Every compound we track, ranked by what the evidence shows.

LY3437943 · triple receptor agonist

High signal, still provisional. Retatrutide belongs on the Watch Closely list because the early signal is unusually strong, but the clinical boundary is still being written by Phase 3 results, outcomes studies, and regulators.

REGN1033 · anti-myostatin antibody

Early signal, high uncertainty. Trevogrumab belongs on the safety/regulatory watch because the evidence is interesting but still far from proving an established obesity or muscle-preservation role.

Wegovy · Ozempic · Rybelsus

Established in specific contexts, with a real safety/product-identity watch.

Zepbound · Mounjaro

One of the strongest Watchlist entries for defined medical contexts, but still a boundary lesson: labels, trial populations, endpoints, and product identity determine what the evidence can and cannot say.

IMCIVREE · RM-493 · BIM-22493

Approved specific use, not a general weight-loss peptide. IMCIVREE carries real, regulator-reviewed evidence, but only in narrow rare-obesity contexts.

ramatercept · soluble ActRIIB-Fc · activin receptor type IIB fusion protein

The honest counterexample in this category. It is the strongest human signal for myostatin inhibition building muscle, and it is also the clearest demonstration that hitting this pathway broadly has consequences outside muscle.

NS2330 · triple monoamine reuptake inhibitor

Read the effect size and the Expression of Concern together or not at all.

ZP8396 · long-acting amylin analog

The most interesting non-GLP-1 obesity candidate in development, on evidence that is currently a press release.

Victoza · Saxenda · GLP-1 receptor agonist

Established, but no longer the strongest option. Liraglutide is genuinely approved and well studied for diabetes and weight, so the question is not whether it works but keeping its specific products, doses, and tested populations straight, and not reading newer agonists' results onto it.

Trulicity · GLP-1 receptor agonist

A solid, proven diabetes drug, not a weight-loss drug. Dulaglutide's diabetes and cardiovascular evidence is real and approved, so the main error to avoid is importing the larger weight-loss results of other incretins onto it.

Byetta · Bydureon · exendin-4

The original GLP-1, now outpaced. Exenatide's diabetes evidence is real and approved, but its weight effect is modest, so the main error to avoid is importing the larger results of newer incretins onto it.

Symlin · amylin analog

A proven insulin add-on and the reference point for amylin drugs. Pramlintide works for its approved diabetes use, and its main caution is the serious low-blood-sugar risk when combined with insulin.

Adlyxin · Lyxumia

A short-acting GLP-1 for diabetes that proved heart-safe but not heart-protective, now overshadowed by stronger agents.

AM833 · long-acting amylin analog

An investigational amylin drug for obesity, not yet proven or approved.

cagrilintide plus semaglutide · amylin/GLP-1 combination

A heavily watched investigational obesity combination, not yet approved.

BI 456906 · glucagon/GLP-1 receptor agonist

An investigational dual agonist for obesity and liver disease, not yet proven or approved.

maridebart cafraglutide · AMG 133 · GIPR antagonist / GLP-1 agonist

A mechanistically distinctive investigational obesity drug, not yet proven or approved.

ALT-801 · GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist

An investigational dual agonist for obesity and liver disease, not yet proven or approved.

GLP-1/amylin receptor agonist

An early but closely watched investigational obesity drug, not yet proven or approved.

BYM338 · anti-activin receptor II antibody

A real myostatin-pathway antibody that reliably shifts body composition, still investigational and unproven for any approved use.

FST · follistatin-344 · myostatin inhibitor

Real myostatin-blocking biology, no proven product. Follistatin is a legitimate research target with early gene-therapy trials, but the muscle-building peptide products sold online are unproven and of uncertain identity, and neither path is approved.

LY3502970 · oral non-peptide GLP-1 receptor agonist

A closely watched oral GLP-1 candidate, not yet proven or approved. Orforglipron's pill format is a big deal if it works as well as the injectables, but until late-stage results and any approval it should be read as investigational.

peptide YY · PYY 3-36

A real appetite hormone with modest standalone results, not a finished weight-loss drug.

OXM · glucagon/GLP-1 gut hormone

A real appetite hormone that mainly matters as the blueprint for dual agonists, not as a finished drug itself.

glucagon · glucagon receptor agonist · Baqsimi

An approved emergency hormone and a deliberate part of new obesity drugs, not a standalone fat-loss agent.

myostatin inhibitor peptide · GDF-8 propeptide · anti-myostatin peptide

Real biology, oversold product. Myostatin clearly limits muscle in animals, but human myostatin drugs have mostly failed to add usable strength, and the peptide versions sold online have no human evidence at all.

adipotide · prohibitin-targeting peptide · fat-targeted proapoptotic peptide

A striking animal result shadowed by kidney toxicity, not a usable weight-loss drug.

IBI362 · LY3305677 · GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist

A promising next-generation obesity drug: a GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist that clearly drives weight loss and won approval in China in 2025, but whose long-term safety, durability, and standing against the leading incretins are still being worked out, and which is not yet approved outside China.

HM11260C · LAPS-Exendin · long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist

A GLP-1 drug whose evidence outran its availability: AMPLITUDE-O showed real heart and kidney benefits, but it was never marketed and remains investigational.

Copper peptide GHK-Cu · glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper

Context-dependent and source-sensitive: the expanded record can explain why some topical skin claims are plausible but limited, while systemic regeneration, injection-style, disease-treatment, hair-regrowth, and longevity claims remain unsupported by direct human GHK-Cu evidence.

BPC 157 · BPC157 · Bepecin

BPC-157 draws heavy interest but has low clinical certainty. The expanded source base is strong enough to explain why the claim is not established, but not strong enough to support broad human efficacy, safety, or use claims.

