Import and Supply Restrictions

What was and was not verified

United States: personal importation

FDA's Personal Importation page, current as of 08/18/2025, says that in most circumstances it is illegal for individuals to import drugs or devices into the US for personal use, because such products often have not been approved by FDA. [1] It adds that a drug approved in another country but an unapproved new drug in the US is illegal to import. [1]

The page also says FDA staff may consider a more permissive decision in listed situations, which include conditions such as no known commercialization of the product to US residents, a written affirmation of personal use and a limited quantity. [1] This is a case-by-case enforcement discretion, not a right, and the page lists reasons FDA would refuse, including a product on an FDA import alert. [1] Nothing here is a route for obtaining unapproved peptides, and this page does not describe one.

United States: bulk ingredients and supply

• GLP-1 ingredients. FDA says it set up a green list import alert (66-80) to help stop GLP-1 active pharmaceutical ingredients with potential quality concerns from entering the US supply chain. [2] The page notes this does not apply to ingredient from manufacturers that appear compliant after FDA evaluation. [2]
• Certificates. For 503A compounding, FDA says bulk substances must come with a valid certificate of analysis and be made by an establishment registered with FDA. [3]
• Substances that cannot be compounded. FDA says retatrutide and cagrilintide cannot be used in compounding under federal law. [2] One warning letter explained that retatrutide is not the subject of a USP or NF monograph, is not a component of an FDA-approved human drug and is not on the 503A bulks list. [4]
• Selling for human use. FDA's warning letters treat products intended for human use as drugs requiring approval, regardless of "research" labels. See Research Use Only Labels and Regulatory Warning Letters and Alerts for Peptides.

United Kingdom

The MHRA and Department of Health and Social Care guidance read is aimed at UK wholesalers and manufacturers and covers importing human medicines, including unlicensed ones. [5] It says that to import a licensed medicine a business needs one or more licences. [5] That page is trade guidance, not a statement about individuals importing for themselves, so no personal-import rule is stated here. Separately, the MHRA warns that medicines sold illegally may be fake, contaminated, incorrectly dosed or contain unlisted powerful ingredients. [6]