In the late 1990s, when my friends wanted mushrooms or 5MEO-DMT, they'd order from "Poisonous Non-Consumables" catalogs. Today, people are literally doing that (same words, even!), but for the next iteration of GLP1 drugs not yet on the wider market. Compounding pharmacies are selling "research chemicals", like in Bitcoin Mining Profit Calculator: Gaiden.
It is wild to me that compounding pharmacies continued to sell these in violation of patents even after the expiration of the FDA supply shortfall status last year -- but I suppose there's so much money in it they don't want to give it up.
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-c...
It should be more or less the same thing as the legit stuff, but it is made with a different process, with different excipients, etc. For those going the more legit route, FDA registered still does not mean FDA inspected or that the FDA has signed off on them as being a reputable manufacturer.
There has also been cases of compounding pharmacies offering reta and other unapproved peptides, resulting in the FDA sending lots of angry letters to state pharmacy certification boards.
Can you elaborate more on this? I hadn't heard about it.
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-c...
https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-c...
(German biz): https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-c...
Every other source is acquiring the APIs from China and effectively buying from the same sources that the random sites selling a vial of lypholized “research chemical” powder are getting it from.
The huge compounding companies might skip the lypholization step and mix it directly due to cost savings at scale, but it’s effectively the same sources you could buy direct from China from if you spent a bit of time researching.
I think what’s happening now is about right. FDA approval process for the vast majority of people, and make those who want to play drug astronaut biohacker find it via underground methods. No reason to crack down super hard on such folks since the societal impact is likely net positive - unlike fentanyl or what have you.
Perhaps there could be better enforcement for the folks being totally blatant about it as it risks going “mainstream” and hitting people who don’t have informed consent, but I imagine that’s coming as law enforcement catches up.