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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Nicola Davis and Sarah Marsh

Medicines watchdog to investigate UK peptide clinics over health claims

MHRA United Kingdom Google
Woman using semaglutide injection pen on abdomen for weight loss medication.
There has been a boom in interest in using peptides for therapeutic purposes, from weight loss to anti-ageing and injury recovery. Photograph: Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty Images

The medicines regulator is investigating whether UK clinics are breaking the law by making claims about the benefits of unregulated, experimental peptide therapies, the Guardian can reveal.

Interest in experimental peptides has boomed in recent years. The substances are delivered by injection and are touted by sellers, influencers and even some medics as aiding everything from anti-ageing to recovery from injury.

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