Updated 2026-09-29 · Reviewed for accuracy by the EKO Labs team. Educational only; not medical advice.
Many websites sell peptides such as BPC-157 or TB-500 labeled "for research use only" or "not for human consumption." These products are not FDA-approvedFDA-approved the FDA reviewed the medicine's safety and effectiveness for a specific use. medicines, and the labelPrescribing information (label) the official FDA document for a medicine, with its uses, warnings and side effects. does not make them safe or legal to use in people.
What the FDA said in 2026
In 2026 the FDA sent warning letters to several online peptidePeptide a short chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Insulin and GLP-1 are natural peptides. sellers. The agency said that "research use only""Research use only" (RUO) a label on chemicals sold for laboratory work. These products are not made or approved for people. disclaimers do not protect a seller when the website shows the products are meant for people, for example through health claims, dosing information, injection guides or dose calculators.
The risks for you
- No FDA review of purity, sterility or dose
- No doctor checking whether it is safe for you
- No licensed pharmacy standing behind the product
- Injectables bypass the body's natural defenses, so contamination is dangerous
What EKO Labs does instead
We do not sell research peptides, with or without a prescription. We connect you with licensed doctors who can discuss FDA-approved options, and a licensed pharmacy fills any prescription.
Talk to our team. A licensed doctor makes every medical decision.
