More than one million adults in Florida are using injectable GLP-1 drugs to fight obesity—making the state one of the largest markets for these transformative medicines. Many patients, with the supervision of their doctor, take FDA-approved brand name medications. I’ve seen the results firsthand. These drugs change lives—helping people transform their bodies and overall health.
Yet, as GLP-1s have grown in popularity, so has interest from foreign drug companies in cornering the market with copycat compounded drugs. As a result, more patients are experimenting with compounded versions. But beneath the surface of this booming trend lies a dangerous undercurrent: a flood of fake, Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) in copycat versions of GLP-1s—largely from China—infiltrating our nation’s borders.
When Floridians take a compounded GLP-1, many believe they’re taking a safe, effective medication. In reality, they’re injecting a fake drug that isn’t FDA-approved and likely doesn’t come from FDA-inspected facilities. A recent report from the Brookings Institution found that less than a quarter of Chinese facilities marketing semaglutide—the active ingredient in some GLP-1 products—have been inspected by the FDA. This should raise red flags for every lawmaker, regulator, and patient in the state.
RELATED: FDA Warns Against Unapproved, Compounded GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs
These fake products with foreign-made ingredients often contain unapproved substances—some never intended for human use at all. According to an investigation by Endpoints News, one of the country’s largest compounding pharmacies, Empower Pharmacy, has allegedly used ingredients in pharmaceuticals that were never intended for humans. Empower serves compounding pharmacies across Florida, meaning Floridians are potentially receiving compounded drugs made with ingredients that never passed the most basic safety thresholds.
This isn’t just a health threat – it’s a border security threat, too. Chinese manufacturers with untested products are taking advantage of gaps in our border security, exposing a vulnerability that was left unaddressed by the previous administration. A Brookings report found that there has been a staggering increase in reported API import volume from unapproved sources since 2022. Between March 2023 and September 2024 alone, over a dozen foreign companies shipped copycat semaglutide API to the U.S. containing the equivalent of 1.072 billion starting doses of the injection.
That means that countless patients in Florida and beyond may be subjected to unsafe, unregulated injectables. It’s time we treat untested foreign pharmaceutical ingredients and copycat GLP-1s with the same urgency and seriousness as any other illicit drug flooding our communities.
The FDA had initially allowed compounded versions of semaglutide due to a nationwide shortage. That emergency exception expired on May 22, 2025, after the FDA issued a ruling that compounding pharmacies can no longer manufacture or sell compounded semaglutide injections. Yet, many compounding pharmacies continue to peddle drugs with illicit or questionable APIs, hiding behind the guise of “personalized care.” That means they claim the drug formula is altered to meet patient needs, when really all they have to do is add additional substances never intended to be injected in a GLP-1 in order to protect their bottom line.
Florida cannot stand by while illegal and potentially dangerous drugs infiltrate our state. We urge our state’s leaders to investigate and prosecute pharmacies that continue to push these products to unsuspecting patients. This isn’t just a regulatory issue – it’s a public health emergency and a national security risk.
Floridians deserve to know that the medications they’re putting in their bodies are safe, legal, and effective. Anything less is unacceptable.
About the author: Dr. Jim Davison earned his medical degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He retired in October 2023 after working as an emergency medicine physician for over 35 years.
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