TB-500 · LKKTETQ · Ac-LKKTETQ

The Watchlist read is not that thymosin beta-4 biology is uninteresting.

Lys-Pro-Val · MSH(11-13) · alpha-MSH(11-13)

KPV is a preclinical signal under a safety/regulatory watch. KPV products, delivery systems, compounded products, research-use products, internet-market products, alpha-MSH, KdPT, CKPV/GKPV, afamelanotide, and bremelanotide are not interchangeable.

larazotide acetate · AT-1001 · INN-202

Keep this memo next to any compound whose case rests on phase 2 data. Larazotide met its mid-stage endpoint, went into a properly powered phase 3, and stopped because the effect was not big enough to find.

Gattex · Revestive · GLP-2 analog

A narrow, serious specialist drug, not a gut-health supplement. Teduglutide is genuinely approved for short bowel syndrome, but its mucosal-growth mechanism and neoplasia warnings make broad gut-repair claims both unsupported and a safety concern.

Linzess · Constella

A proven, gut-specific prescription drug for constipation and IBS-C. Linaclotide works locally and is well studied for its approved uses, so the main point is to keep it to those indications and respect the pediatric contraindication.

Trulance

A proven, gut-specific prescription drug for constipation and IBS-C, similar in class to linaclotide.

long-acting GLP-2 analog

A next-generation GLP-2 drug for a serious condition, still investigational.

long-acting GLP-2 analog

Another late-stage GLP-2 drug for short bowel syndrome, still investigational.

exosomes · extracellular vesicles · stem-cell secretome

A legitimate research area being sold years ahead of the evidence, sometimes dangerously.

uroguanylin · guanylate cyclase-C agonist · plecanatide

A real, approved gut-drug target with a proven analog for constipation, and a much weaker story for everything else.

ChiRhoStim · human secretin · secretin stimulation test

A historic hormone with a clear, narrow modern job: it is an approved diagnostic that stimulates the pancreas for testing and imaging.

Kinevac · CCK-8 · cholecystokinin octapeptide

A long-standing diagnostic that borrows the gut hormone CCK to make the gallbladder squeeze on cue, mainly to measure gallbladder function.

PDA · pentadecapeptide arginate · BPC-157 arginate

This is what regulatory arbitrage looks like in the peptide market. A compound comes under pressure, a renamed variant appears, and the new product borrows the old one's rodent literature while claiming to be better than it - a claim that, by definition, cannot be supported by that literature.

Egrifta · Egrifta WR · Egrifta SV

Established for a narrow product-specific use. Stronger than most peptide discourse, but far narrower than the claims it is often used to justify.

CJC-1295 · Ipamorelin · Modified GRF claims

A biomarker-heavy, outcome-light claim cluster that belongs on safety/regulatory watch until product-specific human outcomes and safety boundaries are much clearer.

HGH Frag 176-191 · hGH fragment 176-191 · Tyr-hGH 177-191

A safety/regulatory watch because the public claim space is much larger than the direct human evidence.

GHRH 1-29 · Geref

Real GH-axis pharmacology, but not an approved anti-aging drug. Sermorelin does raise growth hormone, yet its modern wellness claims rest on thin evidence and compounded products, so the historical approval should not be read as endorsement of today's uses.

ibutamoren · MK-0677 · GH secretagogue

Real GH-raising activity, thin proof of benefit. MK-677 reliably increases growth hormone and IGF-1, but the human evidence for meaningful muscle or anti-aging benefit is limited, and its glucose and fluid effects plus its unapproved gray-market status are the real story.

examorelin · GHRP

An old GH-releasing peptide with thin, dated evidence, not a proven therapy.

growth hormone releasing peptide 2 · growth hormone releasing peptide 6 · pralmorelin

Real growth-hormone-releasing peptides with a narrow diagnostic use, not proven muscle or anti-aging therapies.

ghrelin receptor agonist · anamorelin · growth hormone secretagogue

Real appetite and lean-mass effects in a specific cancer setting, not a general muscle or anti-aging therapy.

NNC 26-0161 · selective GH secretagogue

A selective GH-releasing peptide with thin human evidence, not a proven therapy.

mechano growth factor · IGF-1Ec · PEG-MGF

Real exercise biology, no human evidence for the injectable product. MGF is a genuine muscle signal released during exercise, but there are no human trials of injecting PEG-MGF, so the muscle claims for gray-market products are unproven.

CJC-1295 DAC · drug affinity complex GHRH analog · long-acting GHRH analog

Real but shallow human pharmacology, no outcome evidence. CJC-1295 with DAC clearly raises growth hormone and IGF-1 for days, but no study shows that helps body composition or recovery, and its safety over time is unknown.

Long R3 IGF-1 · LR3 IGF-1 · modified insulin-like growth factor 1

A potent lab reagent sold as a muscle peptide, with zero human treatment evidence.

DES(1-3)IGF-1 · des-IGF-1 · truncated IGF-1

Another potent IGF-1 lab reagent sold as a muscle peptide, with no human treatment evidence.

Somavert · B2036-PEG · GH receptor antagonist

A proven, narrowly used acromegaly drug. Pegvisomant reliably normalizes IGF-1 by blocking growth hormone at its receptor, but it is a monitored prescription treatment for a specific disease, not a lever for general body-composition or longevity claims about lowering IGF-1.

Increlex · rhIGF-1 · recombinant human IGF-1

A narrow, approved IGF-1 replacement for rare children who cannot make their own.

Macrilen · Ghryvelin · AEZS-130

The rare oral ghrelin-receptor agonist that actually won approval, but only as a one-time test, not a treatment.

