HHSOctober 28, 2026 (Federal Register, October 30)
HHS will allow licensed pharmacies to compound six unapproved peptides, including BPC-157, under conditions
On October 28, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services announced an interim enforcement policy for six peptides: BPC-157, TB-500, KPV, MOTS-c, epitalon, and semax. HHS says it does not intend to take enforcement action against state-licensed pharmacies, federal facilities, or licensed physicians that compound them, as long as they meet conditions that include sourcing the raw ingredient from an FDA-registered manufacturer with a certificate of analysis, one active ingredient per product, a "compounded drug product" label, and reporting serious side effects to the FDA's MedWatch program. The notice was published in the Federal Register on October 30 and applies while the FDA decides, through rulemaking, whether to add these substances to the list pharmacies may compound from. In July, an FDA advisory committee voted narrowly to recommend some of these peptides over the objections of FDA staff. HHS is taking public comments for two weeks after publication (docket HHS-OASH-2026-0496).
HHS states that the policy "does not grant FDA approval or establish clinical safety and effectiveness." None of the six is FDA-approved for any use, and human safety data for most of them are limited or absent. HHS says it may revisit the policy if safety or quality problems appear.
What it means for youSome clinics, including
TRT Kingdom in our directory, already list BPC-157 among their offerings, and more may now offer these peptides through compounding pharmacies. A legal route to buy a compounded product is not evidence that it works or is safe. If a clinic offers one, ask what human evidence supports it for your situation, which pharmacy makes it, and how side effects are tracked, and talk it over with a physician you trust. Products sold online as "research use only" are not covered by this policy. Athletes in drug-tested sports should check their sport's rules, since anti-doping lists include some of these substances.
Sources: Federal Register notice (Oct 30) · Foley & Lardner, via National Law Review · STAT · Related: Peptides & PEDs guide
FTCOctober 29, 2026
FTC warns health-plan marketers not to misrepresent coverage during open enrollment
FTC staff sent warning letters to 25 companies that market, or generate sales leads for, health coverage products, including Affordable Care Act Marketplace insurance, limited indemnity plans, and medical discount programs, and said more letters will follow. The letters caution against misrepresenting a plan's benefits, limits, or costs; presenting a plan as major or comprehensive medical insurance when it is not; and promising free offers or cash rewards that are not real. The FTC says the letters do not allege wrongdoing by any recipient, and it did not name them.
What it means for youIf you're shopping for coverage this fall, read the plan documents, not just the ad. Limited indemnity plans and discount programs are not comprehensive health insurance and may pay little toward ongoing care such as prescriptions and regular lab work. For a sense of what ongoing testosterone treatment costs, see our
TRT cost-per-year guide. You can report misleading ads at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Sources: FTC press release (Oct 29) · Related: TRT cost per year · Cheapest TRT online
We also checked FDA and DEA announcements and the Federal Register for October 27 – November 2. We found no new FDA action on testosterone, GLP-1s, erectile dysfunction, or hair-loss drugs in that window, and no DEA telemedicine rule (see below). Medicare telehealth coverage remains in place through December 31, 2027.