Peptides: FDA appointed advisory committee criticised for conflicts of interest

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The FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, responsible for deciding whether to loosen restrictions on peptides, has been criticized for conflicts of interest as many members have financial ties to health and wellness businesses involved in peptides. The committee will meet to deliberate on including certain peptides in the compounding list, which affects customized medications made by licensed pharmacies.

A committee of experts tasked with deciding if the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should loosen restrictions on peptides has members who stand to financially benefit from the move, critics have said.The 12 voting members of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee will deliberate on whether to include certain peptides into its compounding list in a two day meeting scheduled for 23-24 July.1Compounding is when licenced pharmacies combine or alter drug ingredients to make customised medications for individual patients that aren’t available off the shelf. The FDA maintains a list of substances that doctors and pharmacies are allowed to compound but doesn’t endorse their efficacy and safety.FDA officials publicly announced the composition of the new committee, with at least eight new members,2 on 29 June.But critics have noted that seven of the new members have active health or wellness businesses involved in the supply of peptides.“I’m not sure how these...