The latest from CEBM and others impacting our work.
Coverage of the FDA's July 2026 advisory committee vote on peptide compounding, where CEBM board members testified and were quoted opposing several of the proposed additions.
The Times covered the FDA advisory committee's vote to expand the compounding pathway for several peptides, including CEBM's concern that adding them to the compounding list creates a lower-rigor, parallel pathway to market that puts patient safety at risk. Read the article ↗
“This creates another parallel pathway to get this product in front of the public at much less rigor, fewer science-backed studies, and really does put the entire public and patient safety system at risk.” … “Once it’s on the list, you lose control.”
Wired reported on the FDA panel's endorsement of these peptides for compounding, noting CEBM's concern that it sends a misleading signal to patients that the FDA has approved the products, and that a persistent gray market is not a valid reason to permit compounding. Read the article ↗
“That gets very confusing for our patients.”
RAPS reported that the FDA advisory committee voted to recommend six of seven reviewed peptides for the compounding bulk drug substances list, rejecting emideltide over insufficient supporting evidence — a vote CEBM opposed on the record. Read the article ↗
“There is a significant lack of evidence with this substance…The last study on this was 30 years old. It should not be shifted to routine care. I say no.”
POLITICO examined Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s push to expand access to these peptides, including CEBM's warning that permitting compounding would open a broad bypass around the FDA's clinical trial and approval requirements. Read the article ↗
“Would create a wide bypass for FDA clinical trial and approval requirements.”
Third-party research and reference material — peer-reviewed studies, government reports, and major investigative journalism.
Impurities and Potential Immunogenicity Associated With Follow-on and Compounded Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists — A peer-reviewed study published in Pharmaceutical Research, the official journal of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (Kopp et al., Novo Nordisk), identified dozens of impurities absent from FDA-approved semaglutide across inauthentic API and compounded or follow-on semaglutide products — including some recognized by human immune cells in laboratory testing — along with inconsistent impurity profiles between batches from the same compounding pharmacy, an undisclosed tirzepatide-related component in one product, and significant degradation under light exposure. View PDF ↗
Online Prescribing of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists — A JAMA research letter (Chetty et al.) examining the rise of online prescribing for compounded GLP-1 medications, finding that telehealth platforms partnering with compounding pharmacies have driven growth in non-FDA-approved compounded versions, attributed to consumer demand, drug shortages, and insurance coverage limitations. Read the article ↗
State Policies and Facility Practices of IV Hydration Spas in the US — A JAMA Internal Medicine study (Sivakumar et al.) reviewing state regulations and conducting secret-shopper visits to IV hydration spas nationwide, finding that state oversight varies widely, most facility websites recommend specific therapies without citing supporting evidence, and few required a medical consultation before treatment. Read the article ↗