WHAT WAS CLAIMED
A Melbourne doctor is giving weight-loss advice on Facebook.
OUR VERDICT
False. The doctor doesn’t appear to exist and images on the page were created using AI.
AAP FACTCHECK - A Melbourne weight-loss doctor spruiking prescription-only medicines appears to have been created using artificial intelligence (AI).
The Facebook page for a "Dr. Elaine Tremblay" says it represents "a team of endocrinology and weight management experts with over 20 years of experience" based in Melbourne.
The page has also posted links to buy GLP-1 weight-loss products they claim are approved by Australia medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
However, no doctor by this name appears to exist, and the TGA has not approved the weight-loss drugs promoted by the page.
On September 29, the TGA issued a safety alert over the importation of unregistered GLP-1 drugs that are being promoted online for weight loss.
GLP-1 drugs mimic a naturally occurring hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite and are prescription-only in Australia.
"Consumers should exercise extreme caution and avoid accessing unapproved therapeutic goods from unknown websites, social media platforms, or other digital channels," a TGA spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
The profile photo for "Dr Tremblay" appears to have been created by AI, with her left ear notably oddly rendered.
Another image, used as the page's cover photo, seems to show an entirely different female doctor and also appears to have been created by AI, with the hands of the woman in the front right appearing to blend together.
The same cover image also appears on other health and wellness Facebook profiles that claim to be based in Ireland but are also managed from Hong Kong.
There is no Dr Elaine Tremblay listed on the Medical Board of Australia's Register of Practitioners and Google searches for her only turn up the fake Facebook page.
The page's biography section claims that Dr Tremblay has "published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in leading endocrinology and metabolic journals" and speaks at conferences across the world, but no evidence of her doing any of this can be found online.
The Facebook page's transparency section shows it is also managed from Hong Kong and that it went by an entirely different name before being changed to "Dr. Elaine Tremblay" in June 2025.
An advertisement run by the page has since been removed for failing to meet Facebook advertising standards. However, it has been viewed by AAP FactCheck and linked to an external website selling a weight control product called "Lercea GLP-1 Multi-Action Oral Ampoules".
The website claims the product is made in Australia and approved by the TGA and is the "ONLY official TGA store" for the product. However, a TGA spokesperson told AAP FactCheck that this was false.
"The TGA advises that the product 'Lercea GLP-1 Multi-Action Ampoules' is not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and has not been approved by the TGA for supply in Australia," the spokesperson said.
The TGA safety advisory on unregistered GLP-1 products states GLP-1 receptor agonists are prescription-only medicines and can only be used for weight management under medical supervision.
GLP-1 products purchased online may be fake or contain harmful ingredients and may not meet safety or efficacy standards and many scam websites advertising the products were not shipping after purchase, the advisory states.
"Use of unregulated products may lead to serious health consequences, especially if they contain undeclared substances or are used without medical supervision," the TGA says.
The Facebook page has also made several other posts about GLP-1 medicines.
GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy are now widely marketed to help treat obesity, but there has also been a rise in companies selling unauthorised drugs or treatments.
This latest claim is part of a flood of pages selling weight-loss drugs and other medicines falsely claiming to be approved by medical regulators, which AAP FactCheck has debunked previously in both Australia and New Zealand.
A false page claiming to be the TGA itself has even sprung up.
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