Trump administration advances plan for peptide drugs favored by RFK Jr.
[October 16, 2026]
By MATTHEW PERRONE
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health officials are moving ahead with a plan to
allow specialty pharmacies to produce certain peptides, a class of
largely unregulated injections that have become popular among followers
of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other wellness
influencers.
Kennedy's Department of Health and Human Services submitted a peptides
“interim access policy” to the White House for review, according to a
posting Thursday on a government website. The plan was sent to the
Office of Management and Budget, which reviews federal rules and
regulations with the potential for significant economic impact.
HHS officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment
Thursday afternoon.
Peptides are the building blocks of more complex proteins, triggering
hormones inside the body needed for growth, metabolism and healing. Drug
companies have brought several to market as medications, including
mainstay treatments for diabetes and weight loss.
But the ones at issue here haven’t gone through that rigorous vetting
process. Nevertheless, they have gained a foothold among Americans
interested in bulking up, looking younger or boosting energy. Those uses
are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration and most of the
data on peptides comes from animal studies.
Before joining the administration, Kennedy publicly declared that “FDA’s
war” on peptides and other wellness products would soon end.
After becoming health secretary, Kennedy said U.S. compounding
pharmacies must be allowed to sell peptides because Americans were
increasingly turning to “gray market” peptides made in China and other
countries. Those products remain widely available for purchase via
online platforms like TikTok.
The White House filing doesn’t give specifics of the new policy, but two
people familiar with the plan say it is intended to allow pharmacies to
temporarily compound some of the most popular peptides, including
BPC-157, a chemical promoted to build muscle and heal injuries. The
people spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential
government deliberations.
The update is the latest indication that Kennedy and other Trump
administration officials are looking to ease access to unproven products
that are popular within the Make America Healthy Again movement. Some of
the biggest MAHA figures sell peptide injections and supplements.
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 The FDA previously placed BPC-157
and more than a dozen other injectable peptides on its list of
substances that are too risky to be compounded by pharmacies.
Possible risks include contamination, allergic reactions and tumor
growth, according to the FDA.
But earlier this year, Kennedy directed the agency to reconsider a
short list of chemicals that have been widely promoted by wellness
influencers and fitness celebrities.
In July, a panel of external FDA advisers recommended the agency
drop its restrictions on six of the seven peptides put before them.
That recommendation went against the scientific conclusion of FDA’s
staff scientists, who reiterated that none of the peptides had been
studied enough to establish their safety and effectiveness.
The new policy sent to the White House would essentially assure
compounding pharmacies — specialty businesses that mix customized
medications that aren’t available from traditional drugmakers — that
they won't be targeted for producing certain peptides, according to
the people familiar with the plan. That approach, known as
enforcement discretion, allows the FDA to selectively choose to not
enforce some of its own regulations.
Formally adding the peptides to FDA's list of drugs that are safe
for compounding would require federal rulemaking, a process that
could take years and involves multiple rounds of public comment. It
was not immediately clear if the administration still plans to
pursue that process.
The proposal was quickly praised online by some Kennedy allies who
sell peptides.
“This is huge,” Brigham Buhler, a wellness clinic operator who sells
peptides through an online service, posted on X. “This isn’t about
whether you’re for or against peptides. It’s about whether you’re
for or against MEDICAL FREEDOM.”
The panel of outside experts that met in July was selected by
Kennedy's health department and included several doctors,
pharmacists and consultants who work in the peptide field.
The peptide business has caught the attention of major telehealth
providers, including Hims & Hers and Noom. Both companies recently
announced plans to offer peptides to their customers if the federal
government eases access. Wall Street analysts estimate the market
could be worth $2 billion to $3 billion.
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