Louisiana bars boards from blocking compounded peptides

Louisiana has enacted a law that limits how its professional licensing boards can regulate compounded peptides. Senate Bill 253, by Sen. McMath with Reps. Bayham, Berault, Carver and Wyble, was signed on May 22, 2026 and became Act 374. It took effect August 1, 2026, and adds a new section to the state’s professions code, R.S. 37:23.5, titled “Peptides; prohibited regulations.”

What the law says

The enrolled text has two operative parts.

A. Prescribers. “No professional or occupational licensing board shall prohibit a healthcare provider with prescriptive authority from providing patients with peptides shipped from” either:

1. “A FDA-registered 503B outsourcing facility that is in compliance with 21 U.S.C. 353b,” or
2. “A 503A compounding pharmacy that is in compliance with 21 U.S.C. 353a and applicable United States Pharmacopeia - National Formulary chapters.”

B. Pharmacists. No licensing board “shall prohibit a Louisiana licensed pharmacist in a state permitted pharmacy from compounding and dispensing peptides” as long as the pharmacist complies with 21 U.S.C. 353a and the applicable USP-NF chapters.

The legislature’s bill history records final passage 98 to 0 in the House, and 35 to 0 in the Senate with a 37 to 0 concurrence vote. The Louisiana Board of Pharmacy listed the act in its July 10, 2026 bulletin on new laws.

What it does not do

The protection depends on federal compliance. Sections 353a and 353b are sections 503A and 503B of the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. A 503A pharmacy can compound from a bulk substance only if that substance qualifies under federal law: it is a component of an approved drug, has a USP monograph, or is on FDA’s 503A bulks list (how that works). Act 374 does not add any peptide to that list and cannot. It limits state boards; it does not change FDA’s position.

The law also does not mention “research use only” products. It covers peptides from licensed compounding sources only.

Why it matters

Act 374 is the first state statute we have verified from primary records that is written specifically about peptides. Its practical reach depends on federal decisions still pending: whether FDA acts on the July 2026 advisory votes (report) and what its interim access policy says (report). If FDA allows compounding of a peptide, Louisiana boards cannot stand in the way of compliant prescribers and pharmacists. Our state peptide laws page tracks other states as we verify them.