This is...mostly wrong. Like both normal wrong, and "x-y problem" wrong. There is definitely some truth in there, but the full explanation would require an actual lawyer, because there's a LOT of layers of complication.
Just so people don't have to simply take my word against yours, here's Jacob Sherkow, JD, a professor of law and medicine at the Illinois College of Medicine on the topic:
> semaglutide that's "made, used, sold, offered to be sold, or imported into the United States is possibly an act of infringement, if Novo were to sue them"
But this isn't just about patents -- that's the "x-y problem" that I was talking about. It may not be legal to import active ingredients of FDA-approved drugs. Most peptides (AOC-9604, BPC-157, Ibutamoren, Ipamorelin, etc) are "legal" because they're not considered drugs. Once they're FDA approved, they become not legal to import/re-sell unless you're a compounding pharmacy. It wouldn't generally be legal to import fexofenadine (OTC allergy medication), for example, even though it's not a controlled substance. Because importing non-FDA drugs is generally not legal unless you're a licensed part of the medical supply chain.
So yes, compounding pharmacies can provide it to you and you offload the legal gray areas onto them. But just saying "they can't be patented" kind of hides most of the legal quandaries. From a practical perspective, many organizations and individuals do import these things without worrying about legal consequences, because enforcement is very low. But I wouldn't formally pretend the legal issues don't exist at all levels.
Look, I read a bunch of contradictory stuff on the internet about this and am close to a good number of people in healthcare who told me compound pharmacies are legit and that there's a lot of FUD on the internet.
But I'm not pretending to be an expert in law or medicine.
People need to research this and do what they feel comfortable with.
That said, I'd personally prefer if the prices came down, the supply remained highly available and it was covered by insurance and the companies like Novo who spent money to create these solutions got paid for it. It's a miracle and they deserve what money they make off it.
To your point, there is a ton of gray area. One site I can responsibly link here is https://www.peptidesciences.com/ -- they're very careful about working to stay on the right side of the law, and they sell semaglutide and tirzepatide for ostensibly "not-for-human-consumption" (and at very, very high prices). So the raw ingredient, in non-medical settings, is not inherently impossible to import and sell legally. But I'm not fully convinced they're immune to lawsuits or legal action.
I'm gonna end the conversation here and let you have the last word, because I don't even feel comfortable talking about compounding pharmas.
From what I've read, sites like the above are really dangerous, because people are ordering from them and like you said, are NOT for human consumption.
Compound pharmacies, from what I understand, are meant for human consumption. From the healthcare people I know personally, including my own doctor, they have been used for ages and are totally legit. But folks should just talk to their doctor before taking anything.
This is...mostly wrong. Like both normal wrong, and "x-y problem" wrong. There is definitely some truth in there, but the full explanation would require an actual lawyer, because there's a LOT of layers of complication.
Just so people don't have to simply take my word against yours, here's Jacob Sherkow, JD, a professor of law and medicine at the Illinois College of Medicine on the topic:
> semaglutide that's "made, used, sold, offered to be sold, or imported into the United States is possibly an act of infringement, if Novo were to sue them"
But this isn't just about patents -- that's the "x-y problem" that I was talking about. It may not be legal to import active ingredients of FDA-approved drugs. Most peptides (AOC-9604, BPC-157, Ibutamoren, Ipamorelin, etc) are "legal" because they're not considered drugs. Once they're FDA approved, they become not legal to import/re-sell unless you're a compounding pharmacy. It wouldn't generally be legal to import fexofenadine (OTC allergy medication), for example, even though it's not a controlled substance. Because importing non-FDA drugs is generally not legal unless you're a licensed part of the medical supply chain.
So yes, compounding pharmacies can provide it to you and you offload the legal gray areas onto them. But just saying "they can't be patented" kind of hides most of the legal quandaries. From a practical perspective, many organizations and individuals do import these things without worrying about legal consequences, because enforcement is very low. But I wouldn't formally pretend the legal issues don't exist at all levels.
https://www.medpagetoday.com/special-reports/exclusives/9962...