In the news
The best coverage elsewhere
147 news stories, explainers and official pages from newspapers, journals and regulators, sorted by compound. Every link was checked by our team.
5-Amino-1MQ
Read the review →- Lifespan.io · Aug 2024NNMT Inhibitor Improves Muscle Function in Aged Mice ↗Research news on the 2024 study in which NNMT inhibition, alone and with exercise, improved grip strength in old mice.
- New Atlas · Jan 2018Fat fighting drug could let you lose weight without dieting ↗News coverage of the 2018 University of Texas Medical Branch study of an NNMT inhibitor in obese mice; the headline overstates what a mouse study can show.
- ScienceDaily (Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center release) · Apr 2014Novel approach to accelerate metabolism could lead to new obesity treatment ↗The research institution's own plain-language summary of the 2014 mouse study that put NNMT on the map.
- Nature (News & Views) · Apr 2014Targeting a fat-accumulation gene ↗A short expert commentary explaining why the discovery of NNMT's role in fat tissue mattered and what it might mean for obesity drugs.
AOD-9604
Read the review →- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗FDA's current list of compounding safety concerns, which describes the immunogenicity, impurity and data gaps it sees for AOD-9604.
- US FDA · Dec 2024UPDATED MEETING TIME AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INFORMATION: December 4, 2024: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee ↗FDA's page for the December 2024 advisory meeting at which outside experts voted on whether pharmacies may compound AOD-9604.
- SBS News · Oct 2016How the AFL's Essendon saga unfolded ↗A dated timeline of the Australian football supplements scandal, in which AOD-9604 was one of the key substances.
- ABC Science · Jul 2013What is the drug AOD-9604? ↗An explainer built on an interview with the obesity researcher who led five of the six human trials, on why the peptide never worked as a weight-loss drug.
- World Anti-Doping Agency · Apr 2013WADA statement on substance AOD-9604 ↗WADA's short statement that AOD-9604, never approved for human use, falls under its S0 non-approved substances class and is prohibited at all times.
- LabOnline (Life Scientist) · Oct 2005Metabolic commences phase IIb obesity drug trial ↗Contemporary report on the launch of the 'Options' tablet trial across 16 Australian sites, the study that later ended the obesity programme.
Cagrilintide
Read the review →- Clinical Trials Arena · Feb 2026Novo Nordisk's CagriSema bested by Lilly's Zepbound in head-to-head trial ↗News coverage of REDEFINE 4, in which CagriSema did not match tirzepatide on weight loss over 84 weeks.
- Novo Nordisk · Dec 2025Novo Nordisk files for FDA approval of CagriSema, the first once-weekly combination of GLP-1 and amylin analogues for weight management ↗The company announcement of the US filing for the cagrilintide and semaglutide combination, with the trial data behind it.
- BioSpace · Sep 2025Novo's Amylin Injectable Cagrilintide Hits 11.8% Weight Reduction in Phase III Trial ↗Report on the first phase 3 data for cagrilintide on its own and Novo Nordisk's plan for a dedicated phase 3 programme.
- University of Oklahoma Health Sciences · Aug 2025Breakthrough in Understanding Amylin Could Pave Way for Next Generation of Weight Loss Drugs ↗A university explainer on how amylin's three receptor types work, and why that matters for designing amylin-based drugs.
From GLP-1 to "GLP-3": how weight-loss peptides evolved
Read the review →- The Pharmaceutical Journal · May 2026Phase III retatrutide study demonstrates 30% weight loss ↗News coverage of the first main phase 3 obesity results for the triple agonist retatrutide.
- BioSpace · Dec 2024Amylin Commands Weight Loss Attention as Industry Anticipates Novo's Phase III CagriSema Readout ↗An overview of the amylin branch of obesity drug development and the programmes competing in it.
- AAAS · Dec 2023Science's 2023 Breakthrough: GLP-1 Agonists Show Promise Against Obesity-Associated Disease ↗Why the journal Science named GLP-1 drugs its Breakthrough of the Year, and the open questions it flagged.
