FAQ · Research peptides
Are research peptides legal in the UK?
Three relevant pieces of UK law
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: controls drugs of abuse in five classes (A, B, C, plus temporary and unscheduled). Almost no research peptides appear on it. Class A is heroin and cocaine; Class C includes anabolic steroids and some prescription medications. Peptides are not controlled drugs.
- Psychoactive Substances Act 2016: bans novel psychoactive substances that produce a psychoactive effect. Peptides do not produce psychoactive effects in the meaning of the Act and are not scheduled.
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012: regulates the supply of medicines. A product becomes a medicinal product when therapeutic claims are made about it. Research peptides without claims sit outside this regime.
What is legal under "research use only"
- · Selling the peptide as a chemical with no therapeutic claims.
- · Providing HPLC purity certificates and CoAs.
- · Marketing to research institutions and individuals who declare research use.
- · Shipping within the UK and EU under standard commercial customs.
What crosses the line
- · Making therapeutic claims ("BPC-157 heals tendons in humans").
- · Selling reconstituted, ready-to-inject preparations marketed for human use.
- · Selling alongside human-use instructions or "protocols".
- · Specials-grade unlicensed medicinal product sales without a Specials manufacturing licence.
Exceptions worth knowing
- · Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs): not peptides but often sold alongside them. SARMs are not controlled drugs but the MHRA position is that they are unlicensed medicines when sold for human use.
- · Anabolic-androgenic steroids (testosterone, nandrolone, etc): controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act Class C. Distinct from peptides.
- · Growth hormone (somatropin, recombinant human GH): POM, requires UK prescription.
- · Insulin: POM.
Related: Research use only framing · MHRA classification · WADA prohibited list.