00:00Have you been offered a metabolic booster, a fat burner, or one of those so-called
00:04Custom weight loss formulas? Before you buy one, check this out.
00:09On social media and in commercial establishments, including some health food stores, every
00:14More and more mixtures of substances that promise to help with weight loss are being sold.
00:18They claim to be made with Amazonian medicinal plants, extracts from African trees,
00:23natural ingredients from Brazil and other compounds that, according to the advertising,
00:28They would have almost miraculous properties. The promises are always similar. To accelerate the
00:34metabolism, eliminate toxins, burn fat, reduce several sizes in a few weeks and even
00:40improve cholesterol. Some even display the FDA logo, the Health Authority of
00:46The United States, to build trust. But here's the question: are they really?
00:51Compounded medications? According to INVIMA, as reported by El Espectador, a compounded medication is a medicine
00:57Prepared by a pharmaceutical chemist for a specific patient, following the formula
01:02ordered by a doctor and complying with preparation, quality control and dispensing standards.
01:07Carlos Esteban Willes, endocrinologist at the Colombian Association of Endocrinology,
01:12He explains that these preparations exist to meet very specific needs, because
01:17For example, when a patient needs a dose or formulation that is not commercially available.
01:22In other words, a true master formula is not made to be sold en masse, nor to
01:28It is marketed as a generic product for anyone who wants to lose weight. However,
01:34INVIMA claims to have identified a growing misuse and improper sale of this type of product.
01:39preparations, a practice that is concerning due to the risks it may pose to health.
01:45So what's the problem? According to Catherine Rastrepo, endocrinologist and former president of the Association
01:51Colombian Society of Endocrinology, the main problem is that it cannot be known for certain
01:55that these products actually contain. Many are promoted using names of
02:01There are recognized medications for treating obesity, such as semaglutide or thyropathy, but that
02:07It does not mean that they actually contain those molecules or that they were manufactured to the same standards.
02:13of quality. In fact, some of the substances that appear in the advertising cannot even be
02:19to be freely marketed in Colombia, such as semaglutide, which remains protected
02:24due to patent. And when those products are sold mixed with vitamins or other compounds,
02:29Many questions arise. Who manufactured the substance? Where did it come from? What controls are in place?
02:35What was the quality like? Does the concentration match what they advertise? And what else does that bottle contain?
02:40As endocrinologist Carlos Esteban Willes summarizes, the first risk is not knowing exactly what
02:46the patient is receiving. That opens the door to adulterated or counterfeit products.
02:51errors in drug concentration, contamination during manufacturing, failures
02:56in the cold chain and the absence of systems that allow monitoring of these effects
03:02adverse. Precisely because of these risks, Colombian regulations require special conditions.
03:08to prepare these types of products. According to INVIMA, the establishments that produce
03:13Sterile or injectable compounded medications must have a good manufacturing certification
03:18manufacturing practices. And here's an important fact. There are only a few throughout the entire country.
03:24190 establishments certified under that scheme. But the problem doesn't end there. Willes recalls that
03:32Treating obesity is not simply a matter of applying a substance. It requires an evaluation.
03:37medical treatment, diagnosis, clinical follow-up, dietary adjustments, and monitoring of possible
03:43adverse effects. That's why specialists are urging people to be wary of any product that
03:48promises rapid or miraculous weight loss, especially if it's sold through social media or elsewhere.
03:54from authorized channels. If you want to know more about these supposed master formulas, comment.
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