- The Golden Goose Award · Sep 20142013: Diabetes Medication ↗The story of how VA endocrinologist John Eng found exendin-4 in Gila monster venom and how it became the diabetes drug exenatide.
HGH Fragment 176-191
Read the review →- World Anti-Doping Agency · Sep 2025International Standard: Prohibited List 2026 ↗The current anti-doping list, which names hGH 176-191 and AOD-9604 under S2.2.3 as prohibited growth hormone fragments.
- US FDA · Nov 2024FDA Briefing Document: AOD-9604-Related Bulk Drug Substances (AOD-9604 (free base) and AOD-9604 Acetate) ↗FDA's detailed 2024 review of the tyrosine-capped fragment, including its trial history, toxicology and the sequence and CAS inconsistencies FDA found among suppliers.
- World Anti-Doping Agency · Oct 2017Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes: 2018 Prohibited List ↗WADA's notes on the 2018 list, where growth hormone fragments were added with AOD-9604 and hGH 176-191 named as examples.
- ABC Science · Jul 2013What is the drug AOD-9604? ↗An explainer on the growth hormone tail fragment developed at Monash University, and why its tyrosine version never worked as a weight-loss drug in people.
Retatrutide
Read the review →- AJMC · Oct 20265 Things to Know if Retatrutide Is Classified as a Biologic ↗Explains the legal dispute over whether retatrutide is a drug or a biologic, and why it matters for exclusivity and generics.
- HCPLive · Sep 2026Retatrutide Improves Weight Loss, Knee Osteoarthritis Pain, Sleep Apnea Versus Placebo ↗Summary of the peer-reviewed TRIUMPH-1 paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, including the knee and sleep-apnoea sub-trials.
- The Pharmaceutical Journal · May 2026Phase III retatrutide study demonstrates 30% weight loss ↗Coverage of the TRIUMPH-1 topline results, with expert comment on what is still unknown before approval.
- The Pharmaceutical Journal · Dec 2025Investigational weight-loss drug trial shows average reduced body weight of 30% ↗News report on TRIUMPH-4, the first phase 3 readout, including weight loss in people with knee osteoarthritis and dropout rates.
- Yale School of Medicine · Jun 2023Beyond Ozempic: Trials Hold Promise of Highly Effective Obesity Drugs ↗A plain-language explainer from the university that led the phase 2 trial, putting retatrutide's first results in context with semaglutide and tirzepatide.
BPC-157
Read the review →- Pharmacy Times · Jul 2026What the Peptide Vote Actually Changes at My Counter (Hint: Not Much, Yet) ↗A pharmacist explains what the advisory vote does and does not change, with the tallies for each peptide.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisory committee votes to add popular peptide BPC-157 to drug compounding list ↗News report on the 8-6 advisory vote, why members split, and why FDA sign-off is still needed.
- RAPS Regulatory Focus · Jul 2026FDA advisory committee backs two controversial peptides ↗Regulatory-trade account of the meeting, including FDA staff's objections on effectiveness and characterisation.
- US FDA · Jul 2026July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee ↗FDA's meeting page with the agenda, the briefing documents and the questions put to the committee.
- Sport Integrity Canada · Apr 2026Reminder: Non-Approved Peptides Included on the Prohibited List ↗An anti-doping agency notice confirming that BPC-157 falls under WADA class S0 in 2026.
BPC-157 + TB-500
Read the review →- Pharmacy Times · Jul 2026What the Peptide Vote Actually Changes at My Counter (Hint: Not Much, Yet) ↗A pharmacist's explainer on what the votes mean in practice, with the tally for each peptide.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next? ↗Covers the July 2026 votes on BPC-157, TB-500 and four other peptides, and what FDA must do next.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisory committee votes to add popular peptide BPC-157 to drug compounding list ↗Report on the first-day vote on BPC-157 and the arguments on each side of the committee.
