Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration voted to loosen restrictions on a slew of peptides so that compounding pharmacies can dispense bespoke mixes of them. As of now, consumers are bypassing the FDA by buying vials of peptides labeled “for research use only” and then conducting that research on themselves, to put it euphemistically.
The move (which is non-binding, but jibes with the stated will of the agency’s leadership) is a massive win for the telehealth industry, which has been eager to pounce on the opportunity to sell yet another product in a vial to consumers seeking to live longer and look hotter.
Unlike FDA approved drugs, there isn’t much literature on the safety or efficacy of the substances that will soon be flooding telehealth sites — and, if the GLP-1 craze is any indicator — Instagram and TikTok feeds. BPC-157, one popular peptide said to have regenerative effects, is probably the most widely studied and even it has not had thorough studies done on humans.
On the other hand, some (mostly those who want to sell peptides) argue, if people are injecting themselves with unproven and potentially unsafe substances anyways, why not hold suppliers to basic safety standards as opposed to letting a grey market thrive?
