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69 pieces on where each compound stands with the FDA and the law, what each line on a certificate measures, why the milligrams on a label are not milligrams of peptide, and where the cost of a long chain actually goes.
- The moleculesGLP-1 research peptides: semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide and cagrilintide comparedThe incretin and amylin peptides side by side: parent hormone, length, modifications, receptors, molecular weight and US status as of October 21, 2026, and why cagrilintide is not a GLP-1.
- Where the line isAre peptides controlled substances? The DEA schedules, HGH and the steroid lineNo research peptide, BPC-157 included, is on the federal drug schedules. Why HGH sits under a separate statute, why steroids are Schedule III, and how WADA's list differs from DEA's.
- Sourcing and provenanceRetatrutide price per mg: every size worked out, October 2026Research-grade retatrutide runs $4.20 to $10.50 per labelled milligram at list, and $2.81 to $7.04 while the October 2026 promotion runs. Every size, the shipping effect, and what a certificate does and does not say about the milligram you are paying for.
- The moleculesGLP-1 research peptides: semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide and cagrilintide comparedThe incretin and amylin peptides side by side: parent hormone, length, modifications, receptors, molecular weight and US status as of October 21, 2026, and why cagrilintide is not a GLP-1.
- Where the line isAre peptides controlled substances? The DEA schedules, HGH and the steroid lineNo research peptide, BPC-157 included, is on the federal drug schedules. Why HGH sits under a separate statute, why steroids are Schedule III, and how WADA's list differs from DEA's.
Reading the paperworkHow to read a tirzepatide certificate of analysisIdentity, purity, measured content, endotoxin, metals and sterility: what each line on a tirzepatide certificate measures, worked through on the ten certificates on file, with the mass spectrometry values to check.
The moleculesTirzepatide structure and sequenceTirzepatide is a 39-residue peptide built on GIP, with aminoisobutyric acid at positions 2 and 13, a C20 fatty diacid on lysine 20 and an amidated end. The sequence, each modification and the 2022 receptor structures.
Where the line isIs tirzepatide FDA approved? Mounjaro, Zepbound and the approval datesYes. Tirzepatide is FDA approved as Mounjaro (May 13, 2022) and Zepbound (November 8, 2023). The dated record from Drugs@FDA, how the two products differ on paper, and what "human-grade" does and does not mean.
Reading the paperworkHow to read a retatrutide certificate of analysisIdentity, purity, measured content, endotoxin, metals, sterility and the issue history: what each line on a retatrutide certificate measures, worked through on real laboratory certificates.
The moleculesRetatrutide structure: sequence, molecular weight and the three receptorsRetatrutide is a 39-residue GIP-based peptide with Aib, alpha-methyl leucine and a C20 diacid on lysine 17. Its sequence, formula, molecular weight, how it binds three receptors, and how it differs from tirzepatide.
The moleculesPinealon: the Glu-Asp-Arg tripeptide, and why it is not epitalonThe tripeptide Glu-Asp-Arg by its registry numbers, a comparison table of the short Khavinson-school peptides a buyer actually meets, and an honest count of what has been published about it.
Where the line isThe oxytocin nasal spray approval history, with datesThere is no FDA-approved oxytocin nasal spray. The only nasal application ever listed, NDA 012285 Syntocinon, had its approval withdrawn effective September 8, 1997. What the record shows as of September 23, 2026.
The moleculesOxytocin and vasopressin: nine residues, two differencesOxytocin is a cyclic nonapeptide: CYIQNCPLG, CAS 50-56-6, 1007.2 Da average. The Cys1 to Cys6 ring, the C-terminal amide, the octapeptide naming puzzle, and the two residues that separate it from vasopressin.
Where the line isGlutathione's US regulatory status, with datesNo approved drug product contains reduced glutathione. What is approved, where glutathione sits on FDA's compounding lists, what the 2022 committee vote decided, and what the two FDA alerts actually say.
Reading the paperworkGSH, GSSG and total glutathione: what the number on a certificate meansAn aqueous glutathione sample is a two-component redox mixture. Reduced GSH and oxidised GSSG side by side, the chemistry that shifts the balance, and what the common assays count.
Where the line isBremelanotide, Vyleesi and the intranasal program that was never approvedOne FDA-approved application, one route, and no intranasal bremelanotide product ever approved. The dates, the FDA review language that closed the nasal program, and where PT-141 sits in 2026.