- US FDA · Jul 2026July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee ↗FDA's meeting page with the separate briefing documents for BPC-157 and TB-500.
- Pharmacy Times · Jul 2026What the Peptide Vote Actually Changes at My Counter (Hint: Not Much, Yet) ↗A pharmacist's explainer with the vote tallies, including 8-6 for KPV, and what they mean in practice.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next? ↗Explains the two days of votes, FDA staff's objections and the rulemaking that would have to follow.
- RAPS Regulatory Focus · Jul 2026FDA advisory committee backs two controversial peptides ↗Report on the July 2026 advisory vote for BPC-157 and KPV, and the uses the committee considered.
- US FDA · Jul 2026July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee ↗FDA's meeting page, with its full briefing document on KPV for wound healing and inflammatory conditions.
LL-37
Read the review →- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗FDA's list of compounding safety concerns, including its notes on cathelicidin LL-37.
- Medsafe (New Zealand) · Jun 2025Classification of Unscheduled Peptides: Submission to the Medicines Classification Committee ↗New Zealand's regulator recommends classing antimicrobial peptides such as LL-37 as prescription medicines.
- Nature (News & Views) · Oct 2007Skin deep but complex ↗Explains the discovery that LL-37 lets immune cells mistake the body's own DNA for a threat in psoriasis.
- Nature Medicine (News & Views) · Aug 2007Rosacea: skin innate immunity gone awry? ↗Commentary on the finding that abnormal cathelicidin processing drives skin inflammation in rosacea.
TB-500
Read the review →- The Financial News (FNNews) · Aug 2026HLB Therapeutics Completes Final Patient Visit in Global Phase 3 Trial of RGN-259 ↗Status of SEER-2, the second phase 3 trial of thymosin beta-4 eye drops, with top-line results expected in November 2026.
- Pharmacy Times · Jul 2026What the Peptide Vote Actually Changes at My Counter (Hint: Not Much, Yet) ↗A pharmacist sets out the vote tallies and why nothing can legally be compounded until FDA writes a rule.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next? ↗Explains the July 2026 advisory votes, including an FDA official's doubts about what TB-500 actually is.
- HCPLive · Jan 2023RGN-259 Demonstrates Rapid Healing of Epithelial Defects in Neurotrophic Keratopathy ↗A plain summary of the small SEER-1 phase 3 trial and why its primary result fell short of significance.
- The Conversation · Nov 2015Comfortable and satisfied? WADA vs Essendon players at the Court of Arbitration for Sport ↗An explainer on the thymosin beta-4 case against 34 Australian footballers and why natural body levels made it hard to prove.
- World Anti-Doping Agency · Jan 2013Investigation of in vitro/ex vivo TB-500 metabolism, synthesis of relevant metabolites and detection limits in urine and plasma ↗WADA's description of the Ghent project that identified TB-500 as Ac-LKKTETQ and set out to detect it in athletes.
GHK-Cu
Read the review →- NPR · Sep 2026The copper peptide trend has gone from creams to injections — ahead of the science ↗How GHK-Cu moved from decades-old skin creams to self-injection, what the human studies cover, and what dermatologists and researchers say is still unknown.
- US FDA · May 2026Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ↗The FDA's official list showing non-injectable GHK-Cu back under evaluation for compounding and a planned advisory committee consultation by February 2027.
- ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH) · Feb 2026Topical GHK-Cu Gel for Acute Skin Wound Healing ↗Registry entry for a phase 2, double-blind, vehicle-controlled split-wound trial of a GHK-Cu gel in healthy adults, recruiting in 2026.
- Healthline · Oct 2020Copper Peptides: Benefits for Skin and Hair Care, and How to Use Them ↗A medically reviewed explainer on copper peptides in skincare, noting that the evidence is stronger for skin than for hair.