Adlumiz · ONO-7643 · RC-1291

The most rigorously tested ghrelin-receptor drug for muscle wasting, and a clean lesson in why bigger is not always better.

rhGH · human growth hormone · HGH

The honest anchor for a whole category. It works in deficiency, it measurably changes body composition, and the trade in it for ageing is not a regulatory grey area - it is the one thing on this Watchlist that Congress wrote a specific criminal provision about.

Thymalfasin · Zadaxin · Ta1

Source-rich, not simple. Thymosin alpha-1 belongs on the safety/regulatory watch because the literature is substantial, but the evidence is highly context-dependent and does not support broad immune-support, anti-aging, infection-prevention, cancer-treatment, or U.S.-approved-product claims.

Cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide · hCAP18 · CAMP

Real host-defense biology, narrow human wound signals, and enough double-edged immune and regulatory uncertainty to keep this firmly on watch.

Timalin

Source-scarce safety watch. Thymalin has more direct literature than many peptide-internet claims, but the usable public read is still low-certainty: old regional clinical contexts and biomarker studies are not proof of broad immune, infection, cancer, longevity, or wellness benefit.

Nonathymulin · Serum thymic factor · FTS

Source-rich, but low certainty for clinical claims. Thymulin belongs in a context-dependent safety watch because the source base is real, yet mostly older, biomarker-heavy, mechanistic, and identity-focused.

TMSB10 · TB10 · thymosin beta 10

Real biology, weak translation. TMSB10 has a deep biomarker and disease-biology literature, much of it in oncology.

SP-5 · RKEVY · Arg-Lys-Glu-Val-Tyr

Source-scarce and high uncertainty. Splenopentin belongs on the safety/regulatory watch because it is a defined peptide with a real historical literature, but the evidence is too small, old, and analog-heavy to support immune, allergy, psoriasis, infection-prevention, radiation-recovery, cancer, life-extension, wellness, or product-use claims.

TKPR · Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg · L-Thr-L-Lys-L-Pro-L-Arg

Source-rich but translation-thin. The exact TKPR sequence has a substantial academic footprint, but most of it is older mechanistic work; read honestly, that points to context-dependent biology and product-identity caution, not a modern clinical or product claim.

Fuzeon · T-20

A specific HIV salvage drug used in combination, not a general antiviral.

MSI-78 · magainin analog

A real attempt to make an antimicrobial peptide into a drug that did not pan out, not a proven treatment.

MX-226 · MBI-226 · indolicidin analog

A real topical antimicrobial peptide with a mixed, inconclusive trial record, not a proven treatment.

alpha-defensins · beta-defensins · human defensin peptides

Rich basic biology, no proven product. Defensins are genuinely important natural immune peptides, but there is no approved defensin treatment and no human evidence behind the commercial immune and antimicrobial claims, so those run well ahead of the science.

cathelicidin LL-37 · engineered cathelicidin peptide · host-defense peptide analog

A real and active research field, not a finished product. LL-37 genuinely does interesting things in the lab and has had small early human tests, but engineered analogs are mostly preclinical and the peptides sold online have no human evidence.

Gly-Gln-Pro-Arg · tuftsin-related tetrapeptide · palmitoyl tetrapeptide-7

A peptide with two thin stories, one immune and one cosmetic, and no strong human evidence for either.

Cubicin · cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic

The real thing: an approved antimicrobial-peptide antibiotic that reliably treats serious Gram-positive infections like MRSA bloodstream infection by disrupting the bacterial membrane.

Cancidas · echinocandin · cyclic lipopeptide antifungal

A well-tolerated, approved antifungal peptide that reliably treats serious invasive Candida infections and serves as backup for invasive aspergillosis.

Colistimethate sodium · polymyxin E · Coly-Mycin M

An old antimicrobial peptide brought back as a last resort against drug-resistant Gram-negative superbugs.

Vancocin · Firvanq · glycopeptide antibiotic

The dependable old workhorse: a glycopeptide that has anchored treatment of MRSA and other serious Gram-positive infections for decades, and orally remains first-line for C.

cyclic peptide antibiotic · triple antibiotic ointment component

A genuine, everyday peptide antibiotic: bacitracin reliably covers minor skin infections on the surface and is the approved counterpart to the many unproven 'antimicrobial peptide' skin claims.

gramicidin D · tyrothricin component · channel-forming peptide antibiotic

A historic, niche peptide antibiotic: gramicidin was the first antibiotic used in the clinic and is a classic membrane-channel-forming molecule, but its hemolytic toxicity confines it to topical and eye use.

Dalvance · Xydalba · lipoglycopeptide antibiotic

A convenience-engineered descendant of vancomycin. Dalbavancin reliably treats serious gram-positive skin infections, including MRSA, with as little as one infusion that lasts about two weeks, which can replace a daily IV course and a hospital stay.

Eraxis · Ecalta · echinocandin antifungal

A clean, hospital-grade antifungal that hits a target humans do not have.

Bremelanotide · VYLEESI

Approved specific use, not a broad libido or performance peptide. The strongest read is that VYLEESI has regulator-reviewed evidence in a narrow HSDD setting, while generic PT-141 and identity-uncertain products remain product-identity and safety-watch territory.

KP-10 · Kp-10 · Metastin 45-54

Early human signal, low certainty. There is real human physiology evidence for exact kisspeptin-10, but it stops at measured physiology rather than proven clinical outcomes.

KP-54 · Kp-54 · Metastin

Real signal, narrow interpretation. The human endocrine signal for kisspeptin-54 is credible, but the evidence stays biomarker-heavy, context-dependent, and easy to overstate: a measured hormone response is not a clinical outcome.

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone · GnRH · LHRH

Context-dependent and easy to overstate. Gonadorelin is biologically central because native GnRH drives LH/FSH signaling, but biomarker response and narrow specialist physiology are not proof of broad fertility, testosterone, wellness, or practical product claims.