The moleculesAdamax: what the name covers, and what no registry holdsAdamax has no registry entry: no PubChem record, no CAS Registry Number, no peer-reviewed pharmacology. Here is exactly what was searched, what came back, and where the number 1032 comes from.
Reading the paperworkWhy two laboratories get different numbers on the same lotAn HPLC purity figure is a method-dependent number. Where the differences between two reports on one lot come from, what measurement uncertainty is, and how to tell an expected gap from a real discrepancy.
HandlingWhy some peptides dissolve badly: charge, hydrophobicity and gellingNet charge, isoelectric point, hydrophobic residue content and beta-sheet self-assembly decide whether a peptide dissolves clear, turns cloudy or gels. The chemistry, with worked examples from published sequences.
HandlingWhere the 28 days number comes from (it is not peptide data)The 28-day figure often attached to peptides is a pharmacy standard for preserved multi-entry containers, tied to a 28-day microbiology test. It measures preservative performance, not what happens to a peptide in solution.
Sourcing and provenanceWhere research peptides are made, and what USA-made meansMost research peptides are synthesized by contract manufacturers, many of them in China, some in Europe and the United States. What each step of the chain is, what a 'USA-made' label can legally mean, and what a chain-of-custody record should contain.
How it is madeWhat lyophilized means, and why peptides ship as powderFreezing, sublimation and desorption in plain terms: why a lyophilized cake looks the way it does, what residual moisture and a collapsed cake mean analytically, and why the label mass is nominal.
Where the line isWhat FDA reads on a website before it calls a research product a drugThe 'research use only' label is not what FDA reads. Its 2024 to 2026 warning letters spell out what is: claims, calculators, diluents sold alongside vials, and customer reviews. Here is the rule and the letters in their own words.
Where the line isWhere research peptides sit on the WADA Prohibited ListFDA status and WADA status are different questions with different answers. Where BPC-157, TB-500, the GHRPs, the GHRH analogues, ipamorelin and Melanotan II sit on the 2026 Prohibited List, and what strict liability means.
HandlingTFA salt or acetate salt: what the counter-ion changes about the vialWhere trifluoroacetate comes from, why it stays bound to basic residues, how much of a vial's mass it can be, what the literature reports about it in cell work, and what a certificate should say about salt form.
The moleculesTB-500 and thymosin beta-4 are not the same moleculeThymosin beta-4 is a 43-residue protein. TB-500 is a seven-residue synthetic fragment of it. Here is the identity of each, the thymosin alpha-1 mix-up, and the status of all three as of September 2026.
Reading the paperworkSterility, metals and solvents: tests a purity certificate omitsWhat third-party tested actually covers. Purity, identity, sterility, endotoxin, elemental impurities, residual solvents and water are seven separate assays with seven separate standards, and a research certificate carries two or three of them.
Reading the paperworkSeven ways a certificate of analysis misleadsRepresentative certificates, lot numbers that match nothing, in-house tests dressed as independent, purity without identity, stale dates and purity without net content: each pattern, and what a good certificate shows instead.
The moleculesSermorelin, tesamorelin, ipamorelin and CJC-1295 comparedThree of these are GHRH analogues; ipamorelin is a five-residue ghrelin-receptor ligand. One had an approved product that was discontinued, one has an approved product on the market, two have none. Identity and status side by side.
The moleculesSemax and Selank: two heptapeptides and their US statusSemax (MEHFPGP) is four residues of ACTH plus a Pro-Gly-Pro tail; Selank (TKPRPGP) is the tetrapeptide tuftsin plus the same tail. Where each came from, what the spelling variants mean, and their status as of September 2026.
Where the line isIs retatrutide FDA approved? Status, filing plan and availability, October 2026No. As of October 23, 2026 no regulator has approved retatrutide. Lilly plans to file with FDA in Q1 2027. The dated record: availability, Canada, the EU and UK, and FDA's letters.
Reading the paperworkIs the vial actually 5 mg? Fill weight, overfill and label accuracyHow a lyophilized vial gets its label mass, why that number is a target rather than a measurement, how a fill is checked, and how it interacts with net peptide content.
How it is madeWhy a factory-made peptide spray differs from a vialWhat a formulated aqueous peptide product contains (buffer, tonicity agent, preservative), how preservative efficacy is tested under USP <51>, why formulated products carry an in-use period, and what a dissolving strip is made of.
Sourcing and provenancePeptide purity grades, salt exchange and modificationsThe grade ladder from crude to 98 per cent and what each is used for, what a salt exchange adds to price and lead time, and the modifications a custom order can specify.
