US health advisors recommend easing restrictions on peptides

A panel of outside experts to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) narrowly voted on Thursday to recommend dropping current restrictions that prevent pharmacies from producing injectable peptides such as BPC-157, TB-500, and KPV. These substances are popular with wellness influencers and celebrities.

The vote was 8-6, with one abstention. The panel advised adding these peptides to the FDA's list of substances considered safe for pharmacy compounding. If the FDA follows this advice, telehealth companies are expected to ramp up marketing of the chemicals for wellness and cosmetic uses.

The panel's makeup was unusual: before the meeting, more than half a dozen people with ties to the peptide industry were added, including doctors, pharmacists, and consultants working in the field. David Pope, chief pharmacy officer of Xifin Pharmacy Solutions, said after the vote on BPC-157 that he voted yes because it is time to put the decision back in the hands of the patient, the physician, and the pharmacist.

However, FDA staff scientists had issued highly critical reviews, stating there is little data that BPC-157, TB-500, and other such chemicals can be safely used for medical purposes. Panel members with academic backgrounds, rather than peptide industry ties, mostly voted against the substances. Dr. Elizabeth Rebello from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center expressed concern that the panel is responding to market-induced demand rather than solid science.

Peptide supporters include podcaster Joe Rogan and longevity influencers like Gary Brecka, a supporter of Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda who sells peptides through his website. But medical experts describe the marketplace as a "wild west" of unproven, unregulated drugs that could cause serious harm, including infection, allergic reactions, or other problems.

Peptides are building blocks of more complex proteins, triggering hormones needed for growth, metabolism, and healing. Drug companies have brought several peptides to market as medications, including mainstay treatments for diabetes and weight loss. However, most peptides sold online are promoted for unproven uses, often combined in "stacks" to purportedly heal injuries, build muscle, rejuvenate skin, or increase energy.

On Friday, the panel will vote on three more peptides. The FDA is not required to follow the group's advice, though it usually does. The vote is non-binding but is likely to embolden Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has described himself as a "big fan" of peptides and vowed to overturn FDA restrictions put in place under Joe Biden.