On Monday, November 10, 2025, a Cullman, Alabama, medical spa was temporarily closed at the request of Alabama’s Attorney General, Steve Marshall, for administering unapproved weight-loss drugs. Subsequently, a law firm filed a lawsuit representing dozens of former patients of the medical spa.

The attorney general has filed a suit alleging Aurora IV and Wellness, an IV-infusion clinic in Cullman, illegally administered versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs, tirzepatide and semaglutide, that were not intended for human consumption without their patients’ knowledge or consent.

Marshall claims the clinic violated Alabama’s Deceptive Trade Practices Act by advertising its weight loss compounds as “pharmaceutical-grade,” while administering versions of the drugs intended for research purposes only, which the FDA has warned against for human use.

“Patients who relied on this clinic were unknowingly injected with substances labeled strictly for research use, materials federal regulators have explicitly warned are risky for human use. This kind of reckless disregard for patient safety will not be tolerated in Alabama,” Marshall said.

Meanwhile, Morris Haynes Attorneys at Law has filed a lawsuit on behalf of patients of Aurora Mobile IV and Wellness who were provided non-FDA approved “gray market” weight loss injections that are not approved for human or veterinary use. The lawsuit alleges dozens of clients were supposed to receive FDA-approved drugs but instead received chemicals that Aurora’s owners bought on the “gray market.”

”When health care providers tell us they are giving an FDA-approved medication, we should be able to trust them,” said attorney Jeremy Knowles.

According to the lawsuit, patients were exposed to unknown dangerous health risks by the experimental chemical. The law firm says its investigation has revealed that patients suffered physical injuries, including fainting, headaches, muscle weakness and even hospitalization. Many experienced the chemicals crystalizing or coagulating to a substance so thick it could not exit the syringe Aurora gave them. Morris Haynes has discovered that patients began receiving these “gray market” injections as early as May 2025.

“Patients were administered substances that are not approved for any human or even animal use,” Knowles said. “They are very concerned and worried, and we pray our clients suffer no long-term side effects.”

AmSpa recommends that medical aesthetics professionals only use weight-loss drugs that are approved for use in their state—this article is a good primer for the legal issues surrounding medical weight loss and compliance with your state’s rules and regulations. What’s more, you should visit AmSpa’s Medical Weight Loss Resource Page to learn what you need to know about providing these treatments. 

If you are not sure about the laws regarding weight loss drugs and other medical spa treatments in your state, you should join AmSpa today. AmSpa Members receive state-specific compliance information and updates any time a new regulation is proposed or passed, as well as countless other benefits and discounts.