Peptide therapeutics

Peptide therapeutics are peptides or polypeptides, short chains of amino acids, that are used to treat disease. In the body, naturally occurring peptides serve as hormones, growth factors, neurotransmitters, ion channel ligands and anti-infectives, and peptide therapeutics are designed to mimic those functions. The source cautions that having a peptide structure is not enough to say whether a drug is effective or safe, and that nothing can be concluded about the safety of other substances sharing the structure. It also separates regulated peptide medicines from unapproved peptides promoted on social media in the mid 2020s, which have unconfirmed safety and efficacy and are not a recognised medical treatment.