The demand for GLP-1 medication has created a market, and where there is a lucrative market with supply constraints there are operators who should not be trusted. Some of what is being sold to New Zealanders online is illegal, and some of it is physically dangerous. The distinguishing features are not subtle once you know what to look for.
The counterfeit problem is real
Regulators in multiple countries have issued warnings about falsified GLP-1 pens. The documented cases are worse than a product that simply does not work. Some seized counterfeits contained insulin instead of the labelled active ingredient, which in someone without diabetes can cause severe and potentially fatal hypoglycaemia. Others contained unknown substances, incorrect doses, or nothing active at all. Non-sterile filling introduces infection risk.
Counterfeit packaging has become sophisticated. Holograms, batch numbers and labelling can be convincing, which means visual inspection is not a reliable defence. The only real defence is the supply chain: a product dispensed by a licensed New Zealand pharmacy against a valid prescription has a traceable provenance. One that arrives in a padded envelope from an overseas seller does not.
Compounded and unapproved products
A related category is compounded semaglutide, which has been widely marketed overseas, sometimes as a cheaper alternative during shortages. Compounded products are prepared outside the manufacturing and quality controls that apply to approved medicines, and regulators have reported dosing errors and adverse events associated with them, including cases where patients drew up many times the intended dose from a vial.
Also in this category are so-called research peptides, sold with a nominal disclaimer that they are not for human use. They are marketed to consumers regardless, and there is no quality assurance whatsoever.
The legal position in New Zealand
These are prescription medicines. Obtaining them requires a prescription from a practitioner authorised to prescribe in New Zealand. Importing prescription medicines for personal use without a valid New Zealand prescription is not permitted, and shipments can be intercepted.
Beyond legality, the practical risks of the unofficial route stack up: no cold chain guarantee across weeks of international shipping, no verification of contents, no clinician screening you for contraindications, no monitoring, and no recourse if something goes wrong.
Green flags
A legitimate service has most or all of the following, and they are all checkable before you spend anything.
Named, verifiable clinicians. You can find out who assessed you and confirm their registration on the relevant New Zealand register. Anonymous clinical staff is a warning sign.
An actual consultation. A video or in-person assessment where a clinician takes a history and asks questions. A form with no human interaction is not an assessment.
Baseline blood testing. Ordered before treatment starts, with results reviewed.
Screening that can result in refusal. A service that never declines anyone is not screening. Being told you are not suitable is evidence the process is real.
Dispensing through a licensed New Zealand pharmacy. Ask which pharmacy. A clear answer is a good sign.
Scheduled clinical review. Not just repeat prescriptions on demand.
A named clinical lead and a complaints process. Published, findable, and specific.
Accreditation. Health New Zealand accredits telehealth providers, and that status is a reasonable first filter.
Red flags
No consultation at all. Prescription issued from a questionnaire with no clinical contact.
No blood tests. Skipping baseline testing removes the safety screen.
Pressure tactics. Countdown timers, limited-stock warnings, discounts that expire. These are conversion techniques and have no place in a clinical service.
Guaranteed results. Nobody can honestly guarantee an outcome for a treatment with wide individual variation.
Prices far below the market. GLP-1 medication has a real wholesale cost. A price dramatically below everyone else usually means the product is not what it claims to be.
Payment by bank transfer or cryptocurrency. Legitimate healthcare businesses take normal payments through channels with dispute mechanisms.
No physical address or company details. Or a company registered somewhere unrelated to where it claims to operate.
Vague on contraindications. A service that cannot tell you clearly who should not take the medication has not thought about it.
Social media direct messaging as the sales channel. Prescription medicine is not sold via Instagram DMs.
The two-minute check
Before committing to any provider, do this. Search the prescriber's name on the New Zealand medical register. Find the physical address and company registration. Look for the complaints process. Search the business name alongside the word "reviews" and read past the testimonials on their own site. Ask which pharmacy dispenses, and ask what would make you unsuitable for treatment.
Any service offering a wegovy prescription that fails several of those checks is not worth the saving, and the saving is usually smaller than it looks once you account for the consultations and tests a proper service includes.
Why the cheap route is not cheap
The genuine costs of a proper service are the clinician's time, the blood tests, the monitoring and the pharmacy supply chain. Operations that undercut on price are usually removing exactly those components. What you save is the safety infrastructure, and the scenarios in which that matters are precisely the ones you cannot predict in advance.