October 23, 2025 • 5 mins
On today’s Good Day Health Show - ON DEMAND…
As the popularity of GLP-1 medications for weight loss and diabetes continues to soar, a dangerous new trend is putting patients at risk: compounded and counterfeit versions flooding the market.
In this important episode, Doug Stephan is joined by Leigh Verbois, PharmD, JD, FAPhA — board member of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global) and former FDA official — to uncover the truth about these unapproved and unsafe products.
Verbois shares her insider perspective on:
• Why compounded GLP-1s can be hazardous to your health
• How deceptive online marketing is driving their rapid spread
• What patients, providers, and policymakers can do to stay safe
With years of experience leading the FDA’s Office of Drug Security, Integrity, and Response, Leigh Verbois brings vital insights on protecting yourself from unverified medications and ensuring your treatments meet federal safety standards.
💊 Presented by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies — promoting patient safety in the digital age.
Website: GoodDayHealthrShow.com
Social Media: @GoodDayNetworks
As the popularity of GLP-1 medications for weight loss and diabetes continues to soar, a dangerous new trend is putting patients at risk: compounded and counterfeit versions flooding the market.
In this important episode, Doug Stephan is joined by Leigh Verbois, PharmD, JD, FAPhA — board member of the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP Global) and former FDA official — to uncover the truth about these unapproved and unsafe products.
Verbois shares her insider perspective on:
• Why compounded GLP-1s can be hazardous to your health
• How deceptive online marketing is driving their rapid spread
• What patients, providers, and policymakers can do to stay safe
With years of experience leading the FDA’s Office of Drug Security, Integrity, and Response, Leigh Verbois brings vital insights on protecting yourself from unverified medications and ensuring your treatments meet federal safety standards.
💊 Presented by the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies — promoting patient safety in the digital age.
Website: GoodDayHealthrShow.com
Social Media: @GoodDayNetworks
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's the Good Day Health podcast, sponsored in part by Calendrin,
the safe, proven way to lose weight and keep it off.
Check it all out at toploss dot com. Welcome to
Good Day Health. I'm Doug Stefan with Lee Verbois, who
is here. She's a very interesting lady, has a great
story to tell. Let's start with you being an FDA official.
(00:21):
What did you do with the Food and Drug Administration?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, thanks Doug for asking that question. When I was
at the Food and Drug Administration, I made sure that
the drugs that were in our supply chain were the
drugs that were supposed to be in our supply chain.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
What does that mean? Because there are a lot of drugs, yes,
that are out there that are not supposed to be
in the supply chain. How did you monitor that? Sounds
like a gargantuan job. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I had a really great team of people who were
working with me to ensure that the actors, the players,
the drug manufacturers and suppliers that were supposed to be
working and moving products through the supply chain where the
correct individuals and all also that the products that they
were distributing were the appropriate products. So we had policies
(01:05):
and we had operations that that we had implement implemented,
and they also had products and policies that they were
supposed to be following, and we work together to make
sure that they were doing the right thing.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So now you have graduated to the Alliance for Safe
Online Pharmacies. Is this something that has become obviously a problem.
We think about it. I go to a local pharmacy
for things that I need. I don't do this online,
but obviously I'm either in the minority or there's a large,
huge number of people they want to order things online
(01:39):
from Canada or China or wherever. Is that part of
the problem because you don't really know what you're getting
or ordering.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, So one of the important things to know is,
you know, I joined the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies
because it's really important for patients to understand how they
should get their products. And patients should always be speaking
to their positions, their help care providers to understand where
they should be getting their products from, what products they
should be getting, and they should only be purchasing their
(02:07):
products from verified pharmacies. And if they have questions, they
can also find additional information from the Alliance for Safe
online pharmacies and get information at www dot by saferrx
dot pharmacy. We want to make sure patients are informed,
that healthcare practitioners are informed, and they can get additional
details to make sure that they are not getting unsafe
(02:30):
products or from unverified sources, because it's really important that
patients understand that the products they're getting are from approved manufacturers.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
By safe RX dot pharmacy. Is that is that what
I heard?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
That is right by safe our X.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, we'll post that with the information that we're getting
in this conversation. Does the political scene in Washington have
anything to do with this message that you're now promoting.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
No, what I'm promoting is that patients need to understand
where they should be getting safe products and that the
FDA plays a pivotal role in ensuring that safe products
are available. Patient safety has to converse that FDA needs
to make sure that they are enforcing actions associated with
(03:23):
ensuring patients have access to safe medicines. They need to
make sure that they're overseeing enforcement gaps that might exist
associated with the activities for manufacturers and for compounding pharmacies.
And we know that when there aren't effective actions associated
(03:43):
with the oversight of manufacturers and also for compounding pharmacies,
that gaps can exist, that recalls happen, and that products
do make it into supply chains. And so we want
to make sure that patients understand where they should be
going to get effective and approved medications, and that is
(04:04):
from verified, verified pharmacies, and so patients should consult their
healthcare practitioners. There's a gap between a compounded product and
an FDA approof product. So compounded drugs are only intended
to fill a narrow gap where an FDA proved medication
is not available to fit a specific patient need. A
(04:27):
compounding pharmacy is a pharmacy where they're producing a product
for a specific patient need. And right now there are
some mass compounders that are violating the FDA rules by
mass producing knockoff products, specifically knock off GLP ones and
pretending that they're personalized.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So may I leave this discussion with the following thought.
