Peptide Basics
Foundational explainers on what peptides are, how they work, and how this market is regulated.
25 articlesHow Peptide Products Are Marketed Online: Common Claims and What "Research Use Only" Really Means
From biohacking influencers to research use only disclaimers, peptide marketing online follows familiar patterns. Here's how to recognize them and what the label actually means legally.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsAccelerated Approval Explained: Why Some Peptide Drugs Get a Conditional FDA Green Light
What the FDA's accelerated approval pathway is, how it differs from standard approval, and why it matters for understanding peptide and biologic drug news.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsAmylin Explained: The Second Hormone Behind the Next Wave of Obesity Drugs
What amylin is, how it differs from GLP-1, and why pairing the two hormones has become a central strategy in next-generation obesity drug development.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsWhat Is a Paragraph IV Certification? How Generic Makers Challenge Drug Patents, Including for GLP-1s
A plain-English explanation of Paragraph IV patent certifications, the legal mechanism generic drug makers use to challenge brand-name patents before they expire.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsAgonists, Antagonists, and Receptors: The Pharmacology Vocabulary Behind Peptide Drugs
Terms like “GLP-1 receptor agonist” and “GnRH antagonist” show up throughout peptide drug coverage. Here's what agonist, antagonist, and receptor actually mean, in plain English.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsWhat Is a Citizen Petition? How They’ve Shaped the Fight Over Compounded GLP-1 Drugs
Citizen petitions let anyone, including drug manufacturers, formally ask the FDA to act. Novo Nordisk has used them to try to keep its GLP-1 drugs off the agency’s compounding-eligible list.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsWhat Is an IND Application, and How Does It Differ From an NDA or BLA?
The IND is what lets a sponsor start human trials in the first place, long before an NDA or BLA ever gets filed. Here's how the three fit together.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsPeptide Biosimilars Explained: Why They're Different From Small-Molecule Generics
Why some peptide drugs get true generics while others are expected to get biosimilars instead, and what that distinction actually means for cost, approval timelines, and interchangeability.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsWhat Is a REMS, and Which Peptide Drugs Actually Have One?
A Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) is the FDA's tool for drugs whose risks need extra controls beyond standard labeling. Most peptide drugs don't have one, but a few genuinely do.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsOrange Book vs. Purple Book: How the FDA Classifies Small-Molecule and Peptide Drugs
The difference between the FDA's Orange Book and Purple Book, why some peptide drugs are listed in one and not the other, and what that means for generics versus biosimilars.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsWhat Is FAERS? How the FDA Tracks Side Effects After a Peptide Drug Is Approved
A plain-English explainer on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System, the database behind most post-approval safety signals for drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsHow to Read an FDA Package Insert (Prescribing Information) for a Peptide Drug
Every FDA-approved peptide drug comes with a standardized prescribing information document. Here's what each section actually tells you and how to read it.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsHow Peptide Drugs Get Their Names: INN Stems and Naming Conventions Explained
A plain-English guide to the naming system behind peptide drug names, and what stems like -glutide and -relin actually signal.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide Basics503A vs. 503B Compounding Pharmacies: What the Difference Means for Peptide Access
The regulatory difference between 503A and 503B compounding pharmacies, and why it matters for how peptides and GLP-1 medications reach patients.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsCategory 1 vs. Category 2: How the FDA's Bulk Drug Substance Lists Work for Peptides
The FDA sorts peptides being considered for compounding into two lists with very different implications. Here's how the system works and why it matters.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsA Short History of Peptide Therapeutics, From Insulin to GLP-1s
A brief history of peptide drug development, from the discovery of insulin to today's GLP-1 medications.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsCompounding Pharmacies and Peptides: How the Supply Chain Works
How compounding pharmacies prepare custom peptide medications, and how that differs from both manufactured drugs and research chemical sales.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsHow Much Do Peptide Therapies Cost in 2026?
An overview of typical cost ranges for FDA-approved GLP-1 peptides, compounded versions, and research-chemical peptides, and what drives the differences.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsHow Peptides Work in the Body: Signaling, Receptors, and Half-Life
How peptides signal cells, why receptor binding matters, and what half-life means for dosing and effect duration.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsInjectable vs. Oral vs. Nasal Peptides: Delivery Methods Explained
Why most peptides are injected, how oral and nasal formulations work around digestion, and what that means for patients.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsPeptide Purity and Third-Party Testing: Why It Matters
Why independent purity testing matters for peptide products, and what third-party test results can and can't tell you.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsPeptides vs. Proteins vs. Hormones: What's the Difference?
Untangling how peptides, proteins, and hormones relate to and differ from one another.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsTelehealth Peptide Clinics: What to Know Before You Sign Up
What to check before using a telehealth clinic that prescribes peptide therapies like GLP-1 medications or compounded peptides.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsTherapeutic Peptides vs. Research Chemicals: Understanding the Legal Distinction
How U.S. law distinguishes FDA-approved peptide drugs from peptides sold as research chemicals, and why that distinction matters.
Read the guide → 🧬 Peptide BasicsWhat Are Peptides? A Plain-English Introduction
A clear, jargon-free introduction to what peptides are, how they differ from proteins, and why they matter in modern medicine.
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