Online GLP-1 Prescription Services Found to Lack Clinical Oversight in Secret Shopper Study
A secret shopper study by a Yale University researcher, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, investigated 49 telehealth sites prescribing GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. The study confirmed experts' concerns about lax clinical oversight, finding it is "extraordinarily fast and easy" to get a prescription online amid high patient demand and drug shortages that have fueled a market for unapproved compounded versions.
Secret shopper study methodology
▪The secret shopper study investigated the practices of 49 telehealth websites that prescribe GLP-1 medications.
▪A researcher at Yale University posed as a patient for a study on online GLP-1 prescriptions.
▪The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on July 6, 2026.
Online GLP-1 prescription practices
▪The telehealth sites under investigation prescribe popular GLP-1 medications for weight loss.
▪The study's results show it is "extraordinarily fast and easy" to obtain a GLP-1 prescription online.
Telehealth industry growth
▪Shortages of GLP-1s like semaglutide and tirzepatide created a market for compounded versions not approved by the FDA.
▪Direct-to-consumer telehealth companies have grown rapidly in response to high patient demand for GLP-1s.
Clinical oversight concerns
▪Clinicians and public health experts have raised concerns that lax virtual care practices from online prescribers could put patients at risk.
▪The secret shopper study confirmed the concerns of public health experts regarding online prescription practices.
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