The FDA must do a better job of regulating unproven peptides, members of the American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates said Monday.
At their annual meeting, the delegates passed a resolution directing the AMA to support "appropriate FDA oversight of synthetic peptides, recommending that unapproved synthetic peptide products undergo regulatory review, third-party testing, and demonstration of safety and efficacy through well-conducted clinical trials before marketing or clinical use."
Millions of Americans are currently injecting the unapproved chemicals, promoted by wellness influencers and podcasters like Joe Rogan for everything from wound healing to longevity.
"We have seen clear benefit from peptide medications that have undergone rigorous scientific review, like insulin and GLP-1s," said Christopher Wong, MD, MSc, of Houston, during debates about the resolution.
But a new generation of synthetic peptides -- including BPC-157 and GHK-Cu -- "have flooded the consumer market without any substantive clinical trials or safety oversight, promising such benefits as tissue repair and even treatment of ulcerative colitis," said Wong, who represented the AMA's Resident and Fellow Section that introduced the resolution.
