THE rising use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs in Malaysia, including semaglutide (Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), has highlighted gaps between regulation and enforcement, with authorities continuing to uncover illegal online sales and social-media promotions.
Despite clear laws, the prescription-only weight-loss injections can easily be bought on the social media, messaging apps and e-commerce platforms.
Mounjaro, in particular, is widely sold online without prescriptions, medical screening or follow-up care and often marketed as a quick-fix slimming solution.
The law is unambiguous. Under the Sale of Drugs Act 1952 and Control of Drugs and Cosmetics Regulations 1984, all pharmaceutical products must be registered with the Drug Control Authority (DCA) before they can be imported, manufactured, sold or supplied, unless exempted.
GLP-1 receptor agonists — including semaglutide, dulaglutide, liraglutide, exenatide, lixisenatide and tirzepatide — are classified as Group B Poisons under the Poisons Act 1952.
They may only be supplied for medical treatment by a registered medical practitioner, or by a registered pharmacist upon a valid prescription. Supplying these medicines outside these conditions is a criminal offence.
Retatrutide, which is not registered with the DCA, is illegal for sale in Malaysia.
Advertising controls are equally strict. Under the Medicines (Advertisement and Sale) Act 1956, prior approval from the Medicine Advertisement Board (MAB) is required before any medicinal product can be advertised. As a matter of policy, MAB does not approve advertisements for medicines classified as poisons, making promotion of GLP-1 injections for weight loss unlawful.
Yet illegal listings remain easy to find. In 2025 alone, the Health Ministry said its Pharmacy Enforcement Division (PED) issued warning letters over 48 social-media advertisements involving Ozempic, Mounjaro and Saxenda, while one illegal e-commerce listing was removed.
“The division conducts proactive screening and monitoring of unapproved medical advertisements including the illegal or unauthorised sale of poisons across various online platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others,” the ministry said in reply to Sinar Daily’s query.
Between January 2023 and December 2025, a total of 38,055 unapproved medical advertisements were removed from e-commerce platforms and 13,070 screened on social media.
Malaysia’s Online Safety Act 2025 also applies to misleading weight-loss promotions, prohibiting unauthorised or counterfeit drug sales and advertisements exploiting body-image insecurities.
Critics, however, argued that enforcement remains largely reactive. Doctors point to failures across multiple fronts: digital platforms that allow illegal listings to proliferate, sellers with minimal accountability and regulators struggling to keep pace with online commerce. Social-media platforms play a central role.
Sellers use paid ads, influencers and private messaging to market injections, often avoiding explicit drug names to evade automated detection. Platforms publicly prohibit prescription medicine sales, but enforcement is inconsistent and largely complaint-driven.
Content may be removed, but sellers frequently reappear under new accounts.
Pharmacies and supply chains are also under scrutiny. While licensed pharmacies are bound by strict dispensing rules, the persistent online availability of injectable GLP-1 drugs raises concerns about supply-chain leakages, diversion from authorised stocks or parallel imports. Without transparent tracking and routine audits, regulators struggle to determine how these medicines reach unlicensed sellers.
Batu Kawan Columbia Asia Hospital's internal medicine physician Dr Ting Pey Woei warned the consequences extend beyond legality.
“GLP-1 medicines can be effective when prescribed appropriately, but sold online without supervision, patients face dosing errors, counterfeit products and serious side effects,” she said.
Short-term complications include nausea, vomiting, dehydration and electrolyte imbalance, while severe outcomes may involve gallbladder disease, kidney injury and nutritional deficiencies.
Long-term risks, such as muscle loss, require monitoring and lifestyle intervention — safeguards absent in online transactions.
Meanwhile, Avisena Specialist Hospital's endocrinologist Dr Fadzliana Hanum Jalal said unsupervised use of the injections undermines obesity treatment.
“Without guidance, patients may lose muscle instead of fat or see no benefit at all. These drugs are potent metabolic therapies, not cosmetic products," she said.
The Health Ministry stressed that obesity management goes beyond medication.
“National guidelines prioritise prevention, lifestyle and behavioural changes, nutrition education, psychological support and long-term multidisciplinary care. The public is urged to seek treatment only from qualified professionals and remain wary of online promotions promising rapid or effortless weight loss,” it said.
According to the National Health Screening Initiative (NHSI), about 30.9 per cent of 1.2 million adult Malaysians screened from January to September 2025 were found to be obese, while another 30.8 per cent were overweight. This means more than 254,000 Malaysians have been identified as obese.
In the 2023 National Health and Morbidity Survey revealed that 54.4 per cent of Malaysian adults were either overweight or obese, marking a sharp and troubling rise of 22 per cent since 2011.
The latest figures shows that the 2025 NHSI (January-September) recorded more than 60 per cent of Malaysians to be obese or overweight, compared to the 2023 NHSI with 53.5 per cent of Malaysians being found overweight or obese.