Four Red Flags and One Truth Amid the Peptide Hype

Experimental peptides have become darlings among influencers, chiropractors, and doctors focused on longevity, antiaging, or “body optimization,” even though the FDA hasn’t approved them for safety or effectiveness. Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other leaders of the Make America Healthy Again movement have pushed to make unproven peptides more accessible — and they’ve gained traction. On Oct. 14, a temporary “access policy” appeared on a White House docket, proposing to allow licensed pharmacies to make and sell certain unapproved peptides to people. Scientists at the FDA had advised against the measure at a meeting in July, warning that the drugs hadn’t been adequately vetted in clinical trials. A panel that advises the FDA disagreed, however, voting to loosen restrictions. Many of the panel members are new appointees with financial stakes in the peptide industry. In an email, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Emily Hilliard said that every committee member satisfies the FDA’s ethics requirements. “I voted ‘yes’ for patient safety, the greater good, and medical freedom,” Haleem Mohammed, one of the new committee members, said at the FDA meeting. He’...