RFK Jr. forces FDA to reconsider 12 unproven peptides after 2023 ban

Peptide proponents

Kennedy, who has no background in science or medicine, has repeatedly championed peptides and touted his use of the unproven drugs, which are currently available on the black and gray markets. In a February appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast, Kennedy said he used them to treat injuries to “really good effect.” He has also previously vowed to end the FDA’s “war on peptides.”

In a social media post on Wednesday, Kennedy built on that rhetoric, saying that with the agency’s scheduled meetings, “we took long-overdue action to restore science, accountability, and the rule of law.”

He claimed that in the meetings, “independent experts will rigorously evaluate each substance on its scientific merits using full clinical, pharmacological, and safety evidence.”

But outside experts are highly skeptical of the meetings. Currently, the FDA advisory panel that will review the drugs—the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC)—only has three voting members and one industry representative. There are six vacancies, including the chairperson.

Outside experts and watchdogs suspect that before the first meeting in July, Kennedy will work to stack the advisory board with questionably qualified allies who will come with a predetermined decision to ease access to the drugs—no rigorous scientific evaluation needed. A similar scenario has played out at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where Kennedy stacked a key vaccine advisory committee with allies who then rammed through recommendations in line with Kennedy’s anti-vaccine agenda. Those advisors made recommendations that were not supported by scientific evidence and, in some cases, directly conflicted with the data.

Risky peptides

Specifically, the PCAC will consider moving the 12 peptides back onto a list of drugs that compounding pharmacies can make for human use. Compounding pharmacies are those intended to make custom or specialized formulations of medications for patients. In 2023, the FDA removed 19 peptides from that list, finding they posed significant safety risks. The agency explained its concerns for each of the drugs individually.

“There is no credible reason to believe that peptides that were deemed unproven or unsafe in 2023 are miraculously safe and effective in 2026,” Robert Steinbrook, Health Research Group director at consumer watchdog Public Citizen, said in a statement. “These peptides should go through the standard FDA approval process for new drugs, not a more lenient alternate pathway that defeats the reason the agency exists in the first place. If there were convincing safety and effectiveness data, the findings would already be widely known.”

On July 23 and 24, FDA advisors will review seven of the 12 peptides, including BPC-157,KPV, TB-500 (a fragment of thymosin beta-4), MOTs-C, Emideltide (DSIP), Semax (heptapeptide), and Epitalon. In February 2027, the group will review the remaining five: Cathelicidin (LL-37), GHK-Cu, Dihexa-acetate, Melanotan II, and Mechano Growth Factor, Pegylated (PEG-MGF).

These peptides have no proven uses. The FDA lists uses for the first seven, but they don’t necessarily match how people are using them or marketing them online. For instance, BPC-157, which was first isolated from gastric juices, is a popular peptide used to promote tissue repair, particularly for athletic injuries. The FDA lists its use as treating ulcerative colitis.