As of October 2026, the FDA has not approved KPV, and we found no EMA marketing authorisation for it. The FDA's reviewers found no clinical studies and no human exposure data. Its safety in people is unknown. HHS says it does not intend to take enforcement action against licensed compounders of KPV acetate who meet ten conditions. That policy approves nothing and lasts until the FDA decides KPV in a final rule.
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What is KPV?
KPV is a chain of three amino acids: lysine, proline and valine. The FDA's reviewers describe it as a fragment of a hormone the body makes, alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. It was nominated for compounding for wound healing and inflammatory conditions. The FDA reviewed two forms, KPV free base and KPV acetate, and treats them as different ingredients.
Does KPV work?
Nobody knows. The FDA's reviewers found no clinical study of KPV in people. The nomination cited nine papers, and none tested KPV in humans. Studies in animal and lab models suggest anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects. The FDA wrote that the targets in the body behind those effects remain unknown.
What we found. 0 completed randomized trials. 0 human studies on the list. 1 FDA review of animal and lab work, May 2026.
| Study | Tested in | Status | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDA briefing document on KPV, dated 12 May 2026 | Animals and lab dishes | Published | It reviews pharmacology studies that suggest anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects in models. The FDA found no study of KPV in people and no study of cancer risk. |
Every row is animal or lab work, or a review of it. None of it shows what KPV does in a person.
How we count a trialIs KPV safe?
Nobody knows. The FDA's reviewers found no clinical studies or human exposure data for KPV by any route. They wrote that clinical and nonclinical safety information is lacking, and they found no studies of cancer risk. They had no data to judge immune reactions or clumping of the molecule. That leaves the safety of the compound itself unmeasured in people. The vial adds its own unknown, covered below.
Is KPV legal?
- United States
- Not approved by the FDA. In May 2026 the FDA's reviewers found no clinical studies or human exposure data for KPV.
- Compounding
- On 28 October 2026 HHS said it does not intend to take enforcement action against a US pharmacy or physician who compounds KPV acetate for a patient with a prescription. Ten conditions apply. The policy lasts until the FDA decides KPV in a final rule. KPV is not on the FDA's compounding list and is not approved.
- European Union
- We found no marketing authorisation from the EMA.
- Sport
- Not named on WADA's list. That is not clearance. The list's S0 class, for drugs with no government approval for human use, may reach it.
Not medical advice. Approval and sport status as of . Medical disclaimer
What is in a vial sold as KPV?
KPV comes in at least two forms, free base and acetate, and the FDA treats them as different ingredients. In the one nomination the FDA reviewed, the certificate named one form and the formula matched the other. None of the studies above tested a vial sold under this name. A "research use only" label guarantees nothing about purity. A certificate of analysis counts only if it names your lot number, a lab with no stake in the result, and the method used. Purity and identity are separate tests.
Three questions to ask the seller:
- Which lot number is this certificate for?
- Who ran the test, and are they independent of you?
- Does the report confirm identity by mass spectrometry, or purity alone?
What don't we know?
- Whether it does anything in people. The FDA found no clinical study.
- Whether it is safe in people. The FDA calls the risks unknown.
- Whether it sets off immune reactions or clumps in the vial. The FDA had no data to judge either.
- What it acts on in the body. The FDA says the molecular targets remain unknown.
- What is in any given vial sold as KPV.
The other side
A personal result is real to the person who had it. It cannot tell the compound apart from the vial, or from everything else that changed over the same time.
What would change this record?
- A final FDA rule on the 503A bulks list that adds KPV or leaves it off, or HHS narrowing or withdrawing its interim policy of 28 October 2026.
- A registered, peer-reviewed human trial of KPV that reports safety results.
Change log
- New record. HHS's interim policy of 28 October 2026 names KPV acetate, and the FDA's May 2026 briefing document is the primary source for what is known. FDA briefing document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting on KPV (opens in new tab)
Three questions to ask next
- What does 'research use only' actually mean?
- How can you tell if a peptide vendor is legitimate?
- How do you read a certificate of analysis?
Ask better questions.
More questions about KPV
Is KPV approved by the FDA?
- No. KPV is not approved by the FDA, and we found no EMA marketing authorisation for it.
Has KPV been tested in humans?
- The FDA's reviewers found no clinical studies or human exposure data for KPV. The nomination cited nine papers, and none tested KPV in people.
Can a pharmacy compound KPV?
- HHS says it does not intend to take enforcement action against licensed compounders of KPV acetate who meet ten conditions. That does not approve KPV, and it lasts until the FDA decides KPV in a final rule.
Is KPV the same as alpha-MSH?
- No. According to the FDA's reviewers, KPV is a three-amino-acid fragment of that hormone.
Is KPV banned in sport?
- It is not named on WADA's list. That is not clearance.
THE PEPTIDE TABLE
RECORD · KPV
- Checked
- 31 OCT 2026
- Sources read
- 3
- Approved?
- NO
- Sport (WADA)
- NOT NAMED
- COMPLETED RANDOMIZED TRIALS
- 0
- GRADE
- D
Ask better questions.
thepeptidetable.com/table/kpv
The record on one slip. Save it as a picture and send it to whoever asked you about KPV.
Record checked on . Each source shows the date it was checked.