The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is set to convene an expert panel in July to discuss whether some pharmacies can manufacture certain peptides, according to an agency filing submitted on Wednesday. The list includes unproven substances that have become increasingly popular among wellness influencers and athletes.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, and they are found naturally in the body and produced synthetically. GLP-1 drugs—glucagonlike peptide 1 medications—are peptides.
In recent years, a gray market of lab-manufactured peptides has gained traction as DIY treatments for all sorts of ailments, from wrinkles to inflammation to low libido. Many of these have not been through thorough clinical trials, and people who take them often source them from compounding pharmacies, which make customized medications that aren’t individually assessed by the FDA for safety or effectiveness, or from providers abroad that may be entirely unregulated.
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The FDA is under the jurisdiction of Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who is vocally supportive of peptides, has claimed to have used them himself and has pledged to end the FDA’s “war” on public health, including substances such as peptides.
“Today, we took long-overdue action to restore science, accountability, and the rule of law,” Kennedy said in a post on X on Wednesday that announced the July expert panel meetings. “This action begins to restore regulated access and will immediately begin shifting demand away from the black market.”
The FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee will meet on July 23 and 24 to discuss whether licensed compounding pharmacies should be permitted to manufacture at least seven peptides, including BPC-157 for ulcerative colitis and inflammation and TB-500 for wound healing. The expert panel will not issue a binding decision but will offer recommendations to the FDA.
Other peptides on the agency’s list are KPV, which is also used for wound healing and inflammation, and MOTs-C, which is used to treat obesity and osteoporosis, as well as emideltide and epitalon for sleep problems and semax for cognitive issues.
Editor’s Note (4/15/26): This is a breaking news story and may be updated.