A ‘Peptide Party’ in Bengaluru has been called off after the state Food Safety Department sought clarity on exactly what products were being offered and whether they were legally approved for human use. Organiser Upsurge Labs LLP cancelled the Koramangala event after the Karnataka Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) issued a notice with the subject line “Cancellation of Peptide Party” and sought details of the peptides and their regulatory status.
The event, scheduled for Saturday, August 29, had been publicised on social media as a gathering centred around peptides, a class of short chains of amino acids that can have a range of functions in the human body. However, the publicity also prompted questions about what products would be available at the event, what they were intended to be used for and whether they had the necessary regulatory clearances.
The FSDA issued a notice to the organisers on August 27 after taking note of the social media publicity for the event. It sought details of the products, their composition, source, intended use and regulatory approvals. The department also sought clarification on whether the peptides qualified as drugs under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, and, if not, the legal basis for their classification.
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins, that occur naturally in the body and play roles in processes including hormones, metabolism and tissue repair. While some peptide-based medicines, such as insulin, have established medical uses, a growing number of peptides are being promoted online for weight loss, muscle growth, recovery, anti-ageing and longevity, often raising questions about their safety and regulatory status.
The department also sought details of claims being made about the products, along with the scientific evidence and regulatory approvals supporting such claims.
If the peptides were to be administered at the event, the organisers were asked to provide details of medical supervision, consent procedures and arrangements to deal with any adverse events.
The notice also covered products that may have been presented as food, health supplements or nutraceuticals. In such cases, the FSDA sought the relevant FSSAI licence and other regulatory documents.
The FSDA said the notice did not amount to a finding of any violation. It said the publicity material had raised questions that required examination, including whether any proposed human use of the products had the necessary regulatory and ethical clearances.
The organisers were asked to submit the required documents by 10.30 am on Friday, August 28. The department warned that failure to furnish the documents could result in the event being kept on hold and could invite further regulatory action.
In its advisory on Friday, the FSDA said authorised representatives of Upsurge Labs LLP had subsequently submitted a written statement informing the department that the event had been cancelled. The organisers had also sought additional time to submit documents relating to the event, the department said.