The master list
Peptide legal status: approved, banned, or “research only”?
A plain-English rundown of where every peptide on this site stands with the law and the regulators — what’s an approved medicine, what’s sold as a “research chemical,” and what’s banned in sport. No hype, and nothing for sale.
Covers 45 peptides · Last updated July 15, 2026
Approved medicine
Cleared by a regulator (such as the FDA) for a specific medical use, and prescription-only. “Approved” means for that defined use under a doctor — not a green light to buy an online “research” copy of the same molecule.
| Peptide | Studied / used for | Legal & regulatory status |
|---|---|---|
| Gonadorelin | Fertility, hormone testing/diagnosis, and supporting the body's own sex-hormone signals | A prescription medicine, used under a doctor's care. Not something meant to be bought and used on your own; copies sold online as 'research chemicals' aren't the approved drug. |
| HCG | Fertility treatment; certain male hormonal problems | FDA-approved, prescription-only. Banned in males in sport (WADA). |
| Liraglutide | Type 2 diabetes and chronic (long-term) weight management | FDA-approved, prescription-only (Saxenda, Victoza). Grey-market 'research' versions are not the regulated medicine. |
| Oxytocin | Labor and breastfeeding (approved); bonding, anxiety, and social connection (research/off-label) | FDA-approved as a prescription hospital medicine (Pitocin) for labor and milk let-down. Nasal sprays for bonding/anxiety are off-label or sold as research; not approved for those uses. |
| Pramlintide | Blood sugar control at mealtimes in type 1 and type 2 diabetes, alongside insulin | FDA-approved, prescription-only (Symlin). Carries a boxed warning for severe low blood sugar. Grey-market 'research' versions are not the regulated medicine. |
| PT-141 | Low sexual desire and arousal | FDA-approved (2019) as Vyleesi, by prescription only. Online 'research' PT-141 is not the approved drug. |
| Semaglutide | Type 2 diabetes and chronic (long-term) weight management | FDA-approved, prescription-only (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus). Grey-market 'research' versions are not the regulated medicine. |
| Sermorelin | Prompting the body to release its own growth hormone | Was FDA-approved as Geref (now discontinued as a brand). Still legally prescribed through compounding pharmacies under a doctor. Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Tesamorelin | Reducing excess belly fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy | FDA-approved, prescription-only (brand Egrifta). Grey-market 'research' versions are not the regulated medicine. |
| Tirzepatide | Type 2 diabetes and weight management | FDA-approved as a prescription medicine (Mounjaro, Zepbound). Prescription-only. Online 'research' or grey-market copies are not the approved drug. |
Not approved · research chemical
Not approved as medicines for people. Sold as “research chemicals,” which legally means they are not intended for human use and are not quality-checked. Being legal to sell as a chemical is not the same as being safe or legal to use on yourself — and many are banned in sport.
| Peptide | Studied / used for | Legal & regulatory status |
|---|---|---|
| AOD-9604 | Fat loss / weight (development stalled after weak trial results) | Not FDA-approved as a medicine. Sold as 'research use only.' Not a regulated treatment. |
| ARA-290 | Nerve pain, small-fibre neuropathy, and sarcoidosis-related nerve damage | Not approved by any regulator. Sold as 'research use only.' Prohibited in sport. |
| BPC-157 | Tissue, tendon, and gut healing | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Flagged by the FDA as a compounding-safety concern (status under ongoing review); banned in sport (WADA). |
| Cagrilintide | Weight loss and appetite control (often tested with semaglutide as 'CagriSema') | Not approved as a medicine. Still investigational. Copies sold as 'research chemicals' aren't the trial drug and aren't quality-checked. |
| Cerebrolysin | Stroke, dementia, and traumatic brain injury | Approved and used in some countries (parts of Europe/Asia). Not FDA-approved in the US. |
| CJC-1295 | Raising growth hormone / IGF-1, body composition, sleep | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Cortexin | Stroke recovery, memory, cognitive decline, and brain injury | Not FDA/EMA-approved. Registered as a prescription medicine in Russia and some CIS countries. |
| Dihexa | Synapse formation, memory, and cognition in animal models of dementia | Not approved anywhere. Sold as 'research use only.' Not a dietary supplement. |
| DSIP | Sleep, and the body's stress and hormone systems | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Rules differ by country. |
