A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel has voted to recommend expanding legal access to six popular peptide compounds. Supporters say it could pull patients out of the unregulated grey market that has flourished under years of federal inaction.
The FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee reviewed seven peptides during a two-day hearing in Maryland last week, weighing whether each should be added to the agency's Section 503A Bulks List. Reuters reported the panel voted in favor of moving six forward: BPC-157 for ulcerative colitis, TB-500 and KPV for wound healing, MOTS-c for obesity and osteoporosis, Semax for cerebral ischemia, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia, and Epitalon for insomnia.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids that help regulate metabolism, growth and tissue repair, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Some, including insulin and GLP-1 weight loss drugs, are already FDA approved, while others have remained in regulatory limbo even as demand exploded among patients seeking help with weight loss, muscle building, chronic disease and performance.
If the FDA ultimately adopts the recommendation, licensed compounding pharmacies could prepare the peptides for valid prescriptions, giving patients a legitimate alternative to unregulated online vendors who have filled th