Leuprolide acetate · Leuprorelin · Lupron

Source-rich, but not broadly generalizable. Leuprolide is an approved GnRH agonist drug in specific product contexts; the Watchlist issue is keeping those evidence-backed uses separate from online peptide, wellness, fertility-optimization, and generic hormone-pathway claims.

Triptorelin pamoate · Triptorelin acetate · Trelstar

Source-rich, but tightly bounded. Triptorelin has approved product-specific contexts and substantial human literature in defined endocrine-suppression settings; the Watchlist issue is preventing those sources from being generalized to broad wellness, generic hormone-pathway, or internet-market peptide claims.

Cetrorelix acetate · Cetrotide · Ganirelix acetate

Source-rich, but tightly bounded. Cetrorelix and ganirelix are approved GnRH antagonist drugs in specific product contexts; the Watchlist issue is preventing those sources from being generalized to wellness, broad endocrine optimization, ovarian reserve, body composition, fibroid, BPH, endometriosis, cancer, or internet-market peptide claims.

hCG · Pregnyl · Novarel

Two separate stories under one name. hCG is a real, approved endocrine and fertility drug, and at the same time the hCG diet is a long-debunked claim the FDA has acted against.

Pitocin · Syntocinon

A proven obstetric drug with an unproven wellness reputation. Oxytocin's approved labor use is real, but the love-hormone claims for intranasal use are mixed at best, so the two should not be conflated.

DDAVP · Nocdurna · Stimate

A proven, specialized drug whose main issue is safety, not efficacy. Desmopressin clearly works for its approved indications, so the key is respecting the hyponatremia risk and not mixing up its different products and routes.

Sandostatin · Sandostatin LAR · Bynfezia

A proven, specialized hormone-suppressing drug, not a general wellness peptide.

Somatuline Depot · Somatuline Autogel

A proven, specialized hormone-suppressing drug with real anti-tumor evidence in neuroendocrine tumors, not a general wellness peptide.

Signifor · Signifor LAR

A targeted option for serious hormone-excess conditions, defined as much by its glucose side effect as its benefit.

Terlivaz · Glypressin

A serious hospital drug for a life-threatening condition, with real benefit and real risk.

Cortrosyn · Synacthen · tetracosactide

A standard diagnostic tool, not a treatment. Cosyntropin is well established for testing adrenal function, so the main point is keeping it in its diagnostic lane and distinct from therapeutic ACTH products.

Firmagon · GnRH antagonist

A proven prostate-cancer drug. Degarelix reliably lowers testosterone fast and skips the flare that GnRH agonists cause, which is its main practical edge; whether it also protects the heart better than agonists is still an open question.

Duratocin · Pabal · Lonactene

A practical, well-evidenced tool against bleeding after childbirth. Carbetocin matches oxytocin for preventing postpartum hemorrhage in the settings studied and adds the real-world advantage of heat stability, though it is not FDA-approved in the US and is a distinct, longer-acting drug from oxytocin.

Tractocile · oxytocin receptor antagonist

A well-tolerated way to briefly delay threatened preterm labor that blocks the oxytocin receptor, making it the mirror image of oxytocin and carbetocin.

Zoladex · GnRH agonist · LHRH agonist

A well-established hormone-suppressing implant that does its job across prostate cancer, hormone-driven breast cancer, and endometriosis.

Gonal-f · recombinant FSH · rFSH

A well-established fertility medicine: lab-made FSH that reliably drives egg or sperm development, the workhorse of ovulation induction and IVF.

Acthrel · corticorelin ovine triflutate · CRH

A specialist diagnostic that pokes the top of the stress-hormone axis to localize the cause of Cushing's syndrome.

Menopur · Repronex · human menopausal gonadotropin

A long-established fertility medicine: a purified FSH-plus-LH blend that reliably stimulates the ovaries for IVF, working about as well as recombinant FSH in most comparisons.

Synarel · nafarelin acetate · GnRH agonist

A well-established GnRH-agonist nasal spray that reliably quiets estrogen to treat endometriosis and to pause precociously early puberty.

Supprelin LA · Vantas · histrelin acetate

A well-established GnRH agonist whose distinctive feature is delivery: a once-a-year implant that steadily suppresses sex hormones for central precocious puberty or advanced prostate cancer.

Luveris · recombinant LH · recombinant luteinizing hormone

A narrow, logical fertility tool: pure recombinant LH to fill in for women who make almost none, used alongside FSH.

TRH · thyrotropin-releasing hormone · Thypinone

A historic, now mostly retired diagnostic: protirelin pokes the top of the thyroid axis to read the pituitary's response, but better TSH blood tests made it largely unnecessary.

Octapressin · Phe2-Lys8-vasopressin · vasopressin analog vasoconstrictor

A practical niche peptide: a vasopressin-like vasoconstrictor that lets dental anesthetics work without adrenaline's heart stimulation.

Sanvar · Octastatin · RC-160

A legitimate but second-string somatostatin analog for variceal bleeding: it has randomized evidence as an endoscopy add-on, much like octreotide, but it never gained FDA approval and its availability is limited.

Plenaxis · GnRH antagonist · LHRH antagonist

A withdrawn pioneer: abarelix proved a GnRH antagonist could drop testosterone without the agonist flare, but its allergic-reaction risk got it pulled from the US market.

Diapid · lysine vasopressin · LVP

A superseded predecessor: lypressin was a workable early vasopressin nasal spray for diabetes insipidus, but its short action and pressor effect made it inferior to desmopressin, which replaced it.

GlucaGen · Baqsimi · Gvoke

Insulin's mirror image and a genuine emergency drug. Glucagon reliably and quickly raises dangerously low blood sugar by telling the liver to release its stored sugar, and it now comes in needle-free nasal and ready-to-use forms.

