Key Summary
- MHRA is targeting UK clinics making unauthorized medicinal claims about unregulated peptides.
- The clinics are not permitted to make medicinal claims for peptides, and there is little scientific evidence to support trials.
- If they make medicinal claims, the products will be considered medicines and subject to relevant regulation.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is investigating whether clinics are breaking the law by making claims about the benefits of experimental peptide therapies, The Guardian reports.
In recent years, there has been an increase in interest towards experimental peptides, promoted by influencers and even medics promising everything from anti-ageing to recovery from injury.
The medicines watchdog has said clinics are not permitted to make medicinal claims for peptides, and there is little scientific evidence to support such health and wellness claims.
If they make medicinal claims, the products will be considered medicines and subject to regulation, the MHRA spokesperson said.
During its investigation, The Guardian came across clinics offering a variety of unregulated, experimental peptides and making a host of claims about their benefits on their websites.
MHRA official Lynda Scammell said, “Peptide products may be sold as cosmetics, supplements and medicines, and depending on their intended purpose, they fall under different regulatory frameworks.
“The MHRA determines whether a product is a medicine on a case-by-case basis. This includes consideration of a number of factors including the product’s effect on the body, the way it is used and takes into account all the available evidence and relevant legal precedents.
“We disregard claims that products are for ‘research purposes’ if it is clear that such claims are being used as an attempt to avoid medicines regulations. If there is evidence within the promotional material that the products are in fact unauthorised medicines intended for human use, we will take appropriate regulatory action.
“If a product is classified as a medicine and is not appropriately authorised, we take regulatory compliance action.
“Not all peptides fall under MHRA’s remit, for example, many peptides are sold for body-building purposes and in the absence of medicinal claims, these would not be considered medicines.”
