RFK Jr. proposes FDA look the other way on unproven peptides, report says

Under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Food and Drug Administration is moving forward with plans to ease access to unproven peptide drugs that are popular among members of Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement—despite FDA staff scientists finding that the drugs have not been sufficiently studied to establish safety and efficacy and may cause harms.

The FDA submitted an “Interim Access Policy” on peptides for review by the White House, according to a filing notice posted on an Office of Management and Budget website. The posting does not provide information on the proposed policy. But people familiar with the proposal told The Associated Press that it would give the FDA “enforcement discretion” on certain peptide drugs. This would allow the agency to choose not to enforce current restrictions on peptides and provide an assurance to specialty pharmacies eager to start making them that they will not be targeted by the agency.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the FDA, did not respond to a request for comment from Ars Technica.

The proposal comes as the FDA is currently re-reviewing a dozen popular, but unproven, injectable peptide drugs. In 2023, FDA scientists determined that the peptides lacked data on safety and efficacy and posed risks. As such, they were stricken from a list of drugs that can be made by specialty pharmacies, called compounding pharmacies, which make customized formulas for drugs.

“Charlatans”

Still, the dodgy drugs have grown more popular, with sellers claiming, without evidence, that the drugs can improve appearance, boost energy, and help heal injuries, among other wellness claims. They’re especially popular among the MAHA crowd; many prominent MAHA figures sell peptide products, and Kennedy, a self-proclaimed “big fan” of peptides, vowed to end “FDA’s war” on peptides upon taking office.