H.P. Acthar Gel · repository corticotropin injection · ACTH

A real hormone with one strong use and a long tail of expensive, thinly-supported ones.

GnRH · gonadotropin-releasing hormone · LHRH

The body's own fertility switch, and a lesson in timing. Gonadorelin is native GnRH: in pulses it turns the reproductive axis on (its diagnostic and pump-based fertility uses), while the long-acting agonist versions turn it off.

Androxal · enclomiphene · trans-clomiphene

The inverse of the usual gray-market story. The evidence is real and randomized; the regulatory status is the problem.

MT-II · melanotan-II · Melanotan 2

Safety/regulatory watch. Melanotan II has enough evidence to track closely, but the credible read is caution: small old human studies, substantial nonhuman biology, and a safety/product-identity problem rather than a consumer-facing clinical claim.

Afamelanotide · SCENESSE · MT-I

Approved specific use, not broad claim validation. The approved evidence for afamelanotide in EPP is real and product-specific.

alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone · alpha-melanotropin · Intermedine

Early human signal, low certainty. Exact alpha-MSH is source-rich enough to track, but the credible public read is cautious biology and product-identity mapping: endogenous peptide identity and mechanistic plausibility are not proof of clinical benefit or product authorization.

GSH · IV glutathione · gluta drip

A real molecule with a real biological role, sold for a use that has essentially no trial evidence behind it and a documented mechanism for harm that comes mostly from the needle and the setting rather than the molecule.

acetyl hexapeptide-8 · acetyl hexapeptide-3 · AH8

A rare cosmetic ingredient that genuinely has controlled human data, attached to a name that promises something it cannot deliver.

palmitoyl pentapeptide-4 · pal-KTTKS · Matrixyl 3000

One of the few cosmetic peptides worth the ingredient list space, with a real trial behind it and a mechanism that makes sense.

Mitochondrial-derived peptide MOTS-c · Mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA type-c

MOTS-c has real mitochondrial biology and a growing human biomarker literature, but the public claim boundary remains safety/regulatory watch: biomarker movement and animal mechanisms are not proof of exogenous human benefit.

Epithalon · Epithalone · Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly

Real pineal and telomere biology, but the public claim is much broader than the evidence.

Sirolimus · rapamycin

One of the most important longevity watch items, precisely because the evidence is strong in models and still incomplete in humans.

Nicotinamide riboside · Nicotinamide mononucleotide · NAD boosters

Better human evidence than many longevity compounds, but still often oversold.

pan-ERR agonist · ERRalpha/beta/gamma agonist · exercise mimetic claims

The most interesting preclinical compound in the community right now, and still entirely preclinical.

orally active pan-ERR agonist · SLU PP 915

A newer molecule with a smaller literature than the one it follows. Community discussion frequently treats SLU-PP-332 evidence as though it applies here; it does not automatically, and the SLU-PP-915 record is thinner than most posts imply.

5MQ · 5-amino-1-methylquinolinium · NNMT inhibitor

One rodent paper is doing almost all the work here. The biology is coherent and worth watching, and that is a different statement from saying it works in people.

acadesine · AICA riboside · AMPK activator

One striking mouse number, repeated for nearly two decades, with the human study that would confirm or kill it never run.

MTP-131 · SS-31 · Bendavia

A real, targeted mitochondrial drug with a mixed record, not a longevity supplement.

HN · mitochondrial-derived peptide

A well-studied mitochondrial peptide in the lab, with no proven human use.

Mitopure · UA

A supplement with real but modest human trial data, not a proven anti-aging therapy.

2-aminoethanesulfonic acid

Real aging biology in animals, unproven as a human anti-aging supplement.

polyamine

Strong aging biology and good population data, but thin human trial proof.

senolytic therapy · dasatinib quercetin · fisetin

A plausible aging strategy still in early human testing, not a ready anti-aging treatment.

small humanin-like peptides · SHLP1-6 · mitochondrial-derived peptides

Real mitochondrial biology, not a supplement you can buy with any evidence behind it.

FOXO4 D-retro-inverso peptide · FOXO4-p53 interaction inhibitor · proxofim

A striking mouse result, not a human anti-aging therapy. FOXO4-DRI cleared senescent cells in aged mice, but with no human trials the result is unproven, and senolytics carry real theoretical risks.

Glu-Asp-Arg peptide · EDR peptide · pineal short peptide

A laboratory peptide with thin, largely single-source evidence and no human trials.

Lys-Glu peptide · KE peptide · thymus short peptide bioregulator

A laboratory peptide with thin, largely single-source evidence and no human trials.

Lys-Glu-Asp peptide · KED peptide · vascular short peptide bioregulator

A laboratory peptide with thin, largely single-source evidence and no human trials.

Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala peptide · KEDA peptide · short peptide bioregulator

A laboratory peptide with thin, largely single-source evidence and no human trials.

methylthioninium chloride · ProvayBlue · MB

A real drug doing real work in a narrow emergency indication, borrowed to support claims it has never been tested for.

Glucophage · metformin longevity · TAME

The most defensible longevity candidate and still not close to demonstrated.

alpha-klotho · s-klotho · KL-VS

A serious research programme with a gray market running years ahead of it.

growth differentiation factor 11 · BMP-11

Kept on the Watchlist as a lesson rather than a candidate. Two prestigious papers, a contradicting paper, and a measurement problem underneath all three.

Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp · KEDW · pancreatic bioregulator

The most data-rich member of the bioregulator family on this Watchlist, which mainly demonstrates how far that is from being enough.

withania somnifera · KSM-66 · Sensoril

Genuinely one of the better-evidenced supplements for stress and sleep, sold hardest for the claim it supports least.

berberine hydrochloride · nature's Ozempic · dihydroberberine

A supplement that genuinely lowers glucose and lipids, wearing a nickname that promises something ten times larger.

tauroursodeoxycholic acid · TUDCA · ursodiol comparison

A real compound with a serious research programme attached to indications almost nobody buying it has.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation · TMS

Established in specific clinical contexts and still evolving technically.

