Peptide Therapy

Peptide therapy is an umbrella term for the use of short chains of amino acids — peptides — as therapeutic agents. The category is heterogeneous: it includes FDA-approved prescription medications, compounded medications, supplement-grade products, and unregulated "research peptides."

Examples by regulatory status:

- FDA-approved prescription peptides: tesamorelin (Egrifta SV), liraglutide (a peptide-like incretin mimetic), insulin and its analogs (technically peptides), oxytocin, and many others. These have full regulatory approval for specific indications. - Compounded prescription peptides: sermorelin, ipamorelin/CJC-1295 combinations, and certain GLP-1 agonist preparations. These are prescribed by licensed clinicians and dispensed by 503A or 503B pharmacies. Off-label use should be discussed with your clinician. - Research peptides: BPC-157, TB-500, and similar products marketed "for research use only / not for human consumption." These are sold outside the regulated drug supply chain. The FDA placed BPC-157 on the 503A bulks list "Category 2" in 2023, restricting compounding for human use.

The clinical evidence base varies dramatically:

- Some peptides (tesamorelin, GLP-1 receptor agonists) have robust randomized clinical trial evidence in specific patient populations. - Some (sermorelin) have older approval data plus subsequent off-label clinical use. - Some (BPC-157) have only preclinical animal data plus anecdotal human reports.

A clinician honest about peptide therapy will distinguish among these categories and avoid using promising preclinical data to support clinical claims that the human evidence does not yet justify.

Patients exploring peptide therapy should understand the regulatory and evidentiary status of any specific product, source from licensed clinical channels rather than gray-market suppliers, and have realistic expectations.