Peptide directory

5-Amino-1MQ (5-amino-1-methylquinolinium) is a small-molecule inhibitor of the enzyme nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) — not a peptide, despite often being grouped with them. It is investigational and has not been approved by the FDA for any use; it is sold only for laboratory research. As of 2026 there are no published human clinical trials, and human safety data are absent.

AOD-9604 is a synthetic 16-amino-acid peptide corresponding to the C-terminal fragment (residues 177-191) of human growth hormone with an added N-terminal tyrosine. It is not approved by the US FDA as a drug for any indication, has no FDA-approved label, and no established human dosing. In December 2024 the FDA reviewed AOD-9604 for the Section 503A compounding bulk drug substances list and proposed that it NOT be included, citing insufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness. Marketed "research peptide" supply is unapproved and outside FDA-evaluated channels.

Animal evidence only. Not approved anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 23, 2026. Banned for athletes (WADA S0) since 2022.

Cagrilintide (AM833) is an investigational long-acting amylin analogue developed by Novo Nordisk for weight management. It is not approved by the FDA as a standalone drug. Its lead program is the fixed-dose combination with semaglutide, CagriSema — described as the first injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist and amylin analogue combination — for which Novo Nordisk submitted a New Drug Application to the FDA on December 18, 2025; the FDA is expected to review the application in 2026.

CJC-1295 is not FDA-approved. A long-acting growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog studied as a growth-hormone secretagogue, it was removed from the FDA 503A "do not compound" Category 2 in April 2026 (nominations withdrawn) but is not eligible for compounding and remains under Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee review. Sold as research only.

Research peptide, not approved for human use anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 24, 2026 (evaluated indication: Opioid withdrawal, chronic insomnia, narcolepsy). Removed from the FDA 'do not compound' list in April 2026 but not yet compoundable.

Research peptide, not approved for human use anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 24, 2026 (evaluated indication: Insomnia). Removed from the FDA 'do not compound' list in April 2026 but not yet compoundable.

GHK-Cu (copper tripeptide-1) is not an FDA-approved drug for any human therapeutic indication. In topical/cosmetic form it is regulated as a cosmetic ingredient and sold over the counter; injectable and systemic use remains research-only or physician-supervised compounding. In 2026 the FDA/HHS signaled moving several peptides toward compounding eligibility.

Gonadorelin is a synthetic decapeptide identical to natural gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), which stimulates the pituitary to release LH and FSH. Its branded US products — Factrel (diagnostic use) and Lutrepulse (pulsatile pump therapy) — were FDA-approved but were voluntarily withdrawn from the market for commercial reasons, not safety or efficacy. As of 2026 no FDA-approved gonadorelin product is commercially available in the US; it is used off-label, mainly via compounding pharmacies, including as a testicular-function adjunct during testosterone therapy — an off-label use with no large randomised controlled trials.

Humanin is a 24-amino-acid mitochondrial-derived peptide encoded within the mitochondrial 16S rRNA (MT-RNR2) region, and was the first identified of a class of mitochondrial-derived peptides that also includes MOTS-c and the SHLP peptides (Lee et al., PMC3641182). It is not an approved drug for any indication; the literature treats it as an endogenous cytoprotective factor and candidate biomarker, with therapeutic work confined to cell and animal models (PMC3641182; PMC7778388). No human adverse-effect profile is established, because humanin and its analogs have not been administered as therapeutics in controlled clinical trials.

Ibutamoren (MK-677) is an orally active, nonpeptide ghrelin receptor agonist (a growth hormone secretagogue) that raises growth hormone and IGF-1 levels. It is not approved by the FDA for any indication and remains investigational, with no approved labeling. It is sold only as an unapproved "research chemical" and is prohibited in sport by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Ipamorelin is not FDA-approved. A selective ghrelin-receptor agonist (growth-hormone secretagogue), it was removed from the FDA 503A "do not compound" Category 2 effective April 2026 (nominations withdrawn) and referred to the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee; it is not eligible for compounding. Sold as research only.

Kisspeptin is a naturally occurring neuropeptide that activates the KISS1 receptor (GPR54), acting upstream of GnRH to regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis. It is not approved by the FDA for any indication. It has been used extensively in academic clinical research (notably in the UK and US) for reproductive endocrinology, and is available through compounding pharmacies by prescription, representing the prescribing provider's independent clinical judgment rather than an approved use.

Research peptide, not approved for human use anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 23, 2026 (evaluated indication: Wound healing and inflammatory conditions). Removed from the FDA 'do not compound' list in April 2026 but not yet compoundable.

Melanotan-1 (afamelanotide; marketed as Scenesse, formerly CUV1647; also [Nle4,D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH / NDP-MSH) is a synthetic alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analog acting as a melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) agonist. The FDA approved it in 2019 as a 16 mg subcutaneous controlled-release implant to increase pain-free light exposure in adults with a history of phototoxic reactions from erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). It acts via MC1R-mediated stimulation of eumelanin synthesis, which darkens skin and absorbs/scatters the visible light that activates accumulated protoporphyrin. It must not be confused with melanotan-2, an unapproved drug sold illegally online as an injectable tanning agent and subject to FDA warning action.

