What this site is, and the rules around what it discusses

The educational scope of this website

Terminus Peptides publishes explanations of peptide science, summaries of published research, and descriptions of how laboratory and regulatory systems work. That is the whole of what this site does.

It is not a shop. There is no checkout, no basket, no pricing, no availability information and no route to obtain any substance. It does not provide dosing, reconstitution, preparation, administration or sourcing information, and it does not advise any individual about their health.

Scientific discussion and medical advice are different activities

Describing what a study found is a statement about that study. Telling a person what they should do is a clinical judgement about an individual, made with knowledge of their history, their circumstances and their other treatments. The first can be done in public from published sources. The second cannot.

This distinction is why compound profiles here describe research areas rather than uses, report evidence at the level it was obtained, and state explicitly where evidence is absent. A reader who wants to know what to do about their own health needs a qualified professional, not a literature summary.

UK regulation of medicinal products

In the UK, medicines are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Whether something is regulated as a medicinal product turns on what it is and how it is presented — including the claims made about it — rather than on the label a supplier chooses to apply.

• A product presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease may be regulated as a medicinal product on that basis alone.
• A product that acts to restore, correct or modify a physiological function by pharmacological, immunological or metabolic means may also fall within the definition.
• Classification is determined case by case, and the same substance can be classified differently depending on presentation and claimed purpose.

Because classification is contextual, this site does not assert the UK status of any compound without a cited source from an authoritative body. Where no such source has been recorded, the profile says the position is unconfirmed rather than offering an estimate.

Prescription-only medicines

A prescription-only medicine may lawfully be supplied only against a prescription from an appropriate practitioner. The classification exists because the assessment of whether a medicine is suitable for a particular person requires clinical knowledge of that person.

Several compounds named in peptide literature are prescription-only medicines in the UK. Where a profile on this site is marked as prescription-only, the classification is accompanied by a source and by the date on which it was checked.

Unlicensed and experimental substances

A product can meet the definition of a medicinal product without holding a marketing authorisation. Such products are described as unlicensed. Separately, many compounds appearing in research literature hold no authorisation anywhere and have never been assessed by any regulator for use in people.

• An unlicensed medicine has not been assessed for quality, safety and efficacy in the way an authorised medicine has.
• A label reading “research use only” describes what a seller says the material is for. It is a commercial statement, not a regulatory classification, and it does not remove any obligation that would otherwise apply.
• Authorisation in another country does not confer any UK status. Regulators reach their own decisions on their own evidence.
• A compound appearing in this library should not be assumed to be lawful, available or appropriate for any purpose.

Advertising restrictions

UK law restricts the advertising of medicines. Prescription-only medicines may not be advertised to the public at all, and unlicensed medicines may not be promoted. The UK Advertising Codes, administered by the Advertising Standards Authority, add further rules about health claims and about the substantiation required to make them.

These restrictions apply to the substance of a communication rather than to its format. Editorial-looking content, social media posts and educational material can all constitute advertising if they promote supply. This site is built to stay clearly on the informational side of that line: no pricing, no availability, no ordering route, no testimonials, no before-and-after imagery, no discount codes, and no metadata written to capture searches for buying medicines.

The importance of qualified professional advice

Nothing on this site can take account of an individual’s medical history, current medicines, allergies or circumstances. A general statement about published research is not a judgement about a person, and it should not be treated as one. Readers with questions about their own health should speak to a GP, pharmacist or other qualified healthcare professional.

Reporting suspected adverse reactions

In the UK, suspected side effects, defective medicines and falsified products can be reported to the MHRA through the Yellow Card scheme. Reports can be submitted by healthcare professionals, by patients and by members of the public, and a report does not need to be certain that a medicine caused the problem — suspicion is the threshold.

Publication and corrections

Every compound record enters our dataset marked as requiring both scientific and regulatory review, and produces no page until both are complete. Approval requires a cited regulatory source, a recorded review date, a written safety interpretation and at least one reference; the build fails if a record marked approved does not meet those conditions.

Errors can be reported through the contact page. Where a report is upheld and a statement is materially wrong, the page is corrected and carries a dated correction note. Where a statement cannot be verified while an assessment is in progress, it is withdrawn rather than left published.