The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is investigating whether UK clinics are breaking the law by making unsubstantiated health claims about unregulated peptide therapies, a Guardian investigation has found.
Peptides, which are injected, have surged in popularity, with sellers and influencers touting them for anti-ageing, injury recovery, and other benefits. However, scientific evidence supporting these claims in humans is scant, with most studies limited to animals or cells.
The MHRA stated that clinics cannot make medicinal claims for peptide treatments; if they do, the products are considered medicines and subject to regulation. An MHRA spokesperson said: “The MHRA will take action against clinics which are identified as breaching the legal requirements.”
The Guardian identified several clinics making claims such as “neuroprotection and cognitive enhancement” for Cortexin and “tissue repair” for BPC-157. After being contacted, one clinic removed such claims from its website. Another clinic, while noting limited human evidence, advertised peptides at £350–£450 per month, labelling them “research only”.
During a consultation, a clinician recommended BPC-157 for recovery after exercise and MOTS-C for energy production, despite acknowledging a lack of long-term clinical trials. The MHRA is examining whether these claims are medicinal. The clinic said it had explained the peptides were not licensed medicines and evidence was pre-clinical.
