Despite warnings from health officials about unauthorized peptides, they have exploded in popularity in recent years after wellness experts, social media influencers, celebrities and U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have endorsed the drugs. However, some experts say they’re worried about the trend continuing to pick up traction in Canada. Last week, outside health advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) narrowly voted in favour of adding several peptides on the federal agency’s list of substances deemed safe for pharmacy compounding. They recommended that the FDA remove restrictions that prevent pharmacies from creating certain injectable peptides, including BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV. Health Canada spokesperson Mark Johnson told CTVNews.ca on Wednesday that while the federal agency couldn’t comment on decisions involving the FDA, he pointed to a press release about the Superior Court of Quebec granting Health Canada a permanent injunction against Canlab Research in June. The injunction prevented the online retailer from selling unauthorized injectable peptides. “Selling unauthorized prescription drugs or making false or misleading claims to prevent, treat or cure illnesses is illegal in Canada,” Health Canada said in the statement. Injectable peptides are regulated as prescription drugs in Canada and used to treat certain conditions, with patients consulting doctors or other licensed health-care professionals, according to the federal agency, adding that it must authorize the drugs before they can be sold. Health Canada issued an advisory in April about unauthorized injectable peptides that may be purchased online, which include some of the drugs recommended for FDA approval. U.S. health panel’s move ‘tremendously frustrating’: expert Timothy Caulfield, a health law expert, said the FDA advisory panel’s decision is “tremendously frustrating.” “I certainly hope that it doesn’t influence what Health Canada does. I hope Health Canada follows the science,” Caulfield, a professor and research director at the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta, said in a video interview from Edmonton with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. Caulfield said peptides have become a “huge trend,” thanks in large part to the influence of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement led by Kennedy, as well as “wellness influencers” who promote them on social media as a way of gaining strength, living longer, improving mood and sexual health, as well as making men “more manly.” “There really is no evidence to support the embrace of peptides in the way that they are being pushed by the wellness and longevity industry,” he said. “This is really just about influencers in a huge market, and not about good science.” Caufield added that there’s a “political element” to the peptide craze. “It’s a very popular narrative among online influencers … this idea that they have secret effective therapies that the government and your doctor doesn’t want you to know about,” he said. Bob Hancock, a microbiologist and professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, said he’s dismayed at the U.S. health panel’s recommendation and the craze over unauthorized peptides. “Honestly, just creating this Wild West for peptides is just a crazy idea,” Hancock said in a Zoom interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. “The potential number of peptides is enormous, but of those enormous numbers, very few of them have actual benefits,” he added. What are peptides’ health benefits? According to an article published by Harvard Health Publishing, “peptides are short chains of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) that can have a range of effects on the body,” which include helping with hormones, immune defence, digestion and tissue repair. Endorphins are a natural peptide our bodies create, released through our central nervous system to block pain signals and relieve stress, according to the piece. Some examples of medical peptides include insulin shots, which help control blood sugar for individuals with diabetes, and GLP-1 medications that help people treat Type 2 diabetes and lose weight. They’re also used in medications to treat conditions such as endocrine disorders, multiple sclerosis, and infantile spasms (or a form of epilepsy) in children under two years of age, as well as to control the level of calcium in the blood. While more people are using peptide injections and supplements to improve their lives, the Harvard Health Publishing article said many products have “unproven health claims.” David Sabatino, a professor with expertise in peptide chemical biology at Carleton University in Ottawa, said he’s concerned about the rise in peptide usage in general, including among individuals who get prescriptions for Ozempic and other approved peptide-based drugs, but use them for “cosmetic purposes,” rather than the intended purpose for treating a health disorder. “That’s what’s driving up demand, then cost, making it more difficult for those patients that do need these types of peptide drugs to treat a disorder,” Sabatino said in a video interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. “(It’s m)ore difficult for them to receive, to access, and to afford these types of medications that are quite expensive, even under health-care plans.” What are the risks? Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs are commonly advertised for “‘anti-aging’, weight loss, bodybuilding, athletic performance, injury recovery, sleep, mental focus, or general ‘wellness,’” according to Health Canada. But the federal agency warns that these unauthorized drugs, which are illegal, pose “serious health risks,” adding that it still needs to evaluate them for “safety, efficacy, and quality.” “They have not been demonstrated, through scientific trials, to provide the health benefits that they claim,” according to Health Canada in an April advisory. The federal health agency warns that taking these drugs could result in harmful effects, such as liver or kidney damage, blood clots, cancerous tumours, blood sugar and hormonal imbalance and mood swings. They may also cause serious complications, including allergic reactions and infections. Health Canada said they may even “contain contaminants” from heavy metals, fibers, glass and plastic to bacteria, fungi and endotoxins. With files from The Associated Press
