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Semax vs Selank
Will RFK Jr.’s peptide push bolster the gray market for obesity drugs?
With competition fierce in the weight loss space, a potential change to how the FDA classifies peptides could increase pressure in the market even more.
Published April 10, 2026
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When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast a little over a month ago, he did what no HHS secretary had done — openly championing the use of unapproved, injectable peptides, which have exploded in popularity in recent years among “biohackers” and other wellness enthusiasts.
During the episode, Kennedy said the FDA plans to change the classification status of more than a dozen synthetic peptides that were effectively banned from compounding in 2023 after they were placed on the “category 2” bulk drug substances list due to potential patient safety risks.
“For a gray-haired regulatory attorney, it was interesting to find out such huge potential policy changes on a podcast as opposed to the Federal Register or from the FDA, but those are the times we’re living in now,” Edgar Asebey, partner at Frier Levitt, said.
Kennedy has claimed this Biden-era ban was made “illegally,” but none of the peptides that are under consideration for reclassification have demonstrated safety and effectiveness in clinical trials, nor have they been approved by the FDA.
Some of these compounds, which Kennedy said he has personally used, include BPC-157 for performance recovery and MOTS-c, Semax and Selank, which are often combined with weight loss therapies like GLP-1 drugs to maximize results.
If Kennedy succeeds in making the treatments more widely available, the move could have a broader impact on pharma’s already competitive obesity space.
A public health tradeoff
Kennedy argues that moving peptides back to category 1, which would allow them to be compounded by pharmacies again with a valid prescription, puts them back in the hands of “ethical suppliers,” as many patients have turned to overseas gray market alternatives in recent years.
The change would make doctors the gatekeepers of peptide prescriptions — but reclassifying the treatments is not without new safety risks.
A peptide reclassification could falsely signal to the public that it’s safe to use untested and unapproved compounded medications, despite limited data and oversight.
“Some of these peptides are better characterized, but there is certainly a justification for all of them to be in category 2,” Asebey said. “These compounds are not pharmaceutical grade.”
Source: Alivia Kaylor
