Vanity in a vial: The perils of a raging, and untested, peptide health trend

There is little scientific evidence that these vials contain what they claim or that any of it works.

The new pharmacy is a refrigerator. Not the kind that hums in a clinic, stocked by pharmacists. This one sits in a luxury apartment in Manhattan or a founder’s kitchen in Silicon Valley. Inside are syringes and small glass vials with names like BPC-157, TB-500, and CJC-1295.

The US Anti-Doping Agency has banned several popular injectable peptides, warning of cardiac risks. (Shutterstock)

These are short chains of amino acids known as peptides. They arrive as powders labelled “for research use only,” are mixed at home with sterile water, and injected for better recovery, smoother skin,