Eli Lilly Declares War on Illicit Drug Sellers Like DonutNV Franchisee Mike Malagon?

August 21, 2026 unhappyzee

Big Pharma powerhouse Eli Lilly is rallying a broad effort to shut down the illegal black market sale of unapproved, illegal GLP-1 peptides by sellers like Florida DonutNV franchisee Mike Malagon and his Ryder Research website. When we warned DonutNV Franchising Inc. about this threat to their brand and their embattled reputation, they had their law firm threaten US with legal action. by Sean Kelly, Founder,Truth for Veterans, Truth for All Initiative.

(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) According to Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant has “escalated its continued fight to protect patients from the dangerous black market for retatrutide, filing six new lawsuits against U.S. entities selling black-market products in addition to having referred hundreds of bad actors to regulators and law enforcement worldwide.”

In May, 2026, the UnhappyFranchisee.Com watchdog website alerted DonutNV Franchising Inc. that its Fort Myers franchise owner, Michael Malagon, was promoting the use and sale of illegal peptides, including an illegal substance being called Retatrutide, on the same Facebook page he promoted DonutNV donuts to elementary schools and students.

Malagon openly operates Ryder Research, which promotes and sells illegal pharmaceuticals not approved for human or veterinary use. Malagon also promotes an affiliate program that enables others to sell the substances for a commission.

Instead of a thank you note and responsible action, DonutNV Franchising had its law firm threaten the Unhappy Franchisee website and its publisher with legal action for calling the drug dealing Malagon a “drug dealer.”

Alex Gingold & Mike Malagon Have Formed EAST COAST CONCESSIONS LLC

Since being notified of Malagon’s illicit activity, the Clermont, Florida-based franchise seller appears to have doubled down on its relationship with Ryder Research operator Michael Malagon.

According to the Florida Department of Corporations, DonutNV founder Alex Gingold formed East Coast Concessions LLC on June 25, 2026. The new LLC has the same corporate address as DonutNV Franchising Inc. (431 CITRUS TOWER BLVD CLERMONT, FL 3471)

Both Alex Gingold and Michael Malagon bear the title AMBR (Authorized Member).

An “Authorized Member” is both an owner of the LLC and has the legal authority to manage its daily affairs. They are legally empowered to sign contracts, execute legal documents, and make decisions on behalf of the business.

Michael Malagon Has Reportedly Expanded His DonutNV Sales Area to Include Miami

In an August 2, 2026 company press release, DonutNV announced its expansion into Miami and South Florida. Sources report that Malagon’s territory has been expanded from Fort Myers to include Miami and South Florida.

In correspondence related to the registration of East Coast Concessions LLC, Mike Malagon used the “miami@donutnv.com email address.

Not only has DonutNV Franchising Inc. refused to enforce its right to terminate a franchisee for illegal conduct that puts the brand at risk, they have allowed him to continue to tie his drug business to his franchise business with his DonutNV promo photo on Mike’s Pep Talk website.

Malagon’s Ryder Research Website Continues to Promote & Sell an Unapproved Substance it Calls “Retatrutide”

While retatrutide is the nonproprietary name (International Nonproprietary Name) designated for the molecule, Eli Lilly holds the underlying patents, proprietary rights, and commercial interests for the compound.

Eli Lilly actively enforces its intellectual property rights and trademark protections against unauthorized vendors, compounding pharmacies, and black-market sellers marketing unapproved products using the retatrutide name.

Apparently, Eli Lilly actively takes action to protect the value of its brand, its reputation and its shareholder value.

Eli Lilly Declares War on Illegal Retatrutide Sellers Like DonutNV’s Mike Malagon

In addition to filing six new lawsuits against U.S entities selling black-market products, an Eli Lilly press release states that the company has “referred hundreds of bad actors to regulators and law enforcement worldwide. Lilly is also calling on the entities that sellers use to conduct their illegal business—social media and e-commerce platforms, credit card companies, payment processors and shipping and logistics carriers—to help protect patients and fight this illicit activity.”

Eli Lilly is calling on all involved to their part in stopping dangerous and illegal operations like Mike Malagon’s Ryder Research and Mike’s Pep Talk:

Now, Lilly is calling on others to join the fight for patient safety:

Drug regulators, customs agencies, law enforcement and other government authorities must treat the sale of unapproved retatrutide as the urgent public health crisis it is, prioritizing enforcement and coordinating across borders to dismantle the criminal networks selling these drugs.

Social media and e-commerce platforms must stop enabling—and in some cases fueling—this illegal market and must take proactive steps to block this conduct before it reaches consumers.

Credit card companies, payment processors, shipping and logistics companies, and other entities that sellers use to conduct their illegal businesses must cut off the infrastructure enabling this illegal trade.

Healthcare providers should raise awareness of the potentially serious risks involved.

Everyone can help by reporting illegal retatrutide products to law enforcement, drug and pharmacy regulators, and the Lilly Answers Center at 1-800-LillyRx.

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