Annual Report · September 2026 Edition
September 2026. Only 6 of 34 commonly sold peptides rest on replicated human trials. Seven findings, computed from the Peptide Evidence Index and frozen so they can be cited.
What This Is
This is the September 2026 edition of the Peptide Evidence Index, frozen as a dated report so it can be cited, compared against next year’s edition, and quoted without the numbers shifting underneath the quote.
It covers the 34 peptides most commonly discussed and sold in the consumer peptide market, each graded by the strongest human clinical evidence that exists for it. Every figure on this page is computed directly from the Index’s graded rows — nothing here is estimated or surveyed.
Headline Finding
That is 18%. The other 82% sit in the Emerging or Preclinical tiers — some human data that has not been replicated at scale, or no human efficacy data at all.
Seven Findings
All 6 Tier A peptides are, or were, FDA-approved: Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, Tesamorelin, PT-141 (Bremelanotide), Oxytocin hold current approvals; Sermorelin was approved and later discontinued. Not one compound reached the top tier on the strength of independent research alone. In this market, “proven” and “approved” are the same list.
The Preclinical tier is entirely animal, cell, or mechanistic work: BPC-157, TB-500 (Thymosin β4), MOTS-c, Humanin, Dihexa, 5-Amino-1MQ, KPV, LL-37, DSIP, Epithalon, Pinealon. Several of these are among the most talked-about peptides in consumer communities — an observation, not a measured statistic, but one anyone who has read a peptide forum will recognize.
Regulatory status “Research only” applies to Ipamorelin, CJC-1295, BPC-157, TB-500 (Thymosin β4), MOTS-c, Humanin, Dihexa, 5-Amino-1MQ, KPV, LL-37, DSIP, Epithalon, Pinealon. That is 38% of the tracked market circulating as “research material” while being used as if it were medicine.
Cerebrolysin, Thymosin α-1, Semax, Selank carry approvals outside the U.S. FDA process, largely in Russia or via single-country registrations. Approval abroad turned out to be a weak predictor of evidence strength, which is exactly why this Index reports regulatory status and evidence tier as separate columns.
MK-677 (Ibutamoren), SS-31 (Elamipretide), AOD-9604 all have genuine human trial data with failed or mixed primary endpoints. They remain widely sold. A trial is not an endorsement; sometimes it is the strongest evidence against the marketing.
Retatrutide, Cagrilintide, SS-31 (Elamipretide), ARA-290 (Cibinetide) are unapproved but carry Phase 2 or later randomized data. Evidence and regulatory status move on different clocks — and the Index tracks both so a reader can see where they diverge.
Melanotan II carries formal safety warnings; its human record is dominated by adverse-event reports rather than efficacy trials. It is included here because a scorecard that only reports upside is not a scorecard.
Appendix · The Dataset
Frozen for this edition. The live, searchable version — with a clinician note per row — is the Evidence Index.
| Compound | Tier | Highest human evidence | Regulatory status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | A · Established | Phase 3 RCTs (STEP, SUSTAIN) | FDA-approved (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) |
| Tirzepatide | A · Established | Phase 3 RCTs (SURMOUNT, SURPASS) | FDA-approved (Mounjaro, Zepbound) |
| Tesamorelin | A · Established | Phase 3 RCTs | FDA-approved 2010 (Egrifta) |
| PT-141 (Bremelanotide) | A · Established | Phase 3 RCTs | FDA-approved 2019 (Vyleesi) |
| Oxytocin | A · Established | Extensive human RCTs | FDA-approved (Pitocin) |
| Sermorelin | A · Established | Human trials | Formerly FDA-approved (Geref); now compounded |
| Retatrutide | B · Emerging | Large Phase 2 RCT (NEJM 2023); Phase 3 ongoing | Investigational — not FDA-approved |
| Cagrilintide | B · Emerging | Phase 2 RCTs | Investigational |
| MK-677 (Ibutamoren) | B · Emerging | Multiple human RCTs | Investigational — never approved |
| SS-31 (Elamipretide) | B · Emerging | Phase 2–3 trials | Investigational |
| Cerebrolysin | B · Emerging | Numerous human RCTs | Approved in some countries; not FDA-reviewed |
| Thymosin α-1 | B · Emerging | Human trials | Approved abroad (Zadaxin); not FDA |
| Semax | B · Emerging | Human studies (mostly Russian) | Approved in Russia; research elsewhere |
| Selank | B · Emerging | Human studies (mostly Russian) | Approved in Russia; research elsewhere |
| Kisspeptin | B · Emerging | Human research trials | Investigational |
| NAD+ | B · Emerging | Human trials of precursors (NR, NMN) | Supplement / research |
| Ipamorelin | B · Emerging | Small human GH studies | Research only |
| CJC-1295 | B · Emerging | Small human PK studies | Research only |
| GHK-Cu | B · Emerging | Human topical / cosmetic studies | Cosmetic ingredient; injectable is research only |
| AOD-9604 | B · Emerging | Human RCTs (obesity) | Investigational — failed endpoints |
| ARA-290 (Cibinetide) | B · Emerging | Phase 2 RCTs | Investigational |
| VIP | B · Emerging | Small human / research studies | Investigational (e.g. aviptadil studied) |
| Melanotan II | B · Emerging | Limited human data | Not approved; safety warnings issued |
| BPC-157 | C · Preclinical | Animal studies only | Research only |
| TB-500 (Thymosin β4) | C · Preclinical | Animal studies | Research only |
| MOTS-c | C · Preclinical | Animal / mechanistic | Research only |
| Humanin | C · Preclinical | Animal / cell | Research only |
| Dihexa | C · Preclinical | Animal studies | Research only |
| 5-Amino-1MQ | C · Preclinical | Animal / cell | Research only |
| KPV | C · Preclinical | Animal / cell | Research only |
| LL-37 | C · Preclinical | Research-stage | Research only |
| DSIP | C · Preclinical | Sparse, decades-old human / animal | Research only |
| Epithalon | C · Preclinical | Small, older studies | Research only |
| Pinealon | C · Preclinical | Small, older studies | Research only |
Method
Each compound was run through the same fixed question set: Is there human RCT evidence? Is it replicated? Is it approved anywhere, and for what? What does the strongest study show — and what did it fail to show? The answers place it in a tier before any narrative is written. Enthusiasm doesn’t bump a compound up; unfamiliarity doesn’t push one down.
Tier A — Established: replicated human randomized controlled trials. Tier B — Emerging: some human clinical data — single or small trials, mixed results, or non-Western literature — not replicated at scale. Tier C — Preclinical: no meaningful human efficacy trials.
Regulatory status is recorded separately and never used to set the tier. Where a landmark program or approval defines the evidence (STEP, SURMOUNT, Egrifta, Vyleesi), it is named so the grade can be checked against the primary source. Specific citations were not invented for compounds where the evidence is diffuse; the evidence type is stated instead.
Cite This Edition
This edition is frozen. Quote its numbers with the edition name and they will still be checkable next year, after the live Index has moved on.
DelBoccio, S. (2026). The State of Peptide Evidence: September 2026 Edition. PeptideReport.ai. https://peptidereport.ai/research/state-of-peptide-evidence-2026/
Download the PDF →Next edition: September 2027, or sooner if Phase 3 readouts for retatrutide or cagrilintide move a row. Journalists and researchers may reproduce the figures with attribution.
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