Glow and Klow blends
Read the review →- NPR · Sep 2026The copper peptide trend has gone from creams to injections — ahead of the science ↗Reports how GHK-Cu is now often stacked with other repair peptides and why researchers say human data are missing.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next? ↗Explains what the non-binding committee vote on six peptides means and what has to happen before anything changes.
- TIME · Jul 2026An FDA Committee Just Voted in Favor of Peptides—Despite the Agency's Opposition ↗Covers the July 2026 advisory committee votes on BPC-157, KPV, TB-500 and other peptides, and the evidence concerns raised by FDA staff.
- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗The FDA's page listing the safety-data concerns it has raised for BPC-157, injectable GHK-Cu, KPV and TB-500.
- Healthline · Oct 2020Copper Peptides: Benefits for Skin and Hair Care, and How to Use Them ↗A medically reviewed explainer on copper peptides, the main component of both blends, and the limits of the evidence.
Epithalon
Read the review →- International Journal of Molecular Sciences (PubMed Central) · Oct 2026Epitalon and Epithalamin: A Narrative Review of Mechanistic, Preclinical, and Clinical Evidence ↗An open-access academic review that weighs the Epithalon evidence study by study and separates it from the older pineal-extract literature.
- US FDA · Aug 2026July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee ↗The FDA's own meeting page, showing which peptides were reviewed and for which nominated uses, including Epitalon for insomnia.
- AJMC · Jul 2026FDA Panel Backs 6 Peptides for Compounding ↗A vote-by-vote account of the meeting, noting that Epitalon cleared by a tight margin.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next? ↗News coverage of the July 2026 vote, which included Epitalon, and what has to happen before anything changes.
FOXO4-DRI
Read the review →- Biotech News NL · Aug 2026Cleara Biotech Secures U.S. and Chinese Patent Protection for its p53-Targeting Development Candidate CL04183 ↗The 2026 update: the successor peptide is now aimed at cancers with impaired p53, with a first human trial planned for 2027.
- Labiotech.eu · Sep 2022Cleara Biotech closes $2.5M seed financing round to progress senescence treatment ↗How the Rotterdam research became a company, and which FOXO4-based candidates it chose to develop.
- UNITY Biotechnology (SEC filing) · Aug 2020UNITY Biotechnology Announces 12-week data from UBX0101 Phase 2 Clinical Study in Patients with Painful Osteoarthritis of the Knee ↗The primary document on the senolytic field's biggest clinical failure, with the full trial numbers.
- Scientific American (Nature) · Oct 2017To Stay Young, Kill Zombie Cells ↗Megan Scudellari's feature on how senescent cells became a target in ageing research, and the first companies to chase them.
- Medical Xpress (Cell Press release) · Mar 2017Peptide targeting senescent cells restores stamina, fur, and kidney function in old mice ↗The release that accompanied the original Cell paper, with the timeline of fur regrowth and running improvements in mice.
Glutathione
Read the review →- The Korea Herald · Nov 2025Whiter skin for sale: South Korea’s glutathione dilemma ↗How glutathione 'whitening drips' became mainstream in South Korea, and the growing concern about off-label injections.
- Channel 4 News · Jun 2025Exposing dangerous glutathione ‘skin whitening’ IV drips in UK ↗An undercover investigation into unregulated glutathione drips offered by beauty clinics across the UK.
- Philstar · Feb 2024DOH reiterates warning vs ‘gluta’ drip as skin whitener ↗The Philippine health department restates that it does not support glutathione for skin whitening, citing the 2019 FDA advisory and a recent death after an IV treatment.
- Food and Drug Administration Philippines · Jul 2019FDA Advisory No. 2019-182 || Unsafe Use of Glutathione as Skin Lightening Agent ↗The Philippine regulator's warning that injectable glutathione is not approved or tested for skin lightening, with the risks it lists.
- Healthline · Nov 2017Glutathione Benefits ↗An explainer on what glutathione does in the body, the forms it is sold in, and what research says about its claimed benefits.
