Peptide weight-loss injection left woman with acute liver failure within days

After seeing enthusiastic posts about peptides online, Megan Hancocks decided to try an unregulated peptide in an effort to lose weight.

“I was quite small looking back now, but obviously your mind tells you otherwise,” the 32-year-old told Australia’s ABC News.

Within days of taking it, she developed acute liver failure, and six months later, even after some recovery, her life has been dramatically altered.

Because of the damage, she has been unable to work and has moved in with her mother while dealing with ongoing side effects.

She is now speaking publicly to caution others against using bootleg versions of an unapproved drug.

Megan’s story

Hancocks first encountered a peptide online that was described as retatrutide, ABC reported.

The real retatrutide is still in clinical trials in the US and is not yet on the market, meaning anything sold online is a counterfeit product with uncertain purity, safety and effectiveness.

Peptides sold online under names such as the growth booster sermorelin or the collagen-supporting GHK-Cu are often marketed as “research-grade.” Sellers try to avoid US regulations by labeling them as not for human consumption.

In Australia, Hancocks had difficulty obtaining it. But during a beauty appointment, a clinician later offered her peptides from a Chinese manufacturer that could be bought with cash.

She purchased a vial of retatrutide and also GHK-Cu, although she never used the latter. According to ABC, she hesitated before taking the retatrutide because she was unsure about the dose and had no doctor’s guidance.

She took her first dose and then another four days later. Not long after, she was hospitalized with acute liver failure.

She developed severe jaundice, along with ongoing nausea, vomiting, constipation, abdominal swelling and fatigue. Jaundice is the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes that happens when the liver can no longer properly process bilirubin.

She spent about a month in hospital and improved enough to avoid a liver transplant. Even so, she has been hospitalized several times since and remains on medication to support liver recovery.

She had to stop working and move in with her mother, while treatment has brought weight gain, hair loss and sores on her skin. “When I look in the mirror I don’t see the same person anymore and that’s been really hard,” she said.

What is retatrutide?

Retatrutide, often called “reta” in peptide circles, has generated intense interest as it nears the final stages before a possible market launch. Many people are eager to obtain any version of it.

Reports say two people in the US have died after taking counterfeit versions of reta. One was a 41-year-old who suffered cardiac arrest, and the other was a 49-year-old who died after severe dehydration, malnutrition and cardiac arrest.

Its popularity comes from strong weight-loss results, with the genuine drug appearing to work even better than current favorites such as Ozempic and Mounjaro.

Ozempic and Wegovy target one metabolic receptor, GLP-1, while dual agonists like Mounjaro and Zepbound act on two receptors: GLP-1 and GIP, or GLP-1 and glucagon.

The newer drug, reta, is called “triple G” because it acts on three receptors: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon.

In the latest reta trial, participants taking the lower dose lost an average of 44.3 pounds, or 19.5% of their body weight, while those on the higher dose lost 47.4 pounds, or 20.9%. By comparison, Ozempic helped participants lose 20.9 pounds, or 9.4% of their body weight.

The drug also made headlines earlier after some trial participants dropped out because the weight loss happened too quickly.

The FDA has warned about retatrutide and other unapproved compounded GLP-1 medications.

“This can be risky for patients, as unapproved versions do not undergo FDA’s review for safety, effectiveness and quality before they are marketed,” the agency warned.