Are Your Peptides Illegal? — Rick Collins — #396

Rick Collins, Esq., NSCA-CSCS, is a lawyer who defends the nutrition and fitness community, a partner at Collins Gann McCloskey & Barry PLLC, and General Counsel to the International Society of Sports Nutrition. Peptides are everywhere right now, but most of what's sold online as BPC-157 or TB-500 is illegal — and the FDA is about to decide what happens next. Rick breaks down the science, the legal gray market, and why the military's new testosterone screening policy matters too. Expect to learn what actually counts as a "peptide," how GLP-1 drugs normalized injectable medications and fueled the gray market, what the FDA's own scientists concluded about BPC-157 and TB-500, why Rick's caseload has shifted from steroids to 80-90% peptide cases, what a possible "experimental peptide" middle-ground category could look like, and what really happens when the FDA raids a peptide seller, and much more. Connect with Rick:www.RickCollins.com Episodes you'll enjoy next: #371 — Peptides, TRT, GLPs & Bloodwork: How to Do It Safely (and What Most People Miss) with John Gorman: Listen here #319 — Exploring the World of Peptides with Anthony Castore: Listen here Episode Timestamps: 4:07 Rick's background as a lawyer and his standard legal disclaimer 6:14 What actually counts as a "peptide" 8:25 How GLP-1 drugs normalized injectable medications 10:44 Loss of trust in the FDA fuels the gray market 11:46 The rise of personal health autonomy 13:40 Two markets: the medical model vs. "bro science" 16:23 Inside the FDA Compounding Advisory Committee meeting 19:23 FDA scientists' verdict on BPC-157 and TB-500 20:49 Why the science on BPC-157 is still so thin 22:07 Prohibition logic: the black market will keep growing 25:47 A possible middle ground: an "experimental peptide" category 32:11 Rick's caseload shift — from steroids to 80-90% peptide cases 35:30 Why big pharma cares about tirzepatide and retatrutide knockoffs 42:28 Pete Hegseth and testosterone screening in the military 46:57 Why the new TRT policy may be "much ado about nothing" 49:23 Low testosterone's real, well-documented health risks 52:26 Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, and biohacking against nature 57:12 The schism between orthodox medicine and biohacking 62:39 What happens when the FDA raids a peptide seller 63:30 Connect with Rick Collins Get the Daily Fitness Insider newsletter (free): https://www.miketnelson.com/newsletter