Safety concerns

On March 22, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kennedy was “poised” to follow through on his plan to lift FDA restrictions on peptides. Two days later, The Washington Post’s editorial board blasted Kennedy’s plans as “hypocritical quackery.” Today, The New York Times reported that the FDA is moving to allow compounding pharmacies to make 14 currently restricted peptides. The Times noted that top FDA leaders have “reservations” about the changes and the potential criticism that the agency is making decisions based on politics rather than evidence.

It remains unclear which 14 peptides are being considered for eased access. But it’s expected that certain popular peptides will be on the list, including BPC-157 (Body Protection Compound-157), which was first isolated from gastric juices and is claimed to promote tissue repair. There are also growth-hormone-releasing peptides CJC-1295 and Ipamorelin.

Experts note that there are no randomized controlled trial data to prove that any of these peptides work. Moreover, experts worry about various safety concerns, including impurities from gray- or black-market products, random dose sizes, as well as combinations of unproven peptides, sometimes called “stacks.” Peptides that stimulate growth have the potential to spur cancers, for instance, and others may cause hormonal imbalances. Last year, two women became critically ill after receiving peptide injections at an anti-aging conference in Las Vegas.

The data on these peptides is “just woefully minuscule,” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told the Times. “It’s a mess, because we don’t have any data that these work,” he said. “Maybe one of them actually does something good. But right now, we just know that they’re a liability.”