Regulatory requirements and compliance risks for marketing peptide products, including FTC, FDA, and state-level advertising rules.
Filed under regulation, written for founder-operator, regulator-compliance, journalist, evidence level regulatory-update.
Not medically reviewed. Last updated 2026-04-12. Nothing here is medical advice.
Marketing peptide products involves navigating complex regulatory requirements. Companies that make health claims about peptides face scrutiny from the FDA, FTC, and state attorneys general.
Any claim that a product treats, cures, prevents, or mitigates a disease makes it a "drug" under the FD&C Act, requiring FDA approval before marketing. This applies regardless of how the product is labeled.
Dietary supplement companies may make structure/function claims (e.g., "supports immune health") without FDA pre-approval, but these claims:
Products marketed for research use only cannot include health claims, dosing information, or implied human-use instructions.
The FTC requires that all advertising claims be:
For health-related claims, the FTC typically requires competent and reliable scientific evidence, which usually means well-designed human clinical trials.
Violations can result in FDA warning letters, FTC enforcement actions, state AG lawsuits, and criminal prosecution.
This article provides marketing compliance education and does not constitute legal advice.
More guides: All guides, Safety centre, Peptide library.