Reading the paperworkA peptide paperwork glossaryThirty-six entries for the terms that appear on peptide certificates, labels and regulatory pages, each defined in one to three sentences from a primary source and linked to the piece that explains it.
The moleculesNAD+, 5-amino-1MQ and glutathione: which are peptides?Three catalog staples that share a shelf with peptides. Only one is a peptide. What each molecule actually is, from PubChem, and why the distinction changes what a certificate should show.
The moleculesMelanotan II, PT-141 and afamelanotide: one parent, three analoguesAfamelanotide, Melanotan II and bremelanotide all descend from the 13-residue hormone alpha-MSH. Two became approved drugs; Melanotan II never did. Structures, lineage, FDA's own words on MT-II, and status as of September 2026.
Reading the paperworkMass spectrometry identity: what a one-dalton match provesESI and MALDI in plain terms, why a peptide shows up at several m/z values at once, monoisotopic against average mass, and a worked example on a stocked fifteen-residue peptide from its PubChem entry.
HandlingDo lyophilized peptides survive heat in transit?Why a dry solid is more stable than a solution, what ICH-style testing at 25 °C and 40 °C has shown for lyophilized peptides, what changes first, and why a warm parcel is a different question for a powder than for a liquid.
Sourcing and provenanceImport Alert 66-41: why overseas peptide orders get detainedWhat an FDA import alert is, what 'detention without physical examination' means, what Import Alert 66-41 actually covers, what the notices say, and the 5,000-shipment Cincinnati case, from FDA's and CBP's own records.
Sourcing and provenanceHow to vet a peptide vendor with documents, not with forumsA document-by-document checklist for judging a research peptide supplier: lot-specific certificates, identity as well as purity, net peptide content, a named manufacturer and a verifiable laboratory.
Reading the paperworkHow to verify a peptide certificate of analysisHow to check that a peptide lab report is genuine, is about the lot in your hand, and comes from a lab whose accreditation you can confirm, with worked examples for retatrutide, GHK-Cu and kisspeptin-10.
The moleculesHow to read a peptide sequenceThe one- and three-letter codes, which end is which, what Ac- and -NH2 mean, how D-residues, rings and lipids are written, and four worked examples from the catalog.
The moleculesGHK-Cu: why the powder is blue and what copper peptide meansGHK-Cu is the tripeptide glycyl-histidyl-lysine holding one copper(II) ion. The copper is what makes it blue, what makes it a different molecule from GHK, and what its two INCI names are about. Status as of September 2026.
HandlingFreeze-thaw, aliquots and the residues that oxidizeWhich amino acids oxidize, deamidate or hydrolyse, what freezing and thawing do to a solution physically, what manufacturers' guides say about repeated freezing, and where those residues sit in the sequences we stock.
Where the line isFDA approved peptides in 2026: a status table with dates and sourcesWhich peptides have an FDA-approved product, which are investigational and which have neither, as of October 21, 2026. Every row carries a date and a primary source, with short answers for ipamorelin, BPC-157 and retatrutide.
The moleculesEpithalon, epitalon and the word bioregulatorOne tetrapeptide, four spellings, and a term that is not a pharmacological class. What AEDG is, where it came from, what the Khavinson school means by bioregulator, and its US status as of September 21, 2026.
Reading the paperworkEndotoxin: what EU/mg means on a certificateWhat bacterial endotoxin is, how the LAL and recombinant Factor C methods detect it, why FDA's limit is a ratio rather than a figure in EU/mg, and why a research certificate usually stops short of it.
Sourcing and provenanceCosmetic-grade vs research-grade peptidesWhat an INCI name is and who assigns it, what documents a cosmetic formulator needs from an ingredient supplier, and why a vial labelled research use only is not a cosmetic raw material.
Where the line isWhat ended for compounded semaglutide and tirzepatide, and whenCompounded tirzepatide and semaglutide were allowed only while the approved products were in shortage. The shortages and grace periods ended in 2024 and 2025. What is still open, and why a research vial is no substitute.
The moleculesCJC-1295 with DAC and without: what the drug affinity complex changesCJC-1295 is a 30-residue GHRH analogue carrying a maleimide group that bonds to serum albumin. The version sold without DAC is a different, 29-residue molecule. Identity, lineage and 2026 status.
