FDA Peptide Panel Faces Conflict-of-Interest Backlash
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- FDA advisory panel will convene Thursday and Friday to discuss whether compounding pharmacies should be allowed to manufacture seven synthetic peptides currently designated as unsafe for them to make.
- Synthetic peptides are seeing rising experimental use by Americans despite FDA warnings about their unproven benefits and potential risks.
- Panel composition includes several physicians who prescribe peptides to patients, plus pharmacist and Tennessee state Sen. Bobby Harshbarger, whose mother, U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-Tenn.), has advocated for looser peptide regulations.
- FDA staff and critics have flagged conflicts of interest among the newly appointed panel members, noting the roster was selected largely by HHS rather than the FDA.
- The meeting is expected to be unusual in format, given the conflicts that critics say have been embedded in the panel's makeup.
Why it matters: If the panel recommends allowing compounding pharmacies to make the seven peptides, access to unproven injectable compounds could expand rapidly — particularly given that prescribers and a sitting state senator with family ties to the deregulation push now sit on the very committee weighing the FDA's safety designation.
