What a Brooklyn bodega reveals about the craze for an experimental weight-loss drug
It isn't approved by the FDA, but we found an experimental weight-loss drug called retatrutide for sale at a local convenience store.
Updated on: July 2, 2026 / 10:35 AM EDT / CBS News
Behind the counter of a bodega in Brooklyn, a cashier casually rang up a tiny vial of a peptide the store advertised as retatrutide — an experimental weight-loss drug whose sale is generally prohibited by federal law .
"PEPTIDES SOLD HERE" reads a large sign displayed on the storefront of Mr. Green, a small shop on a busy stretch of Bedford Avenue sandwiched between a poke restaurant and a funeral home. The poster promotes retatrutide for "weight management," though it also says in small type that the peptides on offer are "not for human consumption" — a disclaimer that doesn't appear to be hurting business.
An employee manning the counter on Tuesday afternoon initially wasn't sure if he had any retatrutide left.
"This sh** has been selling," the employee said, before locating a vial and selling it to a CBS News reporter for $95. No age verification, no medical questionnaire, no prescription needed.
The sale of what is billed as retatrutide in multiple New York bodegas shows how the craze for an experimental drug — which has not been approved as safe and effective by the Food and Drug Administration — has migrated from shadowy online vendors into brick-and-mortar retail settings where it is sold alongside sodas and snack food.