Tonight a growing number of states clamping down on knockoff versions of the weight loss medications Wegovy and Ozempic, which costing more than a thousand dollars a month are out of reach for most Americans and in short supply.

Some compounding pharmacies stepping in to fill that void, offering what appears to be the active ingredient semaglutide, and a fraction of the cost.

Now regulators in at least four states are threatening legal action.

Noting it's nearly impossible for compounding pharmacies to offer an FDA approved version of the drug, because the drug maker hasn't shared the ingredients.

It's really important to understand that these medications are injected, they're injected under the skin, they enter the bloodstream, the risk level is immediately high.

Kind of sounded too good to be true. - But you decided to go ahead with it anyway. - Oh, yeah, it's desperate, why not? why not do it?

Mary Morgan Mills took a compounded version of the drug for almost a year and didn't lose the weight.

And what happened? - Nothing, I had a lot of nausea. - You were on this drug though for 10 months, why?

Because I was hoping that something would happen, like I just feel completely bamboozled and I don't want other people to feel that way either.

With millions of Americans hoping pharmaceuticals will provide a silver bullet weight loss solution. - Do you see a world in which these drugs are accessible to most people?

They're not readily accessible, and so that's going to take a major change, within our society, with insurance coverage, with how we view obesity.

America's weight loss industry is already shedding old methods, tonight, Jenny Craig wants a household name for battling obesity, announcing they will close their doors after four decades.