3 stories
The grey market is the broad consumer-facing layer of unapproved or compounded peptide sales — research-peptide vendors selling to non-research consumers, peptide clinics dispensing as wellness products, and the international online channels (Indian, Chinese, Eastern European) that move peptides into the US without FDA oversight.
The University of Colorado secret-shopper study — 65–69 of 74 medspas selling compounded GLP-1s in April 2026 after FDA shortage resolution — quantified one slice of it. The Utah federal indictment of an osteopathic physician for misbranded Chinese peptides quantified another. State medical boards continue to take action against clinics dispensing peptides labeled as research material.
Stories here cover the enforcement actions, consumer-safety reporting, and the access-vs-safety policy debate. See #gray-market for the alternate spelling and #compounding for the regulated channel.
London Standard investigation exposes consumers self-injecting BPC-157 and CJC-1295 sourced from Discord groups and online sellers, bypassing medical oversight. UK solicitors warn clinics are on 'very shaky ground.'
Investigative journalist documents how consumers buy injectable peptides from Chinese factories via social media and Reddit. The global peptide market has swelled to $50 billion annually.
PeptideSciences, one of the largest grey-market research peptide vendors in the US reportedly generating over $7 million per month, voluntarily ceased all operations on March 6. The shutdown followed coordinated enforcement from the FDA, DOJ, and FBI targeting companies selling compounds like semaglutide and tirzepatide without pharmaceutical licensing.