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Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has directed the FDA's regulatory committee on compounded pharmaceuticals to consider allowing certain unapproved peptides to be legally produced by compounding pharmacies.
Black market peptides are typically imported into the United States as a powder in glass vials from manufacturers in China.
While users of black market peptides report life-changing effects, there is no rigorous scientific evidence, safety data, or effectiveness data to support these anecdotal claims.
Unapproved peptides are illegal to sell and prescribe in the United States, classifying them as black market substances.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has publicly stated that he is a fan of peptides.
Chemist Peter Magic owns a testing lab near Prague that serves as a central node in the global black market peptide trade by testing substances for purity and sterility.
The lack of patent protection for many peptides disincentivizes any single company from funding the expensive FDA approval process, as competitors could also market the drug upon approval.