The Origin of Peptides

Ever wonder who sat around and came up with all these peptides?

I do.

Recently, I received a really interesting question from a viewer about how exactly the “peptide economy” functions.

Here’s what he asked:

Not a dumb question at all!

It’s essential to know how these things work.

Let me break this up into different parts.

First of all, as far as I know, Eli Lilly did, in fact, come up with the active ingredient.

They invented and synthesized it and then funded the studies necessary to determine dosages and health benefits.

When it comes to giving credit for peptide invention, it’s a mixed bag.

Pharmaceutical companies created some.

Others were invented in various research institutions and hospitals.

Melanotan 1, for example, was initially synthesized at the University of Arizona in the 80s.

Many other peptides have been invented and developed over the years in Russia and the former Soviet Union by revolutionary scientists like Dr. Vladimir Khavinson.

Now, let me get to the next part of this question…

The part about giving Eli Lily about having the money necessary to bring this product to market.

The sad reality of our broken healthcare system is that, regardless of who invents it, a peptide can only get FDA approval if it goes through clinical trials…

And pharmaceutical companies fund the majority of clinical trials.

As I covered in a previous email, these things are EXPENSIVE.

The average cost of a phase 3 trial is a cool $20 million.

Yes, the government, private foundations, and wealthy individuals also fund parts of the research and trial process.

However, the vast majority of this is paid for by pharmaceutical companies.

That’s why many non-FDA-approved peptides are sold on research sites like BioLongevity Labs.

In our dysfunctional system, pharmaceutical companies are the ONLY institutions that realistically have the cash to submit peptides (or any other agent) to the FDA for approval.

This is why I’m so big on self-experimentation.

I would LOVE it if Eli Lily would fund clinical trials on BPC-157, Ipamorelin, Thymosin-beta 4, and MOTS-c tomorrow.

But they won’t.

With a few exceptions like GLP-1s, that’s not where their money is made.

So we need to take up the torch.

We must be willing to be our guinea pigs and pool our collective knowledge together.

That’s one of the reasons Jay and I work so hard on a group like the Fully Optimized Health community.

It’s one of the best “collective brains” in the optimization world to bring together people serious about this stuff.

You don’t just get value from it in the form of all the incredible insider info you RECEIVE - you get to GIVE.

By sharing your data and experiences, you’re contributing to our collective knowledge on peptides…

And helping us all, in a roundabout way, crowd-source our own data sets around peptides and hormone therapy.

Best,

Hunter Williams

P.S. The flash sale for 50% OFF The Modern Woman's Peptide Course is being extended until Tonight at Midnight PST! Use code MWPC50 for the discount.