CSPI urges FDA to overrule advisers on six peptides

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy group, has asked FDA to reject its own advisory committee’s July 2026 votes in favor of six peptides. The group announced the letter, addressed to Acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas, on October 14, 2026, the same day FDA’s interim peptide access policy reached the White House for review (report).

What CSPI argues

The letter concerns the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting of July 23 and 24, 2026, where the committee voted to recommend six of seven peptides for the 503A bulks list (report). CSPI’s main points, as stated in its release:

• FDA staff recommended against all seven. According to FDA briefing materials, none of the peptides sufficiently met the four statutory criteria, and staff concluded all seven should “NOT be included on the 503A Bulks List.”
• Conflicts of interest. CSPI says some of the eight newly appointed permanent members were reportedly placed on the committee under pressure from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and that “at least six of the new members have financial ties to peptide businesses or clinics, according to published reports.” It says FDA’s Designated Federal Officer announced that no conflict-of-interest waivers were issued.
• Extra-regulatory reasoning. CSPI says seven of the eight new members cited criteria such as “medical freedom,” the “gray market,” and “bioterrorism” to justify their votes, and that “every favorable vote for listing the peptides came from the newly appointed members.”

These are CSPI’s characterizations. We have not independently verified each member’s financial ties.

What CSPI asks for

Because the committee’s role is advisory, CSPI asks FDA to “reject the committee’s recommendations, align with its own scientific staff, and refuse to add these unproven compounds to the 503A Bulks List.” It warns that rulemaking based on the vote would leave FDA “highly vulnerable to legal challenges,” and requested a meeting with Diamantas.

CSPI president Dr. Peter G. Lurie, a former FDA associate commissioner, said in the release that if the recommendations stand, “charlatans will continue to put unsuspecting consumers at risk of serious injury,” and that they “would undercut FDA’s own drug approval authority.”

Where things stand

FDA has not said how it will act on the July votes. Adding a substance to the 503A bulks list requires notice-and-comment rulemaking. The interim access policy now at OMB has not been published, and its contents are unknown. A second advisory meeting on five more peptides is planned before the end of February 2027 (report).