GenLabMeds — FDA Warning Letter (September 9, 2025)

This letter is to advise you that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed your website content at the internet address https://genlabmeds.com in August 2025 and has observed that your website offers various compounded drug products, including retatrutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide.1 As described below, your retatrutide drug products are unapproved new drugs and misbranded drugs introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce in violation of sections 505(a), 502(f)(1), 301(a) and 301(d) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) [21 U.S.C. §§ 355(a), 352(f)(1), 331(a) and 331(d)]. In addition, your claims concerning compounded retatrutide, semaglutide, and tirzepatide products are false or misleading under sections 502(a) and 502(bb) of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. §§ 352(a) and 352(bb)] resulting in products being introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce in violation of section 301(a) of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. § 331(a)].

Section 503A of the FDCA describes the conditions under which human drug products compounded by a licensed pharmacist in a State licensed pharmacy or a Federal facility, or a licensed physician, qualify for exemptions from three sections of the FDCA: compliance with current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) (section 501(a)(2)(B)); labeling with adequate directions for use (section 502(f)(1)); and FDA approval prior to marketing (section 505) [21 U.S.C. §§ 351(a)(2)(B), 352(f)(1) and 355(a)].2

Under section 503B(b) of the FDCA, a compounder can register as an outsourcing facility with FDA. Drug products compounded by or under the direct supervision of a licensed pharmacist in an outsourcing facility qualify for exemptions from the drug approval requirements in section 505 of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. § 355(a)], the requirement in section 502(f)(1) of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. § 352(f)(1)] that labeling bear adequate directions for use and the Drug Supply Chain Security Act requirements in section 582 of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. § 360eee-1] if the conditions in section 503B of the FDCA are met.3

Among the conditions of sections 503A and 503B are restrictions on the bulk drug substances (active pharmaceutical ingredients or APIs) that may be used to compound human drug products. Under section 503A, one of the conditions that must be met for a compounded drug product to qualify for the exemptions is that, if the product is compounded using bulk drug substances, such bulk drug substances (I) comply with the standards of an applicable United States Pharmacopeia (USP) or National Formulary (NF) monograph, if a monograph exists, and the USP chapter on pharmacy compounding; (II) if such a monograph does not exist, be components of drugs approved by the Secretary; or (III) if such a monograph does not exist and the drug substance is not a component of a drug approved by the Secretary, appear on a list developed by the Secretary through regulation (“503A bulks list”) (section 503A(b)(1)(A)(i) of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. § 353a(b)(1)(A)(i)]).

Similarly, one of the conditions that must be met for a drug product compounded by an outsourcing facility to qualify for the exemptions under section 503B of the FDCA, is that the outsourcing facility does not compound drug products using bulk drug substances unless the bulk drug substances that are used appear on a list established by the Secretary identifying bulk drug substances for which there is a clinical need (“503B bulks list”), or the compounded drug appears on the drug shortage list in effect under section 506E of the FDCA at the time of compounding, distribution, and dispensing (section 503B(a)(2)(A)(i) of the FDCA [21 U.S.C. § 353b(a)(2)(A)]).

Your compounded retatrutide drug products fail to meet the conditions of sections 503A and 503B. Drug products compounded using retatrutide are not eligible for the exemptions provided by section 503A, because retatrutide is not the subject of an applicable USP or NF monograph, is not a component of an FDA-approved human drug, and does not appear on the 503A bulks list.4

Drug products compounded using retatrutide are not eligible for the exemptions provided by section 503B, because retatrutide does not appear on the 503B bulks list, and is not used to compound a drug that appears on the drug shortage list.5

Because your compounded retatrutide drug products have not met all of the conditions of either section 503A or section 503B, they are not eligible for the exemptions in those sections from certain requirements of the FDCA, including FDA approval requirements of section 505 and the requirement under section 502(f)(1) that labeling bear adequate directions for use.