Are all peptides approved medications?

Some peptides are FDA-approved medicines. That means a specific product was tested in clinical trials and approved for specific conditions — for example, semaglutide for type 2 diabetes and weight management, or teriparatide for osteoporosis.

Many other peptides are sold online labelled “for research use only”. Those products are not approved for people, and FDA does not check their quality or contents.

There is also a middle ground — pharmacy compounding — with its own rules. A peptide being discussed by an FDA advisory committee is not the same as it being approved.