| Epitalon | Ageing, telomeres, and sleep | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Not a licensed anti-ageing treatment. |
| Follistatin-344 | Blocking myostatin to allow more muscle growth | Not approved as a medicine. Sold as 'research use only.' Long-term safety in healthy people is not established. |
| GHRP-2 | Triggering growth hormone release | Not FDA-approved for general use. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| GHRP-6 | Triggering growth hormone release | Not FDA-approved for general use. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Hexarelin | Triggering growth hormone release | Not FDA-approved for general use. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Humanin | Ageing, brain protection, and how the body handles energy | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Rules differ by country. |
| IGF-1 LR3 | Muscle growth and cell growth | Not FDA-approved as used here. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Ipamorelin | Growth hormone release, body composition, recovery, sleep | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Kisspeptin | Libido, arousal, and fertility | Not an approved medicine or consumer product. Studied in research and clinical settings. |
| KPV | Calming inflammation, gut inflammation (IBD), and immune modulation | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' |
| Larazotide | Tightening the gut lining ('leaky gut' / tight junctions) | Not approved as a medicine. Investigational; sold as 'research use only.' |
| LL-37 | Fighting microbes and helping wounds heal | Not approved as a medicine. Sold as 'research use only.' |
| Mazdutide | Obesity / weight loss and type 2 diabetes | Approved in China (2025). Not approved by the FDA, the EMA, or most other regulators — so outside China it isn't a prescribable medicine. Copies sold online aren't the approved product. |
| Melanotan-2 | Tanning and libido | Not approved anywhere. Sold illegally as a 'research chemical'; warned against by regulators. |
| MOTS-c | Metabolism, insulin sensitivity, exercise / energy | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Not a regulated medicine. |
| Pinealon | Memory, brain ageing, and neuroprotection | Not FDA/EMA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Not a licensed treatment. |
| Retatrutide | Obesity / weight loss and type 2 diabetes | Not approved anywhere yet. Still investigational. 'Research use only' copies sold online are unregulated. |
| Selank | Anxiety, stress, and calm focus | Approved in Russia; not approved in the US. Sold as 'research use only' elsewhere. |
| Semax | Focus, memory, neuroprotection, and stroke recovery | Approved in Russia; not approved in the US. Sold as 'research use only' elsewhere. |
| SS-31 | Mitochondrial disease, heart and eye conditions, cellular energy | Investigational, not approved. Grey-market 'research' versions are unregulated. |
| Survodutide | Obesity / weight loss and MASH (a fatty liver disease) | Not approved by any major regulator. Still investigational — only legitimately used inside supervised clinical trials. Copies sold online aren't the trial drug. |
| TB-500 | Tissue repair, wound healing, and injury recovery | Not FDA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Banned in sport (WADA). |
| Thymalin | Immune function and ageing | Not FDA/EMA-approved. Registered as a medicine in Russia. Sold elsewhere as 'research use only.' |
| Thymosin Alpha-1 | Supporting and balancing the immune system | Approved as Zadaxin in ~35 countries; not FDA-approved in the US, where it's sold as 'research use only.' |
| Vilon | Immune function, cell ageing, and skin ageing | Not FDA/EMA-approved. Sold as 'research use only.' Not a licensed treatment. |
Supplement / cofactor
Sold as dietary supplements or cofactors. The rules are looser than for medicines, and “sold as a supplement” is not a safety guarantee.
| Peptide | Studied / used for | Legal & regulatory status |
|---|---|---|
| NAD+ | Cellular energy, ageing, and DNA repair | Sold as a dietary supplement or IV wellness product. Not an approved anti-ageing drug. |
How to read this
The status here is the regulatory bucket, not medical or legal advice. Rules differ by country and change over time, so we date this page and link every peptide to its full profile, where the specific regulators and sources are cited. If you think a status is out of date, tell us — we’d rather fix it fast than be wrong.
Educational only. This page does not tell you to use, buy, or avoid anything, and it is not a substitute for advice from a qualified doctor. See our disclaimer.
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