MOTS-c
Read the review →- AJMC · Jul 2026FDA Panel Backs 6 Peptides for Compounding ↗Vote-by-vote summary of the FDA compounding committee meeting, including the 7-5 result for MOTS-c.
- ABC News · Jul 2026FDA advisers narrowly vote to add 6 peptides to a drug compounding list. What's next? ↗News report on the July 2026 FDA advisory vote that included MOTS-c, and why the vote is not binding.
- US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) · Jan 2024What is the MOTS-c peptide? ↗A plain explainer, updated in 2026, on why MOTS-c is prohibited in sport under WADA rules and its status with the FDA.
- ScienceDaily (University of Southern California) · Jan 2021See how they run: 'Exercise protein' doubles running capacity, restores function and extends healthy lifespans in older mice ↗The USC release on the 2021 Nature Communications study: MOTS-c rose in human muscle after exercise and improved running in old mice.
- The Conversation · May 2026Can supplements containing NMN, NAD+ and resveratrol really slow ageing? Here's what the evidence says ↗Two university researchers separate NAD+ biology from supplement marketing and explain why raising blood NAD+ is not the same as slowing ageing.
- NutraIngredients · Dec 2025FDA reinstates NDI status of NMN with new letters to ingredient players ↗Follow-up on the December 2025 FDA letters that closed the three-year dispute over NMN's legal status.
- Nutritional Outlook · Sep 2025FDA responds to citizen petitions on NMN, amending its position on the ingredient's status as a dietary ingredient ↗News report on the FDA reversing its view that the NAD+ precursor NMN could not be sold as a dietary supplement.
- NBC News (Kaiser Health News) · Feb 2019A pill to reverse aging? Enthusiasm outpaces reality ↗A Kaiser Health News investigation into the hype and financial interests around 'NAD booster' supplements, and the gap between mouse results and human evidence.
SS-31
Read the review →- BioSpace (PR Newswire) · Jul 2026Mighty Therapeutics Announces First Patient Dosed in Phase 4 Confirmatory Study of Elamipretide in Barth Syndrome ↗Company release on the start of the placebo-controlled trial meant to confirm the drug's clinical benefit.
- Pharmaceutical Technology · Sep 2025Stealth Bio's Forzinity finally approved as first Barth syndrome therapy ↗Trade news on the approval and the rejections that came before it.
- US FDA · Sep 2025FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to First Treatment for Barth Syndrome ↗The FDA's own announcement, explaining Barth syndrome, the knee-strength basis for approval and the required confirmatory trial.
- Fierce Biotech · Oct 2024'Impossible' FDA adcomm ends in favor of Stealth's ultra-rare disease med ↗How an FDA advisory panel voted 10-6 that elamipretide works in Barth syndrome despite agency doubts about the data.
CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin
Read the review →- AJMC · Aug 20265 Things to Know About the FDA's Peptide Reversal ↗How US policy on compounded peptides, including CJC-1295 and ipamorelin, shifted in 2026 and why FDA scientists objected.
- German Sport University Cologne, Institute of Biochemistry · Jun 2026S2 - Peptide hormones, growth factors, etc. ↗An anti-doping research institute's explainer of the doping class that names both CJC-1295 and ipamorelin.
- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗The FDA's own list, with its safety notes on CJC-1295 and ipamorelin and their current compounding status.
- Cleveland Clinic · Sep 2023HGH (Human Growth Hormone): What It Is, Benefits & Side Effects ↗A plain-language explainer of the GHRH, ghrelin and somatostatin signals that control growth hormone.
IGF-1 LR3
Read the review →- German Sport University Cologne, Institute of Biochemistry · Jun 2026S2 - Peptide hormones, growth factors, etc. ↗An anti-doping research institute explains the doping class that bans IGF-1 and its analogues, and why peptide hormones are hard to detect.
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) · Sep 2024IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1) Test ↗A plain-language guide to what IGF-1 does in the body and how doctors measure it.
