Superpower's approach to peptides
On Friday, October 30, Superpower is opening clinical eligibility assessments for select clinician-prescribed peptides.
What are peptides?
Peptides are chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. Well-known examples of peptides are insulin and the GLP-1 class of drugs (GLP stands for glucagon-like peptide).
However, there are many more peptides than just insulin and GLP-1s. The human body naturally produces thousands of different types.
Many people in the longevity and general wellness community believe these peptides can support recovery, enhance performance or generally improve wellness.
Because most of these peptides are not authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, many have been sold through gray-market sellers or labeled "research use only" (RUO).
On October 28, 2026, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released a notice about six peptides:
- BPC-157
- Epitalon
- KPV
- MOTS-c
- Semax
- TB-500
The notice describes a draft policy for compounding these peptides under section 503A. Compounding means making a medicine to meet a patient's needs. Under this policy, HHS says it does not intend to take enforcement action when the listed conditions are met, while work on the formal rules continues.
It's important to note that this is not FDA approval of these drugs. It also doesn't cover every form or use of a peptide.
The conditions of this notice include:
- Only the listed forms and ways of giving the drugs.
- One active ingredient per product, rather than peptide blends.
- Checks on the original ingredient maker and test records.
- A prescription for a specific patient.
- Required labels and reporting of products, serious health events and quality problems.
- For products taken by mouth, human data showing that the body absorbs enough of that exact product.
Our position on peptides
Superpower supports informed patient choice within clear limits. We want people who are considering peptides to have access to clinician guidance, reviewed sources and ongoing care. Our position is nonpartisan. We base our approach on patients' needs, sound evidence and clinical care.
That means not every peptide belongs on our site, and not every patient should receive one. A different treatment, more tests or no prescription may be the right choice for an individual.
Before making the decision to list a peptide, we ask three key questions:
- Does it meet our quality standards?
- Is there enough evidence to offer it for a specific use?
- Is it right for this patient?
As the FDA moves to allow the sale of peptides, we want to share how Superpower plans to exercise clinical responsibility in our approach to offering peptides to our members.
1. Does it meet our quality standards?
We intend to use carefully selected U.S. 503A compounding pharmacies. We will not import finished medicines or buy them from gray-market sellers.
Superpower plans to arrange regular third-party assessments of the pharmacies we work with.
Our reviews will check:
- Who made the active ingredient, not just who sold or repacked it.
- The original maker's FDA registration and compliance with current good manufacturing practice (CGMP), the rules for how drug ingredients are made.
- The maker's physical location on its certificate of analysis, which records test results.
- Documented checks of the maker and its test certificate when an FDA-registered repacker, relabeler or reseller supplies the ingredient.
- Tests of what is in the product, its strength, its purity and harmful contaminants.
- How the medicine is stored, prepared and handled.
- How the pharmacy finds and responds to quality problems.
These sourcing checks reflect conditions in the HHS peptide policy. They apply to the original ingredient maker, not just the company selling it to the pharmacy.
These steps aim to address risks from unknown sources and poor oversight.
2. Is there enough evidence to offer it for a specific use?
Before offering a peptide on our website, our clinical team will review it with input from our advisory board of clinicians and scientists. We may choose not to offer some peptides, even if they can legally be prescribed.
This review will consider:
- Potential benefits: What health benefit could it offer, and how strong is the evidence? A promising theory or a change in a blood test is not enough on its own.
- Risks and unknowns: What do we know about side effects, interactions and longer-term use? Where are the gaps?
- How it would be used: What supports the proposed dose, treatment length and way of giving it? Evidence for one form or use may not apply to another.
- Other options: How does it compare with established treatments for the same need?
For treatments we decide to offer, our clinical team will develop protocols to determine who may benefit, who should not receive them, what to monitor and when to stop.
We will revisit these decisions as evidence develops, including changing our protocols or withdrawing a treatment when needed.
3. Is it right for this patient?
Ultimately, a prescriber must decide whether the treatment fits the patient's needs.
That review must cover their health history, current medicines, relevant tests and other treatment options. A patient's request or purchase will never guarantee a prescription. The prescriber must be free to recommend a better option or no treatment.
Our approach has five practical steps:
- Start with the patient's problem. Understand their needs, past treatments and other options before choosing a peptide.
- Make consent an informed choice. Explain the exact treatment, known risks, gaps in evidence and other options.
- Match the treatment to the person. Check the specific compound, its form, how it is given and its intended use against that patient's needs and risks.
- Make support clear. Tell patients who to contact about symptoms and when to seek urgent help. Provide access to clear advice on storage, preparation and use.
- Ongoing monitoring. We'll provide patients with access to lab testing to track biomarker changes, and flag concerning results with our team for review or for HHS reporting.
Every patient will complete a structured clinical intake, and clinicians will guide treatment based on their medical history and testing results. Any tests the prescriber requires for ongoing treatment must be completed.
Ongoing care should include planned reviews, blood tests as needed by protocol or clinician discretion, and checks for side effects. Clinicians must be able to withhold or stop treatment based on their judgement, as the same test panel and schedule will not suit every peptide or patient.
What Superpower plans to offer
Based on these principles, Superpower will be launching a peptide care service that brings treatment, clinical review and follow-up together.
Our initial launch will include three peptides our clinical team has aligned on:
- BPC-157
- TB-500
- MOTS-c
We may add other peptides later, but only after thorough clinical review and protocol creation.
The planned service includes:
- A path for new and existing members. Existing members can start eligibility assessments through Superpower's marketplace. New patients will be able to sign up, complete a health intake and receive a clinician's review.
- Prescribing based on need. A clinician will decide whether to prescribe the requested treatment. Signing up or paying does not guarantee a prescription.
- Blood testing and follow-up. We are including an initial peptide blood panel, regular check-ins and tests guided by the clinical protocol. Clinicians may order additional testing at their discretion.
- Support between visits. Patients will be able to contact the care team and use our platform to track symptoms, results and next steps. Superpower's AI will help them explore questions about their health, while prescribing decisions remain with human clinicians.
The initial peptide blood panel is complimentary along with access to Superpower's support tools as part of the launch offer.
Superpower's goal is to help people make informed choices about their health, with clear advice and care they can trust. That means staying open to new treatments while being honest about what we know and what we don't.
We will hold ourselves to clear standards for product quality, clinical review and ongoing care. As the science evolves, our approach will evolve with it, guided by the patient's best interests.
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