Psilocybin therapy · COMP360

One of the most important psychiatric pipeline areas, but still not a consumer wellness category.

Iboga alkaloid

The safety boundary is not a footnote; it is the center of the evidence map.

GVS-111 · omberacetam · N-phenylacetyl-L-prolylglycine ethyl ester

One of the most-discussed compounds in this category with one of the least checkable evidence bases.

cibinetide · ARA 290 · innate repair receptor agonist

An early, targeted investigational peptide for nerve conditions, not a proven repair therapy.

ACTH(4-7) analog · Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro

A nootropic peptide with real but single-country, mostly older research, not a broadly proven cognitive enhancer.

TP-7 · tuftsin analog

An anti-anxiety nootropic peptide with real but single-country, mostly older research, not a broadly proven treatment.

DSIP · emideltide

An old, contested sleep peptide with thin and inconsistent evidence, not a proven sleep aid.

porcine brain-derived peptide preparation

A widely used but unevenly supported brain treatment, not a proven cognitive enhancer.

cattle brain-derived polypeptide preparation

A regionally used brain preparation with thin independent evidence, not a proven cognitive treatment.

PNB-0408 · angiotensin IV analog

Striking animal data, zero human evidence. Its preclinical effects are striking, but with no human trials and an uncertain safety picture, the cognitive claims made for it are unproven, and it should be read as a research compound.

vasoactive intestinal peptide · aviptadil · RLF-100

A real signaling peptide with a narrow approved use and a disappointing COVID-19 record, not a proven lung therapy.

esketamine · Spravato · racemic ketamine

A genuine, fast-acting advance for severe depression, used under supervision, not a casual wellness treatment.

MDMA · midomafetamine · MDMA-AT

A serious, closely watched investigational therapy for PTSD that the FDA has not approved, not a settled treatment.

N,N-dimethyltryptamine · 5-methoxy-DMT · ayahuasca

Fast-acting psychedelics in early, supervised testing for depression, not proven or approved treatments.

accelerated TMS · SAINT · tDCS

A real and advancing field where some methods are cleared and evidence-based and others are early or consumer hype.

Prialt · omega-conotoxin MVIIA · SNX-111

A genuinely different painkiller, a cone-snail-venom peptide that blocks pain signaling in the spinal cord without opioids' addiction or breathing risks.

Korsuva · CR845 · kappa-opioid receptor agonist

A genuinely clever peptide for a real, neglected problem: it taps kappa-opioid receptors to quiet dialysis-related itch while being engineered to stay out of the brain, so it sidesteps opioids' addiction and breathing risks.

ZaZa · Tianna · Neptune's Fix

The clearest current example of legal availability being mistaken for safety.

beta-phenyl-GABA · fenibut · Anvifen

The problem is not that it does not work; it is that it works the way a benzodiazepine works, including the part that comes later.

Mitragyna speciosa · mitragynine · 7-OH

The most nuanced entry in this batch, and the one where a flat answer would be dishonest.

choline alfoscerate · L-alpha glycerylphosphorylcholine · alpha-GPC

The most under-discussed safety signal in the nootropic aisle. A modest cognitive effect, a plausible mechanism for harm, and a large cohort showing dose-dependent stroke risk - and it is sold as a pre-workout ingredient to people who have never seen that paper.

piracetam · phenylpiracetam · aniracetam

A remarkable case of a drug class with an enormous literature and no settled answer.

Olmifon · adrafinil

A worse way to take modafinil. Same active drug, extra hepatic conversion step, a withdrawn marketing history, a dyskinesia case report, and no advantage except a legal technicality that does not survive a drug test.

Ladasten · ADK-709 · actoprotector

The most mechanistically interesting compound in the nootropic aisle and the least independently verified.

Forteo · Bonsity · PTH 1-34

A proven bone-building osteoporosis drug for high-risk patients. Teriparatide clearly works for its approved use, and the once-feared osteosarcoma signal came from rats and led to a boxed warning that was later removed when human data did not bear it out.

Tymlos · PTHrP analog

A proven bone-building osteoporosis drug, similar in class to teriparatide.

Miacalcin · Fortical · calcitonin-salmon

An older bone-and-calcium hormone now used more narrowly after a safety signal.

Voxzogo · BMN 111 · CNP analog

A genuine first: vosoritide targets the root signaling defect of achondroplasia and clearly speeds up growth in children with open growth plates.

Parsabiv · AMG 416 · velcalcetide

A convenient, effective way to lower parathyroid hormone in dialysis patients, given at the dialysis chair instead of as a daily pill.

Yorvipath · TransCon PTH · long-acting parathyroid hormone

A genuine advance for a neglected disease: steady, once-daily PTH replacement that can finally normalize calcium in hypoparathyroidism and free people from heavy supplement regimens.

Angiomax · Angiox

A procedural anticoagulant for the cath lab, not a general blood thinner you manage at home.

Integrilin

A hospital antiplatelet drug for acute heart events, not something used outside that setting.

Natrecor · recombinant BNP

A cautionary tale, not a current treatment. Nesiritide looked promising and was approved, but a large trial showed little real benefit and the product was discontinued, a clear example of why approval and plausibility are not the same as proven outcomes.

apelin · APJ receptor agonist

A real cardiovascular peptide with early, small human evidence, not a proven treatment.