- Cleveland Clinic · Sep 2023HGH (Human Growth Hormone): What It Is, Benefits & Side Effects ↗Explains how growth hormone drives IGF-1 production and how IGF-1 feeds back to switch growth hormone off.
- European Medicines Agency · Aug 2007Increlex ↗The EU record for mecasermin, the approved form of native IGF-1, including what it is authorised for.
Kisspeptin-10
Read the review →- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗The FDA's Category 2 list, which includes kisspeptin-10 and explains the agency's safety concerns.
- World Anti-Doping Agency · Sep 20232024 Prohibited List: Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes ↗WADA's explanation of why kisspeptin and its agonists were added to the Prohibited List as testosterone-stimulating peptides.
- The BMJ · Jul 2014Natural hormone shows "promise" in IVF, say scientists ↗BMJ news report on the Imperial College London study testing kisspeptin as an IVF egg-maturation trigger.
- BBC News · Jun 2013IVF: First baby born using 'safer' method ↗The first baby conceived with a kisspeptin trigger in IVF, and why doctors hoped it could avoid ovarian hyperstimulation.
- BBC News · Mar 2009Hormone 'to restart reproduction' ↗Early report on Imperial College London's work giving kisspeptin to women whose menstrual cycles had stopped.
Oxytocin
Read the review →- ScienceDaily (University College London release) · Mar 2025Oxytocin system of breastfeeding affected in mothers with postnatal depression ↗A UCL study suggesting the oxytocin pathway during breastfeeding may differ in mothers with postnatal depression.
- University of Cambridge · Jul 2024Genetic study points to oxytocin as possible treatment for obesity and postnatal depression ↗How a missing gene, TRPC5, linked obesity and postnatal depression, and why mouse work pointed to oxytocin.
- Cleveland Clinic · Mar 2022Oxytocin: What It Is, Function & Effects ↗A plain-language medical explainer on where oxytocin is made and what it does in labour, lactation and behaviour.
- BBC News · Apr 2014'Love drug' makes group members lie more ↗A typical example of the small nasal-spray studies of the 2010s, here suggesting oxytocin made people lie for their group.
PT-141 (bremelanotide)
Read the review →- Applied Clinical Trials · Apr 2025Palatin Announces Results from Phase II Obesity Study of MC4R Bremelanotide Plus GLP-1/GIP Tirzepatide ↗Trade coverage of the 2025 phase 2 study testing bremelanotide with tirzepatide for weight loss.
- Live Science · Jun 2019How Does New Libdo-Boosting Drug for Women Work? ↗An explainer on melanocortin receptors in the brain and why the drug's exact mechanism is still unclear.
- US FDA · Jun 2019FDA approves new treatment for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women ↗The regulator's own announcement, with the trial responder rates and the key safety warnings.
- CNN · Jun 2019FDA approves new drug for women with low sexual desire disorder ↗News coverage of the approval of Vyleesi and how it compares with the earlier pill flibanserin.
- STAT News · Jun 2019Is sexual desire a medical issue? An experimental drug for women revives an intense debate ↗The day before approval, STAT laid out the scientific and cultural debate over treating low desire in women with a drug.
- University of Arizona Cancer Center · Oct 2014UA-discovered drug for skin disease approved for patients in Europe ↗The origin story of the Arizona melanotan programme, told through its sister molecule afamelanotide.
Sermorelin
Read the review →- European Society of Endocrinology · Mar 2024Roger Guillemin: A great builder of modern neuroendocrinology has passed away ↗Endocrinologists recount how GHRH was isolated from a pancreatic tumour rather than from brain tissue.
- The Boston Globe · Feb 2024Roger Guillemin, Nobel-winning physician with fierce rivalry, dies at 100 ↗An obituary of the scientist whose lab found somatostatin and sequenced GHRH, including his long rivalry with fellow laureate Andrew Schally.
- Cleveland Clinic · Sep 2023HGH (Human Growth Hormone): What It Is, Benefits & Side Effects ↗A plain-language explainer of how GHRH, somatostatin and IGF-1 feedback control growth hormone release.
