Peptides in Medicine: What They Are, How They’re Used, and Why Australian Regulators have concerns about those that have not been approved for use.
In this Aussie Med Ed episode, Orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Gavin Nimon speaks with Dr Ian Musgrave, a molecular pharmacologist and toxicologist, about what peptides are (short amino-acid chains) and how they are used as major medicines such as insulin, oxytocin, erythropoietin, and GLP-1 receptor agonists. They discuss why peptide medicines cannot be taken orally, how peptide therapeutics are discovered and developed, and the evidence pathway required for approval in Australia, including clinical trials and manufacturing under good manufacturing practice. The conversation explains why Australian regulators are concerned about unapproved peptide products.