The floodgates are expected to open up for several peptides previously restricted by the Food and Drug Administration. This week, an advisory panel assembled by the FDA weighed in on whether compounding pharmacies should be allowed to produce seven peptides currently placed on a banned list. The panel ultimately recommended giving the green light to nearly every peptide up for review over the objection of career scientists at the FDA. With these unapproved drugs set to be more widely available than ever before, here’s what you should know about them. The unknowns of peptides Peptides are simple chains of two or more amino acids. In the human body, many peptides play an important role in maintaining our health, either as hormones, neurotransmitters, or other kinds of signaling molecules. Researchers and drug companies have adapted some peptides into medical treatments, such as semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy. Lots of other peptides, however, are still being tested in clinical trials, were abandoned early on in development, or aren’t approved in countries like the U.S. And it’s these unapproved, unregulated peptides that have received lots of attention from the federal government lately, particularly Robert F. Kennedy Jr.