Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is pushing the FDA to reconsider 12 peptides banned in 2023 for safety concerns. The agency's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee will evaluate whether these compounds should return to the list of drugs that compounding pharmacies can legally produce. This move follows Kennedy's pattern of stacking advisory boards with allies who support his agenda rather than relying on scientific evidence.

In 2023, the FDA removed 19 peptides from the list of approved compounds, citing significant safety risks for each drug individually. Consumer watchdog Public Citizen warns that these peptides should undergo the standard FDA approval process rather than an alternate pathway. The organization argues there's no credible reason why drugs deemed unsafe in 2023 would suddenly be safe in 2026. The review will happen in two phases, with seven peptides examined in July 2025 and five more in February 2027.

The peptides under review have no proven medical uses, though they're marketed online for various purposes. For example, BPC-157, isolated from gastric juices, is popular for tissue repair but FDA-approved only for ulcerative colitis. Other compounds include KPV, TB-500, MOTs-C, and Epitalon. The review process raises concerns about political interference in drug safety decisions, as Kennedy has previously stacked advisory committees with allies who support his positions regardless of scientific evidence.