FDA Advisory Committee Votes to Add Six Peptides to Drug Compounding List An advisory committee for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted narrowly to recommend adding six peptides to a list of ingredients that specialty pharmacies can use to create custom medications. The decision, made during a two-day hearing, involves compounds such as BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, Epitalon, and Semax. The vote is non-binding and requires final approval from the FDA. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who oversees the agency as Health and Human Services Secretary, has publicly supported the inclusion of peptides, framing restrictions as unnecessary barriers to patient access. The panel rejected a seventh peptide, emideltide, due to insufficient evidence. Proposed as a treatment for narcolepsy and opioid withdrawal, the compound faced criticism for relying on clinical studies that used intravenous administration rather than the proposed subcutaneous route. The FDA highlighted concerns about the lack of robust data, the absence of well-tested treatments for these conditions, and the potential for harmful immune reactions. The rejection underscored a divide between the advisory committee, many of whom run clinics offering peptides, and FDA staff scientists, who unanimously opposed the addition of all six peptides. The vote exposed tensions between the advisory group, appointed under Kennedy’s leadership, and the FDA’s internal reviewers. While the committee members argued that adding peptides to the list could reduce harm by steering patients away from unregulated black-market products, public health advocates and agency scientists warned of dangerous precedents. Dr.#us_food_and_drug_administration #georgetown_university #robert_f_kennedy_jr #fda_advisory_committee #dr_adriane_fughberman
DOJ's Ed Martin Faces Ethics Charges Over Threatening Letter to Georgetown University The D.C. Bar’s disciplinary office has filed ethics charges against Justice Department pardon attorney Ed Martin, alleging misconduct related to a threatening letter he sent to Georgetown University Law Center in 2023. The letter, which was disclosed in court filings, criticized the law school’s diversity and inclusion policies and led to sanctions against its students. The case was made public on Tuesday through filings in the D.C. Court of Appeals’ Board on Professional Responsibility. In the letter dated February 17, Martin, who was serving as interim U.S. attorney at the time, accused Georgetown of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practices and demanded changes. He claimed a whistleblower had raised concerns about the school’s approach to DEI education. Without awaiting a response, he instructed his office staff to stop employing Georgetown students as fellows, interns, or employees at the D.C. U.S. attorney’s office. Georgetown’s former dean, William Treanor, responded by condemning the letter as an “attack on the University’s mission as a Jesuit and Catholic institution.” The disciplinary complaint, authored by Disciplinary Counsel Hamilton “Phil” Fox III, argues that Martin’s actions violated the First and Fifth Amendments by using his official position to coerce the law school into altering its curriculum and teaching methods. The filing states that Martin’s demands effectively sought to suppress free speech and religious rights in exchange for employment opportunities for Georgetown students. The Justice Department has criticized the D.C. Bar, calling it a partisan entity.#pam_bondi #ed_martin #dcbar #georgetown_university #jeanine_pirro