Research peptide, not approved for human use anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 23, 2026 (evaluated indication: Obesity and osteoporosis). Removed from the FDA 'do not compound' list in April 2026 but not yet compoundable.

Pinealon (the EDR tripeptide, Glu-Asp-Arg) is a synthetic "bioregulator" peptide developed by Vladimir Khavinson's research group in Russia, studied for neuroprotection and cognition. It has no FDA-approved indication and is not on the FDA's Category 1 (permissible for 503A/503B compounding) bulk drug substance list, so it is not legally available through licensed US compounding pharmacies. It has never been submitted for FDA review and has never been the subject of a registered clinical trial (no ClinicalTrials.gov record) in the US or EU; the small human studies that exist are Russian-language occupational-health and geroprotection reports, not controlled trials.

Bremelanotide (PT-141) is an FDA-approved drug — Vyleesi, initial U.S. approval 2019 — for acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) in premenopausal women. It is a melanocortin receptor agonist (nonselective, MC1R and MC4R most relevant at therapeutic doses), given as a 1.75 mg subcutaneous self-injection at least 45 minutes before anticipated sexual activity; the precise mechanism by which it improves HSDD is unknown. It is contraindicated in uncontrolled hypertension or known cardiovascular disease.

Retatrutide (LY-3437943) is an investigational once-weekly injectable triple agonist of the GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors, developed by Eli Lilly. It is not approved by the US FDA; a regulatory submission is anticipated around Q4 2026 to Q1 2027.

Selank (TP-7) is a synthetic heptapeptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), an analogue of the immune tetrapeptide tuftsin extended with a Pro-Gly-Pro sequence for metabolic stability, developed at the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is not approved by the FDA and has no approved indication in the United States. Since the 1990s it has been used as a prescription nootropic/anxiolytic in Russia and former-Soviet states; elsewhere it is available only as a research chemical or supplement. It has not completed clinical trials to Western standards.

GLP-1 receptor agonist, FDA-approved as Ozempic (subcutaneous, Dec 2017) for type 2 diabetes and as Wegovy (2.4 mg subcutaneous, Jun 2021) for chronic weight management; Wegovy was additionally approved Mar 2024 to reduce major cardiovascular events in adults with established cardiovascular disease plus overweight/obesity.

Research peptide, not approved for human use anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 24, 2026 (evaluated indication: Cerebral ischemia, migraine, trigeminal neuralgia). Removed from the FDA 'do not compound' list in April 2026 but not yet compoundable.

Sermorelin is a synthetic 29-amino-acid GHRH analogue (GRF 1-29 amide) that stimulates the anterior pituitary to release growth hormone. It was formerly FDA-approved (Geref, NDA 020443) for short stature due to pediatric growth hormone deficiency, with a separate Geref Diagnostic formulation approved as a diagnostic agent for adult GHD. Both products were withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2008 as a business decision after the active ingredient was no longer manufactured — not for reasons of safety or efficacy. No FDA-approved sermorelin product is currently marketed in the United States; sermorelin in clinical use today is supplied by compounding pharmacies. It is not an FDA-approved therapy for anti-aging, body composition, or adult wellness indications.

Survodutide (BI 456906) is an investigational once-weekly injectable dual agonist of the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors, developed by Boehringer Ingelheim (with Zealand Pharma) for obesity and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). It is not approved by the FDA; it is in phase 3 development (the SYNCHRONIZE programme) and holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for non-cirrhotic MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis.

Research peptide, not approved for human use anywhere. Up for an FDA advisory committee vote on July 23, 2026 (evaluated indication: Wound healing). Removed from the FDA 'do not compound' list in April 2026 but not yet compoundable.

Tesamorelin is an FDA-approved drug. A growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog, it is approved (Egrifta, 2010; Egrifta SV, 2019; Egrifta WR, 2025) to reduce excess visceral abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy — the only US-approved medication for that indication. Uses outside that indication are off-label and not FDA-approved.

Thymosin alpha-1 (thymalfasin) is a 28-amino-acid synthetic peptide identical to the naturally occurring thymic peptide. It acts as an immunomodulator (biological response modifier) rather than as a direct antiviral. It is not FDA-approved for any indication in the United States; the branded product Zadaxin (thymalfasin, SciClone) is approved for chronic hepatitis B and C in roughly 35 other countries, primarily in Asia and South America. At its December 4, 2024 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, the FDA evaluated thymosin alpha-1 and proposed that thymosin alpha-1 acetate not be placed on the Section 503A bulk drug substances list.

Dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist, FDA-approved as Mounjaro (May 2022) for type 2 diabetes and as Zepbound (Nov 2023) for chronic weight management in adults with obesity, or overweight plus at least one weight-related comorbidity.