Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully pushed the FDA to endorse removing manufacturing restrictions on several human peptides despite a lack of safety data.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. secured a decisive vote from an FDA committee to lift manufacturing restrictions on four peptides for human use. The move follows a strategy by the Health and Human Services Secretary to prioritize these substances, which are shorter chains of amino acids compared to larger proteins. While the Biden administration previously blocked compounding pharmacies from manufacturing most peptides, the committee voted to overturn this ban. This decision was largely driven by new members added to the advisory board by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who often have personal interests in the sale of unapproved peptides. These new members provided the necessary votes to approve the move, whereas the original committee members voted against it. Critics note that the decision was made without rigorous scientific evaluation or full clinical evidence. While the FDA has approved well-understood proteins like insulin, many of these new peptides lack proven safety data in humans. The FDA may still reject the recommendations, though doing so would place the agency in direct conflict with the wishes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.