US regulators to weigh controversial peptides backed by RFK Jr

The US Food and Drug Administration has questioned the evidence as demand surges for the compounds promoted for sleep, muscle growth, and anti-ageing.Peptides, a class of compounds increasingly marketed as wellness treatments, have exploded in popularity in recent years, moving from niche bodybuilding and biohacking circles to now being promoted for everything from weight loss to longevity.But as questions grow over whether many of them are safe or work as advertised, regulators in the United States are set to decide whether some of them should become available through licensed pharmacies.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Former US vaccine chief says RFK Jr is a ‘chaos agent’list 2 of 4RFK Jr walks back Trump administration’s claims linking Tylenol and autismlist 3 of 4Why US-funded vaccine trial plan for babies in Guinea-Bissau caused outragelist 4 of 4Make America Healthy Again: Trump’s MAHA movement and its dividesend of listThe Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will meet on Thursday and Friday to decide whether the seven Peptides can be made by licensed compounding pharmacies for patients with prescriptions.Peptides are short chains of amino acids that occur naturally in the body and help regulate a wide range of biological processes. Some peptide-based medicines, including GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, have become household names in recent years. But the seven Peptides under review this week are a different group of compounds marketed for a broad range of conditions.They include BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV, which are promoted for uses including ulcerative colitis, wound healing and inflammatory conditions, as well as others that are sold as solutions for obesity, migraines, chronic pain, insomnia and opioid withdrawal.The review comes as Peptides have been propelled into the mainstream by social media influencers, the rise of the online beauty trend known as “looksmaxxing”, and repeated endorsements from Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who has said he has used them with “really good effect” and argued that restrictions have pushed consumers into an unregulated grey market.