A Brazilian woman’s life hangs in the balance after an encounter with a counterfeit weight-loss drug spiraled into a medical emergency. Kellen Oliveira Bretas Antunes, a 42-year-old mother from Brazil, began using a substance known as ‘Lipoless’ last month. Despite being marketed as a fat-burning capsule, the drug is illegal and unrecognized by Brazil’s health agency.

After just three days of usage, Kellen began to suffer from severe abdominal pain and body aches, prompting an urgent trip to the hospital. Medical professionals diagnosed her with suspected drug intoxication, a condition that alters mental states due to drug intake. She was hospitalized for eight days before being discharged.

However, the relief was short-lived. Merely three days after her initial release, Kellen was forced to return to the hospital. This time, she was plagued by muscle weakness and dark urine, accompanied by the onset of seizures.

Since her readmission on December 28, Kellen has endured a harrowing 16 seizures. Her condition deteriorated to the point where a tracheostomy—an emergency procedure involving a hole cut into the throat to aid breathing—was necessary.

Kellen’s story serves as a stark warning about the dangers of unregulated substances, highlighting the potential risks associated with the pursuit of quick weight loss solutions. Her battle continues as medical teams work tirelessly to stabilize her condition and bring her back to health.

Since she was admitted on December 28, it’s been reported that she has had 16 seizures and has had to have a tracheostomy, where a hole is cut in the neck to help someone to breathe.

Her daughter Giulia Antunes said in a post today that her mother has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder where the immune system attacks the body, causing muscle tingling, numbness and weakness.

Her daughter said: ‘She is stable. There has been a significant improvement, but the process will be long, right?’

Kellen Oliveira Bretas Antunes, 42, from Brazil, was hospitalized after using a counterfeit weight loss drug, according to local reports (pictured)

She told local media: ‘Since she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, it will take at least 12 months of treatment with physiotherapy, speech therapy and other specialists.’

The FDA has repeatedly warned the roughly 13 million Americans currently taking a GLP-1 medication for weight loss to steer clear of non-FDA-approved concoctions marketed online or from compounding pharmacies. 

These versions can be more appealing because they are cheaper, but the FDA warned that they had not been through rigorous safety testing and could cause life-threatening side effects.

Maziar Mike Doustdar, CEO of Novo Nordisk, which makes Ozempic and Wegovy, added to the warnings last week, saying that 1.5 million Americans are currently taking ‘unsafe, knock-off versions of our products’.

In Atunes case, it was not immediately clear how she had purchased the weight loss drug, taken the medication or how she was treated.

But her daughter has suggested that the weight loss drug came from Paraguay.

Antunes was hospitalized three days after using the counterfeit drug. She has since suffered 16 seizures and needed a hole cut in her neck to help her breathe

It was not immediately clear what caused the seizure but doctors say that seizures can be triggered by low blood sugar. 

Doctors add that if a seizure causes prolonged breathing problems, it may also cause someone to need a tracheostomy to ensure they are receiving enough oxygen. If a patient is intoxicated from drugs, doctors may also insert a breathing tube because this can cause the airways to collapse.

Doctors treat drug intoxication, which Antunes was initially diagnosed with, by pumping the stomach, administering intravenous fluids and inducing vomiting. To treat a seizure, doctors may administer anti-seizure medications.

Local media has reported that the ‘Lipoless’ had been illegally imported into Brazil for use as a counterfeit weight loss drug. Some reports say it had the nickname ‘Paraguayan pens’.

Antunes’ daughter added, as reported by Need to Know: ‘My dad took the product to the hospital for tests, but they wouldn’t analyze it because it was medication from Paraguay.’

Antunes is shown above before her hospitalization

Flávia Coimbra, director of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism, told reporters that using medications that were not approved by Brazil’s health authorities came with very high risks.

She said: ‘There can be side-effects related to inadequate doses, hyperglycemia, and other adverse events such as contamination, serious infections, generalized infections, and worsening of pre-existing conditions.’

Yesterday, Brazil’s health agency Anvisa banned two weight-loss drugs often marketed on social media but not registered with the agency.  

A spokesperson said: ‘The products were manufactured by unknown companies and are being advertised and sold through Instagram profiles without registration, notification, or listing with Anvisa.

‘Because they are irregular products of unknown origin, there is no guarantee about their content or quality.

‘Therefore, they should not be used under any circumstances.’

Authorities are investigating Antunes’ illness.

In the US, at least 10 deaths have been linked to compounded medications since 2023, according to the FDA’s monitoring system. These reports do not confirm the drug caused the fatalities, as the FDA has not yet completed investigations to establish a definitive causal link.

The agency’s latest warning in September noted 605 adverse events linked to compounded semaglutide and 545 reports for compounded tirzepatide as of July.