Giapreza · LJPC-501 · angiotensin 2

A last-line blood-pressure rescue for shock in intensive care. Angiotensin II reliably raises blood pressure when standard vasopressors fall short, but its approval rested on that blood-pressure response, not on proven survival benefit, and it carries a real clot risk.

FE 202158 · V1a-selective vasopressin agonist

A clean illustration that a smart mechanism is not enough. Selepressin's V1a-only design looked like a better vasopressor on paper, but its main trial was halted for futility, so it remains an unapproved, negative-result example, useful as a lesson, not a treatment.

Winrevair · ActRIIA-Fc · activin ligand trap

A genuine breakthrough, and a lesson in where a hyped pathway actually pays off.

Trasylol · bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor · BPTI

A cautionary classic. Aprotinin, a protease-inhibitor protein from cow pancreas, genuinely reduced bleeding in heart surgery but was pulled worldwide after a randomized trial linked it to more deaths and kidney injury than cheaper alternatives.

p28 · azurin fragment · NSC745104

An early-phase cancer peptide, not a proven or approved therapy. p28's tumor-targeting mechanism and early tolerability are notable, but it remains investigational oncology research and should be read that way.

p53-derived anticancer peptide

A striking laboratory anticancer claim with no human evidence, not a treatment.

Lutathera · 177Lu-DOTATATE · Lu-177 dotatate

A genuine advance and a clean example of targeted, peptide-guided radiation.

Netspot · 68Ga-DOTATATE · Ga-68 DOTATATE

The diagnostic twin of Lutathera and a clean illustration of 'theranostics': the same somatostatin-analog peptide, carrying an imaging tracer, reliably locates neuroendocrine tumors so clinicians can decide whether the matching therapy fits.

GW501516 · GW1516 · GW-501516

The clearest cautionary tale in the exercise-mimetic category, and the reason the newer ERR agonists deserve patience rather than enthusiasm.

myostine · YK11 · steroidal SARM claims

The gap between evidence and marketing is about as wide as it gets on this Watchlist.

MK-2866 · GTx-024 · S-22

The most instructive SARM memo, because it is the one that did the work.

testolone · RAD140

The clearest risk-without-evidence entry in the muscle category. Ostarine at least ran phase 3 trials and reported an honest miss.

ligandrol · LGD4033 · VK5211

The honest version of the pro-SARM argument. Yes, there is a real placebo-controlled human trial, and it did show lean mass gain.

S-4 · GTx-007 · acetamidoxolutamide

A compound whose reputation runs entirely ahead of its evidence. Rodent data, no human efficacy trial, a side effect people know about from forums rather than from a study, and a modern literature built around catching it in urine.

stenabolic · SR-9009

The most useful case study on this Watchlist for how a mechanism story outlives its own evidence.

testosterone enanthate · testosterone cypionate · testosterone propionate

The compound where the honest answer is uncomfortable in both directions.

deca-durabolin · deca · 19-nortestosterone

A drug whose medical résumé is doing a lot of work it did not earn. Being useful in a dialysis patient with wasting says nothing about a healthy person adding mass, and the specific liability here - deep, long progestogenic suppression - is the one most often hand-waved away.

tren · trenbolone acetate · trenbolone enanthate

The clearest example on this Watchlist of a compound whose reputation is built entirely on user report.

anavar · Oxandrin · var

The most defensible drug in the class on evidence, and the one most misrepresented in practice.

winstrol · winny · stanozolol suspension

A drug that had a real medical job, lost it, and survives entirely in the grey market.

anadrol · Anadrol-50 · anapolon

The drug where the label does the arguing. Approved, effective, and carrying warnings about liver cysts that can rupture and tumours that are often silent until they are not.

dianabol · metandienone · methandrostenolone

A compound with sixty years of use and no modern evidence base, which is a strange combination that the strength world treats as reassuring.

superdrol · methyldrostanolone · methasteron

The case study for why supplement is a legal category and not a safety category.

equipoise · EQ · boldenone

Judged as a medicine it has no file at all. Its mild reputation is an artefact of slow-onset kinetics rather than any demonstrated safety, and the one effect users consistently describe - rising haematocrit - is the one nobody has measured properly.

Arimidex · adex · AI

A drug that reliably changes a number on a lab report, used by people who assume that number is the goal.

nolvadex · tamoxifen citrate

Two different claims wearing the same name. For gynaecomastia the evidence is real and randomized.

Propecia · Proscar · dutasteride comparison

An effective drug with real outcome data and a genuinely unresolved harm signal - a combination this Watchlist does not often get to state so plainly.

Dostinex · caber

The pattern this memo is really about is stacking a second prescription drug to manage the consequences of an unapproved first one.

insulin misuse · humalog bodybuilding · exogenous insulin

The clearest risk-versus-evidence mismatch on this Watchlist. Real, life-saving drug; zero evidence for the use it is being put to in this population; and a failure mode that can kill someone in their sleep before anyone notices.

epoetin alfa · EPO · darbepoetin

An unusual entry: the performance claim is true and the risk is quantified, both from the same well-run clinical programme.

creatine · creatine monohydrate

Included deliberately as a reference point. This is what an evidence base looks like when a compound genuinely has one: hundreds of trials, an effect size small enough to be believable, safety data measured in decades, and no need to argue about legality.

Provigil · armodafinil · Nuvigil

The evidence supports a narrower claim than the reputation: it reliably counteracts sleepiness, and it improves cognition most in people who are impaired to begin with.

mildronate · MET-88

A real drug for a real cardiac indication in the countries that license it, adopted by athletes on the strength of a mechanism rather than a trial.

masteron · drostanolone propionate · dromostanolone

A drug that lost its medical job to better medicines and found a second career as a cosmetic.

primobolan · methenolone enanthate · methenolone acetate

The safest-sounding compound in a class where safe is a relative term.

turkesterone · ecdysterone · 20-hydroxyecdysone

The most interesting supplement claim in this category and the one most damaged by its own market.

chlorodehydromethyltestosterone · oral turinabol · CDMT

The compound with the best long-term human outcome data in the entire class, and it exists because a state administered it to children.

