The Department of Health and Human Services has sent the White House a policy that would let pharmacies compound certain peptides, the popular injectable compounds sold online for muscle building and injury recovery.
A federal regulatory filing lists the plan as the “Interim Access Policy for Compounding Using Certain Peptides.” HHS and its Food and Drug Administration submitted it to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. The Washington Times reported the filing Friday.
What the filing shows
- Agency: HHS and the FDA, according to the listing on Reginfo.gov.
- Received: Oct. 14, 2026. The listing marks it as a notice, not a final rule, and says it is not economically significant.
- Tracking number: RIN 0910-ZD94.
- What is missing: The filing does not name the peptides the policy would cover or the conditions pharmacies would have to meet.
How it got here
An FDA advisory panel voted in July to add six peptides to the list of substances pharmacies may compound, the Washington Times reported. Those were BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, epitalon and semax. The panel voted against a seventh, emideltide.
FDA staff had recommended against adding any of the seven, citing limited evidence on safety and effectiveness, according to the Times. The agency has listed risks such as contamination, allergic reactions and tumor growth.
Why Kennedy wants the change
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has argued that U.S. compounding pharmacies should be allowed to sell peptides because many Americans are buying unregulated “gray market” versions made in China and other countries.
- What compounding is: Pharmacies may mix or alter drug ingredients to make a custom medicine when a patient’s need cannot be met by an FDA-approved product.
- What peptides are: Short chains of amino acids. Some, such as insulin and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, are FDA-approved. Many peptides promoted online have little human testing.
- What comes next: The White House budget office reviews the policy before HHS can issue it. No release date has been announced.
Sources: Office of Management and Budget regulatory review listing RIN 0910-ZD94 on Reginfo.gov; The Washington Times.
