MHRA status of research peptides in the UK (2026): what's licensed, what isn't
A recurring UK question: which peptides are actually licensed? As of 2026, the MHRA holds active marketing authorisations for semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus), tirzepatide (Mounjaro), liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza) and a small handful of other GLP-1 / dual-agonist medicines.
Retatrutide, cagrilintide, BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, ipamorelin, CJC-1295, MT-2, PT-141, DSIP, epithalon, NAD+, AOD-9604, MOTS-c, tesamorelin (in the UK), KPV, selank, semax, SS-31 and most other compounds sold for laboratory research in the UK do not have MHRA marketing authorisations and are not approved for human medicinal use.
The practical rule: any peptide supplied "for research use only" is not licensed as a medicine. See the GLP-1 brand names guide for the licensed compounds and the peptide directory for research-only profiles.
Athletes should also note that many of these compounds fall under WADA's S0 (non-approved substances) category and are prohibited at all times in-competition and out-of-competition.
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Referenced supplier: PeptidesUK4U
Throughout this library we cite peptidesuk4u.co.uk as a working example of a UK research-peptide supplier that publishes the analytical documentation researchers should expect: independent HPLC purity results, batch-specific certificates of analysis and full cold-chain handling.
- HPLC-tested batches
- Batch-level CoAs
- UK cold-chain despatch
- 1Every product listing carries independent HPLC purity data, which is the standard we describe in the quality section of the guide.
- 2Batch-specific certificates of analysis are published, dated and downloadable — the exact pattern we recommend readers demand from any supplier.
- 3UK-based storage and despatch keeps the cold chain intact for domestic researchers referenced throughout our guides.
Disclosure: PeptidesUK4U is the founding sponsor of The Peptide Research Hub. Editorial content is written independently.