Rising use of unapproved peptides prompts health warnings in Australia and beyond

INDUSTRY NEEDS MORE KNOWLEDGE

Professor Richard Payne from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, an Australian research centre, said the social media craze risks undermining legitimate medical research.

“I worry a little that peptides have got this almost bad name about them that they’re now sold on the internet for building muscle,” said Payne, who has spent his career engineering peptides as potential therapeutics.

“There is some really brilliant science happening at the moment in peptide drug discovery. We have more than 80 FDA-approved peptide drugs, and I see that number increasing substantially over the next decade,” he added, referring to the United States’ Food and Drug Administration – one of the world’s leading drug regulators.

But as more peptide-based treatments move closer to regulatory approval, experts say the industry also needs to be better equipped and professionally prepared to advise consumers. 

Some clinicians are stepping in to offer medically supervised alternatives.

Sydney-based longevity doctor Taylor Kline has launched a legal peptide business, aiming to provide patients with structured and evidence-based care.

“I’ve felt quite a personal responsibility to provide people with as much of an educated and medically sound opinion on that space,” she said.

“We consider your medical background or surgical background, medications that you take, the goals that you have. And it’s extensive, you get your pathology done. You go on to a very closely monitored programme through a doctor.

“I think that more education across the board would be really beneficial,” she added.

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners is now looking into the issue, as more patients ask about peptide treatments.

Dr Beng Eu, a general practitioner and co-director of Prahran Market Clinic in Melbourne, said interest is rising among patients, but knowledge gaps remain.

“Speaking as a GP with an interest in this area … I have limited knowledge of peptides because there’s so many different peptides. I do think that GPs will need to update their knowledge about peptides in the future,” he pointed out.

For now, demand for peptides is outpacing both the science and safeguards designed to protect patients – raising questions about whether regulation, education and safer access can keep up.