Three Latin American regulators issued warnings in 2026 about peptides and GLP-1s sold through social media and websites. Colombia named ten products one by one, including BPC-157, TB-500 and retatrutide. Most of the same names have no lawful US pathway either. The alerts are international context for a US problem.
Key points
- Colombia’s INVIMA (alert 184-2026) named peptides such as BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, ipamorelin, CJC-1295, Semax, Selank, PT-141, DSIP and retatrutide as fraudulent and unregistered [1].
- Guatemala’s Health Ministry warned in August 2026 that unregistered injectable peptides are being sold illegally [2].
- Mexico’s Cofepris warned in March 2026 about tirzepatide sold without registration on platforms and apps [3].
- We found no Panama MINSA alert specifically on peptides of this kind; there is a 2024 one that relayed an INVIMA alert on semaglutide [5].
US status (October 2026): BPC-157 and TB-500 are not FDA-approved and have no lawful compounding pathway, and MDside providers do not prescribe them. See the peptide status tracker.
The trend became a health alert
Peptides are no longer a niche topic. In November 2025 the AP described unapproved peptide injections as a new fad among wellness influencers, fitness trainers and celebrities [6]. The promises range from fat loss and muscle recovery to anti-aging [2][6]. In 2026 regulators in Latin America responded.
Colombia named ten products one by one
On June 24, 2026 INVIMA published Health Alert 184-2026. It named, one by one, products sold through an Instagram account and a website: DSIP, Selank, Semax, PT-141, ipamorelin, CJC-1295 without DAC, BPC-157, GHK-Cu, TB-500 and retatrutide [1]. INVIMA called them fraudulent, unregistered products that “have not been evaluated in terms of quality, safety or efficacy” [1].
It is probably the official list closest to what people find today when they search “peptides” on social media. Most of those names have a US status page: BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu, ipamorelin, retatrutide.
Guatemala set the Central American precedent
In August 2026 Guatemala’s Ministry of Public Health warned that unregistered injectable peptides are being sold illegally, with products promoted online to burn fat, build muscle, boost performance or rejuvenate [2]. According to the report, the ministry stressed that every person has the right to know exactly what is being sold and injected into them [2].
Mexico and PAHO focused on GLP-1s
In March 2026 Cofepris warned about tirzepatide and other weight-loss products sold without registration on “e-commerce platforms, websites and mobile apps” [3]. Days earlier, on 27 February, PAHO had published a regional epidemiological alert on GLP-1 misuse, publicized on 3 March, warning about sales through unofficial channels, including the internet and social media [4]. The US side of the GLP-1 question is covered in compounded GLP-1s after the shortage.
- 10: peptides named in INVIMA alert 184-2026 [1]
- 3: countries in the region with peptide or GLP-1 alerts in 2026 [1][2][3]
- 1: PAHO regional alert on GLP-1s (2026) [4]
Panama has no peptide-specific alert yet
As of this writing we found no MINSA alert aimed at peptides such as BPC-157 or TB-500. There is a precedent: in May 2024 the DNFD relayed an INVIMA alert on semaglutide-plus-B12 vials not registered in Panama and warned about sales online, on social media and WhatsApp [5]. The DNFD has already taken Colombian alerts and reissued them locally [5].
Why US clinics should care
The names on INVIMA’s list are the same names on the US status pages above, and the sales model, a social media account plus a website, does not stop at a border. When a patient arrives with a vial bought from an Instagram account, you are looking at the product these alerts describe: unregistered, unevaluated, with a label nobody has verified. A “research use only” label on that vial does not change its status: see why that label is no shield. If you source any peptide for your clinic, the supplier diligence checklist is where to start.
Both sides of the debate
Promoters of these peptides point to animal studies and personal experience [6]. Regulators point to the lack of quality, safety and efficacy evaluation, and to the fact that buyers cannot verify what is in the vial [1][2]. Both sides agree that demand exists and is growing. The argument is over who answers for product quality [1][2][6].
The other side. The alerts reflect real demand. At the FDA committee, one physician summed it up: “Nobody put a finished product on a shelf. We took a decision that patients are already making” [7]. People clearly want peptides. The open question is how to make sure what they receive matches the label.
References
- INVIMA (Colombia). Alerta Sanitaria No. 184-2026: Péptidos fraudulentos. 24 de junio de 2026. Link
- Galicia S. El Ministerio de Salud de Guatemala advierte que los péptidos inyectables sin registro sanitario se venden de forma ilegal. Infobae. 6 de agosto de 2026. Link
- Expansión (México). Cuidado con estos productos para adelgazar: Cofepris alerta por riesgos graves al hígado y páncreas. 11 de marzo de 2026. Link
- Organización Panamericana de la Salud. Ante reportes de uso indebido de medicamentos GLP-1 indicados para tratar la obesidad, la OPS pide reforzar la farmacovigilancia. 3 de marzo de 2026. Link
- Ministerio de Salud de Panamá, DNFD. Comunicado 050/DNFD-2024: Alerta sobre el producto Semaglutida + Vitamina B12. 2 de mayo de 2024. Link
- Associated Press, vía El Nuevo Día. Una mirada más de cerca a las inyecciones de péptidos no aprobadas promovidas por influencers y famosos. 14 de noviembre de 2025. Link
- Healio. FDA committee recommends looser restrictions for several peptides. 24 July 2026. Link
This is general information, not medical or legal advice. Rules vary by state and change. Confirm your own facts with counsel.