiting, and discomfort around areas where the medications were injected, according to the TFDA.

The TFDA added that while GLP-1 and GIP receptor agonists are legal in Taiwan -- limited only to tirzepatide (GIP and GLP-1), semaglutide (GLP-1), and liraglutide (GLP-1) -- the medications are regulated as prescription drugs.

The administration further urged the public to refrain from procuring the receptor agonist from online and unknown sources to avoid getting defective or counterfeit versions of the drugs.

The TFDA said it will continue to monitor the safety and use of the drugs internationally and in Taiwan to determine whether to further strengthen regulations on the medications.