MENT · 7-alpha-methyl-19-nortestosterone · trestolone acetate

A drug whose trial history is being cited as reassurance while the endpoint those trials measured was infertility.

halotestin · halo · fluoxymesterone

Taken for a feeling, at a hepatic cost that is documented and large. The strength claim has never been measured, the aggression claim has never been measured, and the liver findings are the only part of this compound's file that is not anecdote.

Adderall · lisdexamfetamine · Vyvanse

The evidence supports a narrower and more uncomfortable claim than the reputation.

nicotine pouches · Zyn · nicotine gum

Unusual on this Watchlist in that the enhancement claim is basically true.

carnosine precursor · CarnoSyn

A model of what an honest supplement claim looks like: a specific mechanism, a specific effect, a specific duration window, and a clear statement of where it does nothing.

citrulline malate · L-citrulline · watermelon extract

Real pharmacology, honest but small performance data, and a sensation that vastly outstrips the measured effect.

HMB · calcium HMB · HMB free acid

Two different products under one name. For an elderly or catabolic patient there is a defensible case.

proviron · mesterolone · 1-methyl-DHT

A coherent mechanism doing work in the absence of a measurement. Displacing testosterone from SHBG really does raise the free fraction; whether that matters when total testosterone is already several times normal is a question nobody has asked, and the libido claim is the kind most vulnerable to expectation.

Evista · raloxifene hydrochloride

A rare case where the off-label use has a real, if narrow, evidence base - and a boxed warning for stroke and clots that is being accepted for a cosmetic indication.

Micardis · telmisartan

The rare case of a genuinely sensible off-label impulse - if a drug is raising your blood pressure, treating the blood pressure is better than ignoring it - wrapped in a performance claim that lives entirely in rodents.

Cialis · tadalafil daily · Adcirca

A well-evidenced drug being used for something it has never been tested for.

DNP · dinitrophenol

This is the one memo on the Watchlist where the read is not about uncertainty.

clen · Ventipulmin · clenbuterol hydrochloride

The species gap is the whole memo. In cattle it repartitions dramatically; in humans the cardiac effects arrive well before anything comparable, and the human evidence for muscle preservation is thin.

T3 · Cytomel · triiodothyronine

The boxed warning was written about exactly this practice, and it is unusually direct for FDA labelling.

ephedra · ma huang · ECA stack

The honest fat-loss drug of this category: a real, replicated, small effect with a real, quantified cardiovascular cost.

Meridia · Reductil

The most important precedent in this category. A drug can produce real, measurable weight loss and still harm the people taking it, and only an outcomes trial can tell you which one you have.

yohimbe · yohimbine hydrochloride

A real mechanism attached to a weak outcome literature and an unreliable product.

1,3-DMAA · methylhexanamine · geranium extract

The founding case study for the botanical-name loophole. A synthetic stimulant was attributed to a plant to make it a supplement ingredient, the chemistry said otherwise, and people died before it was removed.

Adipex-P · Lomaira · phentermine hydrochloride

A cheap, effective drug used in a way its label does not cover, on safety reassurance that is observational rather than trialled.

p-synephrine · citrus aurantium · bitter orange extract

Weaker than ephedrine and marketed as safer, which is true of the isolated compound and close to meaningless in practice, because nobody sells it isolated.

Contrave · Mysimba · naltrexone bupropion ER

A legitimate approved option with a genuinely different mechanism, doing modest work, and carrying psychiatric and seizure warnings that make it a poor default.

Qsymia · phentermine topiramate ER

A genuinely effective oral drug whose problems are not about whether it works.

Xenical · Alli · tetrahydrolipstatin

The most honest drug in this category, in the sense that its side effects are a direct, visible readout of the mechanism: eat the fat, see the consequence.

Firazyr · HOE 140 · bradykinin B2 antagonist

A well-established, narrowly used rescue treatment for hereditary angioedema attacks.

Empaveli · Syfovre · APL-2

One drug, one target (complement C3), two very different stories. In PNH the benefit is clear and it can outperform the older C5 blockers on hemoglobin.

Oxervate · rhNGF · recombinant human nerve growth factor

A genuine first: cenegermin gives the cornea back the nerve-growth signal it is missing in neurotrophic keratitis, and trials show it heals the surface where little else worked.

Kalbitor · DX-88 · plasma kallikrein inhibitor

A real on-demand treatment for hereditary angioedema attacks that works upstream, blocking the enzyme that makes bradykinin.

Copaxone · Glatopa · glatiramer

A long-trusted, well-tolerated MS treatment that reliably cuts relapses with a notably clean safety profile and no routine monitoring.

Nplate · AMG 531 · TPO receptor agonist

A clever, effective platelet-raiser for hard-to-treat immune thrombocytopenia that works by mimicking the body's platelet-stimulating hormone rather than suppressing the immune system.

Zilbrysq · RA101495 · complement C5 inhibitor

A genuinely novel peptide: a once-daily, self-injected C5 complement blocker that improves antibody-positive myasthenia gravis, doing with a small peptide what the antibody drugs do by infusion.

Aphexda · BL-8040 · BKT140

A useful, narrow tool: a CXCR4-blocking peptide that boosts stem cell collection for autologous transplant in multiple myeloma when added to standard mobilization.

Reblozyl · ActRIIB-Fc · erythroid maturation agent

A genuinely novel anemia drug: rather than pushing red-cell production like EPO, luspatercept helps red cells finish maturing, easing transfusion dependence in beta-thalassemia and lower-risk MDS.