Research peptides vs prescribed peptides: what differs

In short: Peptides labelled "research use only" aren't made or checked for people, and FDA treats them as unapproved drugs when they're sold for human use. At Increase Health, a licensed provider reviews your intake, and a state-licensed pharmacy dispenses anything prescribed. Compounded peptides aren't FDA-approved either, so that oversight matters. Start with the peptide therapy questionnaire.

What does "research use only" mean on a peptide?

It means the seller says the product is for lab research, not for people. FDA doesn't treat that label as a shield. When a website shows a product is really meant for human use, FDA treats it as an unapproved new drug, and it has sent warning letters to online peptide sellers on that basis from 2024 to 2026¹²³⁴.

In those letters, FDA pointed to signs that the products were meant for people: dosing guides, "peptide calculators", and bacteriostatic water sold alongside the vials for mixing injections. FDA said that water is itself a drug when it's sold for that purpose³⁴. FDA's patient page on unapproved GLP-1 drugs also warns about products sold "for research purposes" or "not for human consumption", and urges people not to buy them because they "are of unknown quality and may be harmful to their health"⁵.

A research-use product has no prescriber checking whether it's right for you, no pharmacy label with directions, and no one answerable for what's in the vial.

How is a prescribed peptide different?

A prescribed peptide starts with a licensed provider reviewing your health history and deciding whether it's appropriate. If it is, a pharmacy prepares and dispenses it for you, with a label. It is still a compounded medication. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved, and FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they're sold⁶.

So a prescription doesn't make a peptide FDA-approved. What it adds is a person who checks your health first, and a pharmacy that works under compounding rules. Federal law sets out two compounding settings⁶:

• 503A pharmacies are state-licensed and overseen mainly by state boards of pharmacy.
• 503B outsourcing facilities register with FDA and must follow federal manufacturing standards.

A 503A pharmacy can compound from a bulk ingredient only if it meets federal tests, and the ingredient needs a certificate of analysis and an FDA-registered manufacturer⁷. A research-chemical seller works outside both settings.

What have tests of peptides bought online found?

The few published tests are worrying. Semaglutide vials bought from illegal online pharmacies all contained endotoxin, a contaminant from bacteria, and were far less pure than claimed. Melanotan II vials from online shops held less peptide than labelled, and some had unknown impurities. The samples were small, but the label didn't match the vial⁸⁹.

What each study looked at:

• Semaglutide, 2024. Researchers ordered from illegal online pharmacies. Only a few vials arrived; the pen orders never came. Every vial tested contained endotoxin, and purity was far below the level claimed⁸.
• Melanotan II, 2015. Vials from three online shops contained less peptide than the label said. Vials from two of the shops had impurities the researchers couldn't identify⁹.
• Black-market growth-hormone products, 2018. Testing found modified molecules that had never been characterised¹⁰.
• "Research chemicals" that aren't peptides, 2017. Of products sold online as SARMs, only about half contained one. A quarter contained substances not on the label, and fewer than half matched the labelled amount¹¹.

We found no published tests of online sermorelin or NAD+ specifically.

What do FDA's compounding categories mean?

Some ingredients aren't part of an FDA-approved drug and have no official quality standard. A 503A pharmacy can compound those only if they're on FDA's final bulks list. While FDA decides, it sorts nominated substances into three interim categories. Being in Category 1 means "under evaluation". It is not FDA approval⁷¹².

NAD is in Category 1¹². That means FDA is still evaluating it. A category can change, and we'll update this page if it does.

What happened with BPC-157?

BPC-157 was in Category 2, the group FDA flagged for significant safety risks. Its nominators later withdrew it, so FDA now lists it as "nominated but withdrawn". FDA still states its concerns: possible immune reactions, peptide-related impurities, and little or no safety information for the proposed routes¹³. Increase Health doesn't offer BPC-157.

Several other peptides sold online sit on the same withdrawn list¹³. Being taken off a list is not FDA approval, and neither is being discussed by an FDA advisory committee. Human evidence is also thin: a 2025 systematic review found almost all BPC-157 studies were in animals or labs, with no clinical safety data¹⁴.

Which peptides does Increase Health offer?

Increase Health's peptide therapy range has two treatments: sermorelin, for growth hormone support, and NAD+, as an injection or a nasal spray. A licensed provider prescribes them only if they're appropriate after reviewing your intake. Both are compounded, so neither is FDA-approved, and FDA does not review them for safety, effectiveness or quality⁶.

• Sermorelin is a lab-made version of part of the hormone that signals your pituitary gland to release your body's own growth hormone¹⁵. It was once sold as an FDA-approved medicine, Geref, for a diagnostic test and for children with a specific growth hormone deficiency. It was discontinued in 2008, and FDA determined it was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness¹⁶. Sermorelin prescribed today is compounded. $489 for 3 months.
• NAD+ is a molecule your cells use in many chemical reactions. It's in Category 1, and human evidence for injections and nasal spray is limited; our NAD+ evidence guide explains what's known. $582 for 3 months (injection) or $510 (nasal spray).

How it works: you complete an online intake, and a licensed provider reviews it. If it's appropriate, you're prescribed and pay once for 3 months. Your card is authorised at checkout and charged only if a provider approves; if you're not approved, you pay $0. There's no subscription and nothing auto-renews. Klarna's 4 interest-free payments are available. Your medication ships to your door, and you can message your care team. Prices as of September 2026.

How can you tell a peptide isn't meant for people?

Look at what the seller asks you and what arrives in the box. A peptide meant for people involves a prescriber who reviews your health and a pharmacy that labels it for you. If nobody asks about your health and the label says "research use only", the product isn't meant for you to inject or use.

Signs a peptide isn't meant for people

• The label or website says "research use only", "for research purposes" or "not for human consumption"¹⁵.
• You can buy without a prescription or any health questions⁵.
• The seller offers "peptide calculators", dosing charts, or mixing water alongside the vials³⁴.
• Dosing advice comes from forums, videos or the seller's blog, not from a prescriber.
• Payment is cryptocurrency only, or another method that's hard to trace or refund.
• The seller says it's "the same as" an FDA-approved medicine, or the price seems too good to be true⁵.
• There's no licensed prescriber you can reach after you buy⁵.

What a prescribed peptide comes with

• A licensed provider who reviews your health history and medications before deciding.
• A prescription, written only if it's appropriate for you.
• Medication prepared and dispensed by a state-licensed pharmacy.
• A pharmacy label with your name, the medication, directions and a beyond-use date.
• A care team you can message with questions or side effects.
• An honest caveat: compounded peptides are still not FDA-approved⁶.

FDA's own advice is to get a prescription from a licensed provider and fill it at a state-licensed pharmacy⁵.

What people often get wrong

• "Research peptides are the same thing with a different label." FDA treats them as unapproved drugs when they're sold for people. Tests of online peptides have found less peptide than labelled, unknown impurities and endotoxin¹⁸⁹. The name on the vial doesn't tell you what's inside.
• "Prescribed means FDA-approved." Compounded peptides, including ours, are not FDA-approved. FDA doesn't review them for safety, effectiveness or quality before they're sold⁶.
• "Category 1 means FDA approved it." Category 1 means under evaluation. It's an interim policy, not approval⁷¹².
• "BPC-157 has been cleared." Its nominators withdrew it from category review. FDA still lists its safety concerns¹³.