FDA panel recommends easing restrictions on several peptides, including BPC-157

BREAKING NEWSJul. 23, 2026, 11:40 PM UTCHealth newsHealth newsFDA panel recommends easing restrictions on several peptides, including BPC-157The panel went against the conclusions of the agency’s career scientists, who said there was not enough evidence to support the move.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleFDA panel recommends controversial treatments02:05Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Sara G. MillerA Food and Drug Administration advisory committee narrowly voted in favor of loosening restrictions on peptides over strong objections from agency career scientists.Subscribe to read this story ad-freeGet unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Throughout the daylong meeting, FDA scientists detailed a lack of evidence supporting the use of the peptides along with safety concerns. Over and over again, the FDA came back to a major sticking point: It’s unclear, chemically, what these peptides even are. In other words, there was no universally accepted chemical formula for each peptide, making it extremely difficult for the FDA to evaluate its use. “We’ve never faced a problem of, ‘What is it?’” Russell Wesdyk, an FDA official, told the panel Thursday morning. Peptides have surged in popularity in recent years, touted by the wellness industry as well as high-profile figures including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and podcaster Joe Rogan. The compounds are promoted for a variety of uses, from anti-aging benefits to better sleep and faster healing. However, the peptides have largely existed in a “gray market” — they are not FDA-approved drugs but are often bought online from vendors who label them “for research use only,” a legal workaround to sell compounds they claim aren’t meant for humans. Allowing the peptides to be compounded, Kennedy has argued, would move people away from the gray market and toward safer products.On Thursday, the FDA’s Pharmacy Compounding Ad...