Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1546133
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 9 AUGUST 2026 NEWS Illegal peptide vendors sell weight-loss dream A growing number of people in Malta are turning to unregulated injectable peptides to lose weight fast, leading to a boom in illegal sales. And in a country plagued by obesity, sellers on social me- dia are unashamedly marketing them as miracle drugs. Peptides are short chains of amino acids that form proteins. Some peptides are naturally oc- curring, while others are used for a wide range of purposes. Ozem- pic is arguably the most famous peptide, although this is a brand name. The most glaring difference between Ozempic and the many weight-loss peptides that have flooded the grey market is the fact that the former is regulated by national health authorities and can be bought by doctor's pre- scription. The rest are peddled online by obscure sellers with no medical background. A TikTok search for peptides will soon flood your feed with sellers and plenty of messages from satisfied customers boast- ing about how much weight they've lost. MaltaToday called some of the sellers illegally advertising their products on TikTok. One seller offered to sell us 30mg of Reta for €150, 40mg for €180, or 50mg for €200. Without knowing anything about the person on the other side of the phone call, the seller recommended a 30mg vial. Another seller went on a rant about how his peptide is much more potent than anything else he tried in the past. He explained that he used to eat an entire piz- za by himself and his wife used to eat three-quarters. "Now we can't even finish one pizza between us," he exclaimed. This seller admitted, however, that such peptides are not lab-ap- proved. Still, he recommended a dosage, warning not to go over the recommended dose. When asked where he sources his prod- ucts, he simply replied "Germa- ny". The most common weight- loss peptide on the grey market seems to be Retatrutide, or Reta for short. Last June, the Super- intendence of Public Health and the Malta Medicines Authority warned that products contain- ing Retatrutide are being sold through unauthorised and unver- ified sources, predominantly on social media. The authorities said this medication is not approved for public use. In August, police arrested four people following raids, which netted thousands of euros in cash, steroids, and illicit peptide vials. One of the peptide vendors de- leted his TikTok page soon after the arrests. He told an interested customer he had no idea selling these products is illegal. Kirill Micallef Stafrace, a sports and exercise medicine consult- ant professor, told MaltaToday the short- and long-term conse- quences of peptide use are diffi- cult to assess. "Although the science and ra- tionale behind some of the pep- tides is neat, many are not li- censed and even with those that are, off-label use is rampant," he said. What is even more concerning, he added, is that individuals with "zero formal health knowledge" are distributing these products for purely financial reasons. moneybase.com/cashback Terms and conditions apply. Payment services are brought to you by Moneybase Limited (C87193), which is licensed by the MFSA to operate as a Financial Institution in accordance with the Financial Institutions Act (Cap. 376). Calamatta Cuschieri Investment Services Ltd (C13729) is licensed by the MFSA to carry out investment services business in terms of the Investment Services Act (Cap. 370). The companies are subsidiaries of Calamatta Cuschieri Moneybase plc and have their registered office at Level 0, Ewropa Business Centre, Dun Karm Street, Birkirkara BKR 9034, Malta. Moneybase is a program Manager with Mastercard, your Moneybase card is provided by Moorwand Ltd (FCA Reference No 900709), a Principal member of Mastercard International Incorporated. Mastercard is a registered trademark and the circles design is a trademark of Mastercard International Incorporated. MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt Retatrutide was among the items seized in a police raid last week