No. The FDA does not recognize "anti-aging" as an approved drug indication. No compound in this guide is FDA-approved for anti-aging, longevity, or any closely related use. Sermorelin had prior FDA approval as a diagnostic agent (withdrawn in 2008), and Thymosin Alpha-1 is approved as a pharmaceutical in some countries outside the United States, but neither holds FDA approval for anti-aging applications.

NAD+ precursors like NR are marketed as dietary supplements in the US, a different regulatory category from drugs. Injectable NAD+ is not an approved drug. All compounds discussed here as research compounds are sold legally for laboratory and in vitro research purposes only when offered by peptide vendors.

Preclinical means the research was conducted in cell cultures or animal models, most commonly rodents. Findings from cell studies and animal models are scientifically informative and often represent the first step in understanding a compound's biology. However, they do not reliably predict what will happen in humans. Many compounds that show promising preclinical results fail to produce the same effects in human trials.

Limited human evidence means there are published studies involving human subjects, but those studies are small, short in duration, limited to specific populations (such as people with a particular disease), or measured proxy endpoints rather than direct aging outcomes. Limited human evidence is a step above preclinical, but it is not the same as a well-powered, replicated human trial. We label each compound clearly so readers can calibrate their interpretation accordingly.

The standard we apply on our main vendor guide requires a batch-linked certificate of analysis from an accredited third-party laboratory, accessible without emailing support. Key elements to look for: the batch ID on the certificate matches the batch ID on your order or vial; the testing laboratory is named by its full legal name; the lab's accreditation is verifiable through a public registry (ISO/IEC 17025 is the benchmark); and purity was confirmed by HPLC or mass spectrometry, not a single undocumented figure.

A certificate that omits a batch number, lists testing by an unverifiable in-house lab, or does not specify the analytical method used does not meet the minimum standard. Our vendor guide documents which vendors clear this bar across the compounds they carry.

NAD+ is not technically a peptide; it is a coenzyme. It appears in this guide because it is one of the most-researched molecules in aging biology and is frequently discussed alongside research peptides in longevity-focused contexts. Its mechanism of action in aging research centers on sirtuin activation (proteins that regulate cellular stress responses), PARP activity (DNA repair), and mitochondrial function, pathways that intersect with some peptide mechanisms. The connection between GHK-Cu and NAD+ pathways, or between 5-Amino-1MQ and NAD+ availability via NNMT inhibition, represents the kind of mechanistic layering that makes longevity research interesting scientifically.

That said, mechanistic connections between compounds in a lab context do not translate directly into clinical protocols. We include NAD+ here because readers researching the best peptides for longevity consistently encounter it alongside the peptide compounds in this guide, and the evidence for its role in aging biology is among the stronger in the category.