Connecticut Settles With Triggered Brand Over Illegal Weight Loss Drug Sales, Halts Ops

CONNECTICUT, CT — A company accused of selling unapproved weight loss drugs directly to Connecticut consumers without prescriptions has agreed to halt its operations in the state under a legal settlement announced Tuesday by Attorney General William Tong.

Triggered Brand and its CEO, Sam Stolt, will pay $18,500 and face a suspended $300,000 judgment, which may be enforced in full if the company violates the terms of the agreement. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in May alleging violations of the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act.

“Triggered Brand and its CEO sold knockoff drugs direct to Connecticut consumers with no prescriptions, no medical oversight, and no safety controls,” Tong said in a statement. “This was unsafe and unlawful, and we’re shutting it down.”

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The lawsuit alleged Triggered Brand marketed “research grade” GLP-1 peptides—unapproved for human use—directly to consumers for weight loss, bypassing medical oversight and regulatory requirements. GLP-1 drugs, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, are FDA-approved medications that must be dispensed by licensed pharmacies only with a valid prescription.

“These bootleg products have been found to contain impurities, including possible bacterial contamination, as well as inconsistent quantities of active ingredients,” the Attorney General’s Office said. Consumers who purchase these unregulated compounds are required to reconstitute the powders into injectable form themselves, with no medical supervision.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection echoed the warning. “Selling bootleg drugs is a crime and it is dangerous,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “It is critical for your health and safety that you only obtain these drugs from a licensed pharmacist after speaking with your doctor and getting a prescription.”

Tong’s office continues to investigate other companies selling similar unapproved GLP-1 compounds, including those advertising through the Chinese trade platform Made in China. A civil investigative demand issued in May seeks information about the marketing and sale of research-grade GLP-1s by sellers on that platform, some of whom allegedly promote the drugs as injectable weight loss treatments and offer to ship them in packaging designed to evade customs.

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Also in May, Tong sent warning letters to Connecticut weight loss clinics and med spas cautioning against advertising or prescribing compounded GLP-1 medications produced by compounding pharmacies. The letters highlighted multiple safety concerns cited by the FDA, including dosing errors, substandard ingredients, and adverse health events.

These compounded medications are not generic versions of FDA-approved GLP-1s like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, or Zepbound, the letter stated, adding that their promotion could constitute a violation of state law.

Tong is also part of a bipartisan, 38-state coalition urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to take stronger enforcement action against illegal sellers of counterfeit and unregulated GLP-1 drugs. The coalition’s February letter noted that online retailers often sell active ingredients under the guise of “research use only,” but promote them on social media as affordable alternatives to prescription medications.

The letter called on the FDA to enhance oversight, collaborate with state pharmacy boards, and crack down on unsafe compounding practices.