compounding pharmacies

Peptide therapies, marketed for longevity and wellness benefits, are sold through a grey market online. Compounding pharmacies argue they should be allowed to produce these unproven therapies legally to meet demand.

Peptide therapies, marketed for longevity and wellness, are sold through an online grey market despite lacking proven efficacy. Compounding pharmacies argue they should be legally permitted to produce these therapies to meet demand.

The FDA will convene a panel to review the safety of popular peptide injections, with participants including doctors and pharmacists financially tied to the peptide industry. The meeting, part of efforts to reshape health policy under Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will assess peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500, which the FDA has previously warned are unapproved and risky.

The FDA announced eight new panelists to advise on regulations for compounding pharmacies manufacturing peptides. Most panelists are linked to businesses promoting peptides, and one, Bobby Harshbarger, is a pharmacist and Tennessee state senator. A professor raised concerns about the panelists' ties to unproven peptide and stem cell treatments.

The peptide market is experiencing rapid growth as GLP-1 weight-loss medications gain popularity, with largely unregulated peptides being sold through compounding pharmacies and unverified vendors. The FDA is evaluating whether to loosen regulations on several peptides, while compounding pharmacies have expanded to meet demand and offer dosing flexibility that commercial products cannot provide.