WHAT ARE “GREY MARKET” PEPTIDES?

Diving right in… A grey market peptide is a compound that has almost always been made in labs in China. They are either unapproved for use in humans by the TGA (and FDA in the US) or are a prescription only compound.

Some peptides (such as insulin, tirzepatide and semaglutide) which are clinically trialed by pharmaceutical companies and are approved prescription medications. Other peptides only have research data in non human subjects. There’s a theory that the reason they haven’t been clinically trialed and tested in because may of the are naturally occurring in the human body and therefore can not be patented by pharmaceutical companies, therefore making finding a trial unappealing to them from a profit standpoint.

Given that a peptide is just a short chain of amino acids, they are able to be replicated by these labs in China, then purchased and imported around the world for the purpose of research. In many countries it is not legal to import or possess them, hence any sale you find online of peptides is called “grey market”. They’re not purchased on the dark web and there’s not been any major crackdowns as with illicit substances.

ARE THEY SAFE?

The safety of grey market peptides is also a grey area. Most suppliers and the customers of the suppliers opt for third party lab testing of each batch of peptides. The most common test is for identification and purity (e.g. retatrutide at 99% purity). The rest of the percentage in the vial is filler which will usually be mannitol. Some opt for additional testing such as sterility, heavy metals and endotoxins. Endotoxins and metals are rarely ever at an unsafe level but sterility can sometimes be off. This is why it’s a good practice to filter peptides before using them to ensure your safety.

Choosing to use a research peptide therapeutically is a choice you should only make after having done a lot of your own research and using the safest methods of doing so such as practicing high sterility when preparing and injecting and knowing signs to look out for of something were to go wrong. Personally I have regular bloodwork and monitor my general health on a regular basis.

This is not medical advice and I am not a medical professional, just a person who has chosen to take their health into their own hands. Always do your own research about a compound to know as much about it as possible.