All peptidesSafety & status
Where every popular peptide stands with the FDA.
Where every popular peptide stands with the FDA right now: approved, under review, or not permitted, with the next milestone for each.
BEFORE YOU TRY IT, READ THE EVIDENCE.
Less hype.
More evidence.
Peptide claims are everywhere.
We help you see what the research actually says.
+ Human studies. Clear limitations. Sources you can open.
THE FIRST VERDICT01 / BPC-157
US REGULATORY STATUSA panel voted yes.
A panel voted yes.
The law hasn't changed.
Why BPC-157 still isn't legal to compound, and what the FDA has to do next.
Read the BPC-157 status guide→
01
Human evidence
comes first.
02
Uncertainty
stays visible.
03
Meet our editorialEvery assessment
has sources.
approach
FDA STATUS TRACKER
Approved, under review,Where every popular peptide stands.
or not permitted.
| Peptide | Status | FDA-approved? | Can pharmacies compound it? | Where it stands | Next milestone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPC-157 | Under review | No | No | Taken off the Category 2 safety list in April 2026. An FDA advisory panel recommended it 8–6 on July 23, 2026; FDA staff had opposed. No proposed rule yet. | Interim access policy under White House review since Oct 14, 2026 |
| TB-500 | Under review | No | No | Same path as BPC-157: off Category 2 in April 2026, recommended 8–6 by the advisory panel on July 23, 2026, against FDA staff advice. | Interim access policy; FDA proposed rule |
| KPV | Under review | No | No | Recommended 8–6 by the advisory panel on July 23, 2026. FDA staff opposed. | Interim access policy; FDA proposed rule |
| MOTS-c | Under review | No | No | Recommended 7–5 (two abstentions) by the advisory panel on July 23, 2026. FDA staff opposed. | Interim access policy; FDA proposed rule |
| Semax | Under review | No | No | Recommended by the advisory panel on July 24, 2026. FDA staff opposed. | FDA proposed rule |
| Epitalon | Under review | No | No | Recommended by the advisory panel on July 24, 2026. FDA staff opposed. | FDA proposed rule |
| Emideltide (DSIP) | Not permitted | No | No | The only one of the seven peptides the advisory panel voted against on July 24, 2026. | None scheduled |
| GHK-Cu | Partly permitted | No | Non-injectable forms only | Non-injectable forms have been in Category 1 since 2023. The injectable form came off Category 2 in April 2026. Also widely used as a cosmetic skincare ingredient. | Advisory panel review, February 2027 |
| Melanotan II | Under review | No | No | Taken off Category 2 in April 2026 after its nomination was withdrawn. | Advisory panel review, February 2027 |
| PEG-MGF | Under review | No | No | Taken off Category 2 in April 2026 after its nomination was withdrawn. | Advisory panel review, February 2027 |
| Dihexa | Under review | No | No | Not on the 503A bulks list. | Advisory panel review, February 2027 |
| Cathelicidin | Under review | No | No | Not on the 503A bulks list. | Advisory panel review, February 2027 |
| Retatrutide | Not permitted | No (in clinical trials) | No | An investigational weight-loss drug, not yet approved. The FDA has repeatedly warned online sellers marketing it as a "research" product. | Possible FDA approval decision after Phase 3 trials |
| Semaglutide | FDA-approved | Yes (Ozempic, Wegovy) | Restricted | FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes and weight management, available by prescription. | — |
| Tirzepatide | FDA-approved | Yes (Mounjaro, Zepbound) | Restricted | FDA-approved for type 2 diabetes and weight management, available by prescription. | — |
| Bremelanotide (PT-141) | FDA-approved | Yes (Vyleesi) | Restricted | FDA-approved for low sexual desire in premenopausal women, by prescription. | — |
| Tesamorelin | FDA-approved | Yes (Egrifta) | Restricted | FDA-approved to reduce excess abdominal fat in people with HIV, by prescription. | — |
Status as of October 27, 2026. How to read this table
THE READING ROOM
15 founding articles.Start with a better question.
One clear standard.
BPC-157Safety & status
An advisory vote is not a green light.
BPC-157 isn't FDA-approved and can't legally be compounded yet, despite a July 2026 advisory vote in its favor. Here's what changed and what hasn't.
TB-500Safety & status
Recommended by a panel. Still waiting on the FDA.
TB-500 isn't FDA-approved and can't be legally compounded yet. Here's how a 2026 advisory vote changed its outlook, and what still stands in the way.
FDASafety & status
Six yes votes, against the agency's own scientists.
An FDA advisory panel voted to recommend six peptides for compounding, overruling the agency's own scientists. Here's what the vote did, and what it didn't.
FDASafety & status
Off the safety list is not the same as allowed.
The FDA's category system decides which peptides pharmacies can compound while the official list is pending. Here's how Categories 1, 2, and 3 work.
GHK-CuEvidence
The best-studied use is the least exciting one: skin.
The fastest-growing peptide in search has real but modest evidence for skin. Here's what's been tested in people, what hasn't, and how its legal status differs by form.
RetatrutideEvidence
Remarkable trial results. Not a product you can legally buy.
Retatrutide produced some of the largest weight-loss results ever seen in trials. It also isn't approved, and anything sold online now is unregulated. Here's the full picture.
All peptidesSafety & status
A disclaimer is not a quality standard.
Online peptide sellers lean on "research use only" and "not for human consumption." The FDA says those labels don't make a product legal, and they tell you something important about quality.
FDASafety & status
The crackdown, letter by letter.
A dated record of the FDA's crackdown on online peptide sellers: who received warning letters, what the agency cited, and what has escalated beyond letters.
BPC-157Evidence
What do the human studies actually tell us?
A plain-English look at three small BPC-157 human reports, what they measured, and why they do not establish a recovery treatment.
All peptidesEvidence
Insulin is a peptide. So is a gray-market vial. Know the difference.
Peptides range from FDA-approved drugs like insulin to unregulated vials sold online. Here's what they are, the five kinds you'll hear about, and how to judge a peptide claim.
BPC-157Evidence
Tendon healing: promising biology, unanswered clinical questions.
Understand the difference between BPC-157 tendon experiments in animals and evidence that a treatment improves human injury recovery.
BPC-157Safety & status
“No reported problems” is not a safety profile.
What small BPC-157 reports and FDA safety information can—and cannot—tell us about risk, product quality and long-term uncertainty.
BPC-157Safety & status
Approval, compounding and availability are different things.
A dated guide to BPC-157 FDA source documents and the distinction between drug approval, compounding policy and products offered online.
TB-500Comparisons
A shared name does not guarantee a shared molecule.
Why TB-500, thymosin beta-4 and peptide fragments should not be treated as interchangeable without checking the material actually studied.
A LITTLE LESS CERTAINTY. A LOT MORE CLARITY.A citation is the beginning
A citation is the beginning
of a question.
Was it tested in people? Did the study measure healing or just symptoms? Does the formulation match the claim? Those details change the answer.
See how we read the research