WASHINGTON, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Current laws and

regulations are not enough to protect Americans from the risks

of compounded versions of popular weight loss drugs, especially

those bought online, outgoing U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Commissioner Robert Califf said on Thursday.

The sale of these drugs would be less of a problem if the

price of the original drugs were not so high, Califf told

reporters at a media roundtable.

"I'm very worried about the internet compounding industry.

Some of it, I'm sure, is very high quality, but it's very hard,

if you are ordering things on the internet, to know exactly what

you're getting," said Califf, who will leave the agency once

incoming President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

"If the price of these drugs was not so high, it wouldn't be

such a problem."

Novo Nordisk's and Eli Lilly's ( LLY ) weight

loss drugs can cost over $1,000 for a month's supply, while

compounded versions typically cost a few hundred dollars.