- Federal Register (FDA) · Mar 2013Determination That GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.5 Milligrams Base/Vial and 1.0 Milligrams Base/Vial, and GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.05 Milligrams Base/Amp, Were Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness ↗The FDA notice that sets out Geref's approval history and confirms it left the market for reasons other than safety or effectiveness.
Tesamorelin
Read the review →- EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group) · Mar 2025Theratechnologies receives FDA approval for EGRIFTA WR™ (tesamorelin F8) to treat excess visceral abdominal fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy ↗The company announcement of the 2025 approval of a new formulation that needs reconstituting only once a week.
- EATG (European AIDS Treatment Group) · Jan 2024Theratechnologies receives Complete Response Letter from FDA for the F8 formulation of tesamorelin sBLA ↗How the FDA first sent back the new formulation in 2024 over manufacturing and quality questions.
- HIV i-Base · Aug 2012Theratechnologies withdraw EU application for tesamorelin (Egrifta) ↗An HIV treatment bulletin explains the IGF-1 and cardiovascular-data concerns behind the European withdrawal.
- European Medicines Agency · Jun 2012Ferrer Internacional, S.A. withdraws its marketing authorisation application for Egrifta (tesamorelin) ↗The EMA's announcement that the EU application for tesamorelin had been withdrawn during review.
- HIV i-Base · Dec 2010FDA approves tesamorelin for reduction of central fat accumulation ↗A report on the original 2010 US approval and the trial data behind it.
Selank
Read the review →- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗The FDA's page listing selank acetate among withdrawn nominations, with the agency's note that it lacks human safety information.
- Frier Levitt · Mar 2026The Peptide Landscape Is Shifting: What Secretary Kennedy’s Joe Rogan Interview Could Mean for the Compounding Industry ↗A legal explainer on the US regulatory status of research peptides, including how selank left the FDA's Category 2 list.
- Vidal Reference Book of Medicines (Russia) · Jul 2025Селанк® (Selank) ↗The Russian prescribing information (in Russian), showing the 2025 registration that replaced the 2009 one, approved indications and pharmacology.
Semax
Read the review →- AJMC · Jul 2026FDA Panel Backs 6 Peptides for Compounding ↗Overview of the July 2026 committee votes, including semax, and the opposition of FDA staff scientists.
- Healio · Jul 2026FDA committee recommends looser restrictions for several peptides ↗Report on the FDA advisory committee's 8-5 vote on semax, the indications discussed and why critics doubted the evidence.
- US FDA · Apr 2026Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks ↗The FDA's own page, listing semax among withdrawn nominations and setting out its safety concerns.
- Frier Levitt · Apr 2026FDA to Remove 12 Popular Peptides from the Category 2 “Do Not Compound” List ↗A legal explainer on the April 2026 removal of semax and other peptides from the FDA's Category 2 list and what it does and does not change.
Bacteriostatic water
Read the review →- DailyMed (US National Library of Medicine) · Jul 2026BACTERIOSTATIC WATER injection, solution ↗The full US label for a standard bacteriostatic water product: composition, pH, warnings and storage.
- Dermatitis · Nov 2025Benzyl Alcohol: Allergen of the Year 2026 ↗Why the American Contact Dermatitis Society named benzyl alcohol, the preservative in bacteriostatic water, its 2026 Allergen of the Year.
- CDC · Mar 2024Preventing Unsafe Injection Practices ↗CDC guidance on single-dose and multi-dose vials, including the 28-day rule for opened multi-dose vials.
- CDC (MMWR) · Jun 1982Neonatal Deaths Associated With Use Of Benzyl Alcohol -- United States ↗The original 1982 CDC report on the premature-infant deaths that put the "not for newborns" warning on every bacteriostatic water label.
