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Not FDA-approved
Digestive & weight
What are the side effects of KPV?
No KPV side effects are on record with FDA, and no clinical study has been published. See lab and mouse findings, product risks, and when to call a clinician.
Quick answer
KPV is not FDA-approved, has no established labeled route, and has no established human side-effect profile. Published KPV research comes only from lab and animal studies, and FDA identified no human exposure data and no toxicity studies. FDA's adverse-event and literature searches found no KPV reports through December 3, 2025. Spreading redness or fever after an injection warrants calling the prescribing clinician, while trouble breathing or facial swelling needs emergency care. KPV falls under WADA's class of non-approved substances, prohibited at all times in sport.
- Published
- November 4, 2026
- Last updated
- November 4, 2026
What KPV side effects have been reported?
KPV, short for lysine-proline-valine, has no established human side-effect profile. FDA has identified no human exposure data for KPV1 by any route. Published KPV research comes from laboratory and animal studies, mostly of inflammation and wound healing.
No KPV side effects are on record with FDA. FDA searched its adverse-event database, the medical literature, and a food complaint system. Those searches retrieved no KPV reports or cases2 through December 3, 2025.
Reporting is voluntary, and pharmacies that compound individual prescriptions generally do not report adverse events2. Patients and clinicians can report a reaction to FDA's MedWatch program3. An empty search is not evidence of safety. It also cannot show how often an effect occurs.
What do studies show about KPV safety?
No published study has measured KPV side effects. KPV research has tested anti-inflammatory effects in cells and animals. FDA's 2026 review identified no acute, repeat-dose, DNA-damage, reproductive, or cancer studies2 of KPV.
A mouse gut-inflammation study gave KPV in drinking water4 and reported no safety endpoints. Another mouse study gave KPV orally in hyaluronic acid-coated nanoparticles inside a hydrogel. In lab dish experiments, those particles appeared nontoxic to intestinal cells5. That finding is one reason KPV is often described as well tolerated.
Those results record what happened in cells and mice. A nanoparticle result does not describe injected, plain oral, or topical KPV.
What does lab research show about KPV and skin?
Lab research found that KPV lacks the skin-darkening activity of alpha-MSH6. KPV is cut from that hormone.
KPV applied to donated human skin did not pass through in detectable amounts7. Microneedles let more through. FDA reads low skin passage as possibly limiting whole-body effects of topical KPV2. Whether skin-breaching methods raise absorption remains undetermined. Each study used KPV made for research, which a dispensed product may not match.
KPV product quality as a safety risk
Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved8, and FDA does not verify their quality before sale. FDA found both KPV forms not well characterized2 and flagged these concerns.
- Identity: Several KPV salts and derivatives share one name, so a product may not match the clinician's order.
- Purity and microbial testing: Most KPV free base quality certificates list no impurity limits, and the acetate certificate lists no microbial testing.
- Storage: Heat, pH, and impurities can make peptides such as KPV clump or break down.
- Immune reactions: Impurities, a known factor in peptide immune reactions9, and clumped peptide can trigger immune responses that range from symptom-free to life-threatening2. FDA could not rule out that risk for KPV.
How can KPV side effects be managed?
Any new symptom after KPV warrants a prompt call to the prescribing clinician. Signs of a severe allergic reaction need emergency care right away10.
- Watch the injection site: For injected KPV, signs of a skin infection11 include spreading redness, warm skin, tenderness, and fever with chills. Those signs need a provider's attention right away11.
- Write it down: Symptom timing and the KPV product, form, and route help the prescribing clinician judge a reaction.
- Get emergency care: Trouble breathing, chest tightness, hives, or facial swelling can develop within minutes10 and call for 911.
KPV falls under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) class of non-approved substances, prohibited at all times12. Athletes subject to drug testing can face sanctions for using KPV. Check current WADA and league rules before considering it.
Getting KPV in 2026
Superpower will offer KPV formulated in FDA-registered facilities in the US, backed by third-party lab testing, and distributed from US-licensed pharmacies. A licensed clinician will review each person's health history to decide whether KPV fits their health care. The Superpower peptide waitlist is open now.
KPV is not an FDA-approved drug. In October 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it does not intend to take enforcement action13 against state-licensed pharmacies compounding KPV and five other peptides14 while the 503A Bulks List, the list of ingredients pharmacies may use in compounding, is finalized. Conditions of that interim policy include ingredients from FDA-registered facilities and a patient-specific prescription. It came after a July 2026 FDA advisory committee recommended adding KPV to the list15, and the rulemaking has not yet concluded.