RFK Jr.'s peptide push could become next wellness boom

State of play: The self-administered injections have become the rage among fitness enthusiasts, celebrities and consumers seeking to heal injuries, reduce inflammation and find anti-aging benefits.

• The interest has been juiced by social media influencers and podcasters like Joe Rogan, who hosted a segment in February during which Kennedy previewed his agenda and said he had taken peptides himself.
• The Food and Drug Administration will convene an advisory panel in July to decide if a series of peptides can be produced by compounding pharmacies. It's also in the process of lifting a Biden administration policy that prohibits compounding pharmacies from making the products.
• The substances include BPC-157, which is derived from human gastric juice and has been promoted extensively for healing injuries in animal studies.

What they're saying: "They're the most potent things that we've seen in health care since hormones," said Chris Shade, CEO of Quicksilver Scientific, a company that produces some oral versions of peptides.

The other side: Physicians say peptides could increase health risks, including cancer, because of the way they stimulate hormone production and the formation of tissues.

• There's also concern about the effects of taking multiple peptides at the same time, and how they'd interact with drugs.
• "The FDA should ban these peptides from being imported, from being used, and force the companies that are making huge amounts of profit on them to do the proper studies," said Eric Topol, executive vice president of Scripps Research.

Zoom in: Peptides already make up a $60 billion market and could top $180 billion in five years if the federal rules are relaxed, said Kate Festle, a managing director at West Monroe consultants.

• "I think this has tremendous staying power because a lot of the companies that ... would be able to bundle this already exist. They have scale, they have membership," she said.
• The clearest winners could be telehealth companies like Hims & Hers and Ro, which have already built the infrastructure to quickly package and prescribe these therapies, said Michael Cherny, senior research analyst at Leerink Partners.
• Hims purchased a peptide manufacturing facility last year. The anticipated FDA changes sent Hims shares soaring nearly 50% in the span of a week.

Certain high-end wellness or longevity clinics could also benefit, Festle said.

• "A lot of them have actually acquired their own compounding pharmacies to own the value chain anyway," Festle said.

Between the lines: Peptides are short chains of amino acids — a category that includes GLP-1s, which is a reason these products are going mainstream so quickly, Festle said.

• Expanding direct-to-consumer channels for anti-obesity drugs helped patients feel more comfortable seeking treatments without consulting a doctor or other provider, Festle said.

Reality check: Unlike brand-name GLP-1s, most peptides haven't gone through clinical trials.

• The current boom in unregulated peptides has been distorted by profit‑driven influencers who don't adequately address the potential dangers, said Topol, author of longevity book "Super Agers."
• "I'd love to see therapies that help people. Just show me the data," Topol said.

The other side: Many health industry players argue for a middle ground that would expand access with additional oversight but not subject them to the traditional drug approval process, Shade said.

• He's advocated treating naturally occurring peptides as supplements.

The bottom line: The peptide boom may be coming — but there's plenty of uncertainty about how big and risky it will be.