How peptides are tested
Read the review →- US FDA · Mar 2026Pyrogen and Endotoxins Testing: Questions and Answers ↗The FDA's 2026 revision of its questions-and-answers guidance on pyrogen and bacterial endotoxin testing.
- Science · Aug 2023An end to horseshoe crab bleeds? ↗News report on a proposal to let synthetic recombinant proteins replace the horseshoe crab blood reagent used in endotoxin testing.
- NobelPrize.org · Oct 2002The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2002 - Popular information ↗How electrospray and laser desorption made it possible to weigh large biological molecules, explained for non-specialists.
- NobelPrize.org · Oct 1984Press release: The 1984 Nobel Prize in Chemistry ↗The Nobel committee's own explanation of why Merrifield's solid-phase method transformed peptide synthesis, with the yield arithmetic.
How to read a certificate of analysis
Read the review →- US FDA · Mar 2026Pyrogen and Endotoxins Testing: Questions and Answers ↗The FDA's current guidance on endotoxin testing, revised in 2026: the methods behind the endotoxin line on a COA.
- International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation · Feb 2014About ILAC ↗Who accredits testing laboratories to ISO/IEC 17025, and how accreditations are recognised from one country to another.
- NIST · Aug 2010SRM Definitions ↗How the US National Institute of Standards and Technology defines a certificate of analysis and a certified value for its reference materials.
- NobelPrize.org · Oct 2002The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2002 - Popular information ↗A plain-language explainer of the two ionisation methods that let mass spectrometers weigh peptides and proteins.
Levels of evidence
Read the review →- Nature · Jun 2026Is the peptide craze backed by science? The promise behind the hype ↗A Nature news feature on why researchers think enthusiasm for unregulated peptides has run ahead of the human evidence.
- US FDA · Sep 2025FDA Grants Accelerated Approval to First Treatment for Barth Syndrome ↗The FDA's announcement on elamipretide (SS-31), approved on a measure judged reasonably likely to predict benefit, with a confirmatory trial required.
- Biotechnology Innovation Organization · Feb 2021Clinical Development Success Rates and Contributing Factors 2011-2020 ↗The industry report behind the 7.9% figure: how often drug candidates survive each phase of clinical development.
- Association of Health Care Journalists · Aug 2007Rats! Animal studies poor predictor of human effect ↗A short explainer for journalists on the JAMA analysis that found only about a third of highly cited animal studies held up in human trials.
Peptides 101
Read the review →- Nature Reviews Drug Discovery · Jun 2026Antiviral peptide nabs FDA approval for hepatitis delta virus infection ↗News of the FDA approval of bulevirtide, a peptide that is the first treatment for chronic hepatitis delta.
- Nature · Feb 2026The ‘astounding’ rise of semaglutide — and what’s next for weight-loss drugs ↗A Nature feature on how one peptide drug went mainstream and what the next generation of weight-loss medicines looks like.
- Nature Reviews Drug Discovery · Apr 2025Oral IL-23-blocking peptide racks up phase III wins in inflammatory disease ↗Icotrokinra, a peptide taken by mouth, posted four phase III wins in psoriasis: a sign that oral peptides are no longer limited to semaglutide.
- News-Medical · Feb 2021Scientists present new outlook on latest trends in peptide drug discovery and development ↗A readable summary of the 2021 Nature Reviews Drug Discovery perspective that counted more than 80 peptide drugs on the market.
Storing research peptides
Read the review →- DailyMed (US National Library of Medicine) · Aug 2026EGRIFTA WR- tesamorelin kit ↗The approved label for a freeze-dried peptide medicine kept at room temperature as a powder, with a seven-day limit once mixed.
- US FDA · Jun 2025Q1 Stability Testing of Drug Substances and Drug Products ↗The 2025 draft of the international guideline that sets out how medicines, peptides included, are tested for stability over time.
- US FDA · Jul 1993Lyophilization of Parenteral (7/93) ↗The FDA inspectors' guide to freeze-drying injectable products: how the process works and what can go wrong.