Reference · Regulatory status
FDA-approved peptides
20 of the 105 compounds in this catalog hold a labeled indication from a national medicines regulator. The other 85 do not, whatever the marketing around them says.
Approved
20
Catalog total
105
Brand names recorded
18
Approved compounds
| Compound | Class | Brand names on this site | What it is approved to treat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alprostadil | Prostaglandin E1 | Caverject, MUSE, Prostin VR | A prostaglandin E1 analog (a vasodilator) used medically for erectile dysfunction and certain circulatory conditions. |
| Botulinum toxin | Neurotoxin | Botox, Dysport, Jeuveau, Xeomin | A potent neurotoxin that blocks acetylcholine release at nerve terminals; used medically and cosmetically to relax targeted muscles. |
| Dulaglutide | GLP-1 receptor agonist | Trulicity | A long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist (marketed as Trulicity) used for type 2 diabetes; note vendor 'research' vials are not the approved product. |
| EPO (Erythropoietin) | Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent | Epogen | A hormone that stimulates red blood cell production; used medically for anemia and notoriously misused (and WADA-banned) in endurance sport. |
| HCG | Gonadotropin hormone | Pregnyl | Hormone with LH-like activity used in regulated reproductive and endocrine medicine, and discussed more broadly in wellness and performance contexts. |
| HGH 191AA (Somatropin) | Recombinant human growth hormone | Genotropin | Recombinant human growth hormone with the same 191–amino acid sequence as endogenous GH, used in regulated settings for growth hormone–related conditions. |
| HMG | Gonadotropin preparation | MENOPUR | Menotropins: a gonadotropin preparation with FSH- and LH-like activity used in regulated fertility and endocrine settings. |
| Insulin | Peptide hormone | — | The essential peptide hormone regulating blood glucose; a prescription medication with serious hypoglycemia risk if misused. |
| L-Carnitine | Amino acid derivative | Carnitor | An amino acid derivative involved in transporting fatty acids into mitochondria for energy; used in metabolic and fat-metabolism contexts. |
| Liraglutide | GLP-1 receptor agonist | Saxenda, Victoza | A daily GLP-1 receptor agonist (marketed as Victoza/Saxenda) for diabetes and weight; vendor 'research' vials are not the approved product. |
| MT-I | Melanocortin-1 receptor agonist | Scenesse | Synthetic alpha-MSH analog (afamelanotide) approved as Scenesse for erythropoietic protoporphyria and discussed more broadly for skin pigmentation. |
| Oxytocin | Peptide hormone | Pitocin | Endogenous peptide hormone involved in uterine contraction, lactation, and social behavior, with approved obstetric uses. |
| PT-141 | Melanocortin receptor agonist | Vyleesi | Melanocortin receptor agonist approved as Vyleesi for hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. |
| Semaglutide | GLP-1 receptor agonist | Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy | GLP-1 receptor agonist commonly discussed for glycemic control and weight management. |
| SS-31 | Mitochondria-targeted peptide | Forzinity | Mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide (elamipretide) with an FDA accelerated approval in Barth syndrome and a clearly negative phase 3 trial elsewhere. |
| Teriparatide | PTH analog | Forteo | A recombinant fragment of parathyroid hormone (marketed as Forteo) used medically to build bone in severe osteoporosis. |
| Tesamorelin | GHRH analog | EGRIFTA SV | Synthetic growth hormone–releasing hormone analog approved in some regions for HIV-associated lipodystrophy and studied more broadly in metabolic research. |
| Tirzepatide | Dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist | Mounjaro, Zepbound | Dual GIP/GLP-1 receptor agonist frequently discussed for type 2 diabetes and obesity. |
| Triptorelin Acetate | GnRH agonist | Trelstar, Triptodur | A gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist used medically for hormone-sensitive conditions; continuous use down-regulates the reproductive axis. |
| Vitamin B12 | Vitamin | — | Essential water-soluble vitamin involved in hematologic and neurologic function, given by injection when deficiency or absorption problems are present. |
Brand names are read from each compound’s own page and are recorded for 18 of 20 rows; a dash means the page cites a regulator record without naming a product.
What “approved” means here
A compound earns a place on this table when a national medicines regulator has reviewed a specific manufactured product containing it and issued a label: a document naming the indication, the population, the dose form, the warnings, and the manufacturer answerable for all of it. That is a much narrower claim than “approved” does in ordinary conversation. Approval attaches to a product, not to a molecule, and it attaches to an indication, not to a use.
Three distinctions do most of the work on this page. Approved for something is what the table records: somewhere, a regulator has licensed a product built on this compound for a stated condition. Approved for what you read about it is a different question — semaglutide is approved for type 2 diabetes and for chronic weight management, but the same molecule sold as an unlabeled vial is not the approved product and carries none of its guarantees. And compounded is not approval at all: a compounding pharmacy preparing a version of an approved drug is operating under a separate legal regime, without premarket review of that preparation’s safety, efficacy, or manufacturing quality.
Approval is national, not global
Nothing on this table is approved everywhere, and the differences are not trivia. Afamelanotide — the molecule sold on the gray market as MT-1 — is an approved medicine as Scenesse, a bioresorbable implant for a rare light-sensitivity disorder, and it is not approved for tanning anywhere. Mazdutide is approved in China and investigational elsewhere, which is why it sits in the clinical-stage tier here rather than this one. Elamipretide reached the US market as Forzinity in 2025 under accelerated approval for a single rare mitochondrial disease, after failing its primary endpoints in a larger one. Read those three together and the pattern is clear: approval is a jurisdiction-specific judgement about one product and one population, and it travels badly.
What the table does not tell you
Presence here says a regulator has been satisfied about a product; it says nothing about whether a given vial contains that product. Several compounds on this list — growth hormone, insulin, erythropoietin, hCG — are also among the most widely counterfeited substances in the gray market, and an approved label offers no protection to material bought outside the regulated supply chain. Presence here also says nothing about eligibility in sport: 8 compounds on this table appear on the WADA Prohibited List reference as well, because approval and competitive eligibility are decided by different bodies for different reasons.
Absence from this table is not a verdict either. It means the catalog records no labeled indication for that compound — which is usually because none exists, but the honest statement is the narrower one. For how the rest of the catalog is sorted by the strength of evidence behind it, see the evidence tiers table. This page is educational reference material and is not medical advice; see the medical disclaimer.