Where the line isCategory 1, Category 2 and the 503A bulks list in 2026Twelve peptides left FDA's Category 2 in April, GHK-Cu went back into Category 1 in May, and an advisory committee voted in July. None of it put a peptide on the 503A bulks list. A dated tracker.
The moleculesIs cagrilintide a GLP-1? What the amylin analogue is and how it bindsCagrilintide is an amylin analogue, not a GLP-1. Its structure, the receptors it binds, what CagriSema is, its FDA status as of October 21, 2026, and what a cagrilintide certificate should show.
Where the line isIs BPC-157 legal? FDA status, Category 2 and WADA in 2026BPC-157 is not banned in US law, not FDA approved and not compoundable under 503A. Its Category 2 history, the July 2026 committee vote and WADA S0, each dated to its source, as of October 2026.
Where the line isAre peptides steroids? Peptides vs steroids in chemistry and US lawNo. A peptide is a chain of amino acids; a steroid is a four-ring lipid. Why anabolic steroids are Schedule III controlled substances and peptides are not, with a side-by-side table, as of October 2026.
Where the line isAre peptides legal in the US? A dated answer for 2026Peptides are not controlled substances, and research use only sale is lawful when nothing points to use in people. Approval, compounding, supplements, import, retatrutide and sport, each dated.
Where the line isCompounding pharmacy, outsourcing facility or research supplierA 503A pharmacy, a 503B outsourcing facility and a research supplier operate under three different sets of rules. What each one is, why a pharmacy cannot compound BPC-157 today, and why a research vial has no place in the other two chains.
Reading the paperworkReading a chromatogramOne peak is the answer everyone wants. What the shoulders, the late cluster and the flat stretch before it are telling you.
Reading the paperworkWhy an independent laboratory mattersA manufacturer tests its own material at release. That is normal, necessary, and the one party with an interest in the answer. What an independent certificate adds, and what it does not.
Reading the paperworkHow to read a certificate of analysisWhat each line on a COA is actually measuring, in the order it matters, and the four things a weak certificate leaves out.
Reading the paperworkWhat a blend is, and what its certificate should saySeveral peptides co-lyophilized into one vial is one lot number and several different purity questions.
Reading the paperworkNet peptide content, and the 18% error nobody catchesWhy the milligrams on the label are not the milligrams of peptide, and what that does to a concentration you already wrote down.
HandlingMilligrams, micrograms and the units that are not weightsA factor of a thousand, a factor that is not a factor at all, and where the decimal point actually goes.
Reading the paperworkWhat a lot number is forThe FDA has documented batch numbers being rewritten a tier upstream. Here is what that means for the document in your hand.
Where the line isWhat "research use only" means for peptides, and whether it is legalWhat a research use only label means, what it does not do, how FDA decides whether a research peptide is really a drug, and the line this site draws because of it. Status as of October 21, 2026.
How it is madeWhy a forty-residue peptide costs what it doesSolid-phase synthesis is the same operation repeated once per amino acid. The arithmetic of that repetition is most of the price.
The moleculesThe two-residue peptidesAt the other end of the shelf from the GLP-1 analogues sit chains of two, three and four amino acids. Almost everything about them is different.
Reading the paperworkPurity is not potencyHPLC, mass spectrometry and Karl Fischer each answer a different question. Three suppliers quoting "99%" may be quoting three different things.
How it is madeVial, spray or strip: what the format changesThe same compound in three packages is three different stability, handling and arithmetic problems.
HandlingWhat minus twenty is actually forCold slows three different degradation routes at three different rates, and one of them is not slowed by cold at all.
The moleculesWhere the word peptide stops meaning anythingA working definition, the boundary with proteins, and the two things in this catalog that are not peptides at all.
By shelf
- Reading the paperworkWhat each line on a certificate measures, and what a weak one leaves out.18 pieces
- How it is madeSynthesis, freeze-drying, formulation and format: how a peptide becomes the vial, spray or strip on the shelf, and where the cost goes.4 pieces
- HandlingStorage, stability and the arithmetic of a stock solution.7 pieces
- Where the line isWhat this site will and will not say about the material it sells, and why.16 pieces
- Sourcing and provenanceWhere research peptides come from, how to check a vendor with documents, and what an importer and a buyer are actually responsible for.6 pieces
- The moleculesWhat each peptide is: sequence, class, salt form, naming, and its regulatory status on a given date. Never what it does in a person.18 pieces
Nothing here is medical advice and nothing here is a claim about what any of this material does in a person — it is all supplied for laboratory research use only.