If you are indifferent to where you get your drugs,
then you will be blinded perhaps by what you get
in difference makes one blind, and so this is not
something that you should take lightly. And the information is important.
This first time I've come across this information. That's why
(05:08):
I wanted you to have it, and that's why I
thank Lie Verboi from the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies
for explaining all of this for all of us so
you have the access to the information now at least
passed along by Safer r Rex Dart Pharmacy Lee Verboa
here from the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
This program was produced at bobk Sound and Recording.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Please visit bobksound dot com.
It's the Good Day Health podcast, sponsored in part by Calendrin,
the safe, proven way to lose weight and keep it off.
Check it all out at toploss dot com. Welcome to
Good Day Health. I'm Doug Stefan with Lee Verbois, who
is here. She's a very interesting lady, has a great
story to tell. Let's start with you being an FDA official.
(00:21):
What did you do with the Food and Drug Administration?
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Yeah, thanks Doug for asking that question. When I was
at the Food and Drug Administration, I made sure that
the drugs that were in our supply chain were the
drugs that were supposed to be in our supply chain.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
What does that mean? Because there are a lot of drugs, yes,
that are out there that are not supposed to be
in the supply chain. How did you monitor that? Sounds
like a gargantuan job. Yeah.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
I had a really great team of people who were
working with me to ensure that the actors, the players,
the drug manufacturers and suppliers that were supposed to be
working and moving products through the supply chain where the
correct individuals and all also that the products that they
were distributing were the appropriate products. So we had policies
(01:05):
and we had operations that that we had implement implemented,
and they also had products and policies that they were
supposed to be following, and we work together to make
sure that they were doing the right thing.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So now you have graduated to the Alliance for Safe
Online Pharmacies. Is this something that has become obviously a problem.
We think about it. I go to a local pharmacy
for things that I need. I don't do this online,
but obviously I'm either in the minority or there's a large,
huge number of people they want to order things online
(01:39):
from Canada or China or wherever. Is that part of
the problem because you don't really know what you're getting
or ordering.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Yeah, So one of the important things to know is,
you know, I joined the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies
because it's really important for patients to understand how they
should get their products. And patients should always be speaking
to their positions, their help care providers to understand where
they should be getting their products from, what products they
should be getting, and they should only be purchasing their
(02:07):
products from verified pharmacies. And if they have questions, they
can also find additional information from the Alliance for Safe
online pharmacies and get information at www dot by saferrx
dot pharmacy. We want to make sure patients are informed,
that healthcare practitioners are informed, and they can get additional
details to make sure that they are not getting unsafe
(02:30):
products or from unverified sources, because it's really important that
patients understand that the products they're getting are from approved manufacturers.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
By safe RX dot pharmacy. Is that is that what
I heard?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
That is right by safe our X.
Speaker 1 (02:49):
Yeah, we'll post that with the information that we're getting
in this conversation. Does the political scene in Washington have
anything to do with this message that you're now promoting.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
No, what I'm promoting is that patients need to understand
where they should be getting safe products and that the
FDA plays a pivotal role in ensuring that safe products
are available. Patient safety has to converse that FDA needs
to make sure that they are enforcing actions associated with
(03:23):
ensuring patients have access to safe medicines. They need to
make sure that they're overseeing enforcement gaps that might exist
associated with the activities for manufacturers and for compounding pharmacies.
And we know that when there aren't effective actions associated
(03:43):
with the oversight of manufacturers and also for compounding pharmacies,
that gaps can exist, that recalls happen, and that products
do make it into supply chains. And so we want
to make sure that patients understand where they should be
going to get effective and approved medications, and that is
(04:04):
from verified, verified pharmacies, and so patients should consult their
healthcare practitioners. There's a gap between a compounded product and
an FDA approof product. So compounded drugs are only intended
to fill a narrow gap where an FDA proved medication
is not available to fit a specific patient need. A
(04:27):
compounding pharmacy is a pharmacy where they're producing a product
for a specific patient need. And right now there are
some mass compounders that are violating the FDA rules by
mass producing knockoff products, specifically knock off GLP ones and
pretending that they're personalized.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
So may I leave this discussion with the following thought.
If you are indifferent to where you get your drugs,
then you will be blinded perhaps by what you get
in difference makes one blind, and so this is not
something that you should take lightly. And the information is important.
This first time I've come across this information. That's why
(05:08):
I wanted you to have it, and that's why I
thank Lie Verboi from the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies
for explaining all of this for all of us so
you have the access to the information now at least
passed along by Safer r Rex Dart Pharmacy Lee Verboa
here from the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
This program was produced at bobk Sound and Recording.
Speaker 1 (05:33):
Please visit bobksound dot com.
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