HoldsUp

Dr. Tyna Moore · 2026-05-11 · Tyna Moore (host)

GLP-1s + Peptides Are Changing Fast, Here’s What You Need To Know

16 research-tied claims examined: 1 overstated 1 context 11 supported 3 unverified

1

Overstated

0:45:46Tyna Moore (host)overstatedlow

Cancer presence can lead to elevated circulating VEGF levels in blood tests, which can be measured to monitor tumor progression or active metastasis.

"Cancer being present, the patient will have high VEGF levels in their blood tests. That's one of the ways you can kind of monitor what's going on in cancer is by running and looking at VEGF levels. If it's increasing, there's probably active metastases trying to happen or happening, right?" (said at 0:45:46)

While research studies show that circulating levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are frequently elevated in patients with various malignancies and often correlate with tumor burden, lymph node involvement, or metastatic progression, circulating VEGF is not an established or standardized clinical biomarker for routinely monitoring active metastases or cancer progression. A major confounding factor is pre-analytical variability (for instance, significant VEGF release from platelets during serum clotting) and poor specificity, as VEGF is also elevated in non-malignant inflammatory and angiogenic processes.

1

Needs context

0:52:19Tyna Moore (host)needs contexthigh

Naturally occurring substances made of amino acids cannot be patented.

"If it's a naturally occurring substance, especially if it's made up of amino acids, they cannot patent it." (said at 0:52:19)

Under patent law (such as 35 U.S.C. § 101 in the United States and international equivalents), naturally occurring substances, natural phenomena, and products of nature are not patent-eligible as composition-of-matter claims in their unmodified, native state. However, amino acid–based molecules (such as peptides and proteins) are subject to the same standard 'product of nature' doctrine as any other biological entity (such as nucleic acids or metabolites), not a distinct or stricter standard. Furthermore, while an unmodified naturally occurring peptide sequence cannot be patented per se, pharmaceutical companies routinely obtain patents on synthetic analogues, chemically modified peptide derivatives, specific formulations, and novel methods of medical use or therapeutic treatment involving naturally occurring substances.

11

Supported by research

0:01:03Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Liraglutide's patent has expired and generic versions of the drug are available.

"Liraglutide is an older generation one. That one came off of patent, so I don't know like there's generic available now." (said at 0:01:03)

The speaker's statement is accurate. Liraglutide (an earlier-generation daily GLP-1 receptor agonist originally marketed as Victoza and Saxenda) has seen its primary patents expire in major markets, leading to regulatory approval and availability of generic formulations.

0:03:08Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Section 503B compounding pharmacies were created under federal legislation during the Obama administration.

"503B pharmacies are compounding pharmacies that were established, I believe, during the Obama administration." (said at 0:03:08)

Section 503B outsourcing facilities (compounding pharmacies) were established under federal law with the enactment of the Drug Quality and Security Act (DQSA) of 2013, which was passed by Congress and signed into law during the Obama administration (2009–2017). The legislation amended the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to create Section 503B as a distinct category of compounding facilities subject to FDA oversight and current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) requirements.

0:04:10Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Under FDA regulations, 503B outsourcing facilities are permitted to compound and mass-produce copies of commercially available drugs when those drugs appear on the FDA drug shortage list.

"And when they were put on the shortage list, 503B was able to step in and mass produce them in bulk. That is what 503B was established for. It was put in place to be able to pick up the pace if there was a drug shortage of any sort. And for the time that that drug shortage was occurring, 503B pharmacies could mass produce whatever it was, whatever that medication was." (said at 0:04:10)

Under Section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (established by the Drug Quality and Security Act of 2013), 503B outsourcing facilities are authorized to compound drugs in bulk quantities without patient-specific prescriptions. While 503B facilities are generally prohibited from compounding copies of commercially available FDA-approved drugs, an explicit statutory exception permits them to compound and distribute these products during an official FDA-designated drug shortage.

0:29:24Tyna Moore (host)supportedmoderate

Laboratory testing of gray-market and research peptide vials has revealed discrepancies such as impurities, endotoxins, and inaccurate concentrations.

"And then there's been labs who are running tests on these vials that are coming in from research labs and finding all kinds of discrepancies." (said at 0:29:24)

Laboratory analysis of unauthorized and falsified polypeptide products sourced outside legal pharmaceutical supply chains confirms significant discrepancies in purity, potency, and contamination. In a comprehensive chemical analysis of illegal internet-sourced peptide products, researchers found substantial variations in active ingredient concentration per vial, low purity (ranging from 5% to 75% for cysteine-containing peptides), significant peptide-related impurities, and dangerous heavy metal contaminants including arsenic and lead exceeding regulatory limits for parenteral medications.

0:38:03Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Medical fee-splitting and referral kickbacks are illegal in the practice of medicine.

"That's fee splitting. That's illegal in medicine, by the way. But they call it something else so that they can not get in trouble. But if I were to send you to like an imaging facility cuz I loved the owner and they gave me a kickback, that's illegal." (said at 0:38:03)

The speaker's statement that medical fee-splitting and referral kickbacks (such as receiving remuneration from a facility in exchange for patient referrals) are illegal is accurate under healthcare law and professional ethics regulations. Under statutes such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute (42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)), the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law), and corresponding state anti-kickback and fee-splitting statutes, offering, paying, soliciting, or receiving any remuneration or value to induce or reward patient referrals is illegal.

0:44:24Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a growth factor that stimulates angiogenesis and blood vessel formation in tissue.

"What is VEGF? It's vascular endothelial growth factor. That's VEGF. It means that when that growth factor is around, it helps create angiogenesis. It helps create vasculature to an area." (said at 0:44:24)

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, primarily VEGFA) is a well-characterized signaling protein and growth factor that plays a central role in stimulating angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels from existing vasculature) and maintaining physiological vascular homeostasis.

0:44:15Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments rely on growth factors including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to stimulate blood supply and tissue healing.

"I know about VEGF because a huge part of my practice was platelet-rich plasma, and one of the biggest growth factors that we rely on in PRP treatments is VEGF." (said at 0:44:15)

The biological mechanism described is well-established in regenerative medicine. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous blood concentrate rich in platelets that degranulate to release concentrated growth factors—including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β). VEGF specifically drives angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels), increasing local blood supply and nutrient delivery to facilitate tissue repair across musculoskeletal, dermal, and surgical applications.

0:44:55Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Cancer utilizes vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) to establish blood supply and facilitate metastasis from primary tumors.

"Well, guess how cancer metastasizes from its original tumor source. It uses VEGF." (said at 0:44:55)

The claim is fully supported by established medical consensus and extensive scientific literature. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a key signaling protein secreted by tumor cells (often under hypoxic conditions) to induce tumor angiogenesis—the sprouting of new blood vessels from existing vasculature. This blood supply delivers oxygen and nutrients to support primary tumor growth and provides a route through increased vascular permeability for cancer cells to enter the circulation (intravasation) and metastasize to distant sites.

0:51:48Tyna Moore (host)supportedhigh

Endogenous human GLP-1 has a half-life of only a few minutes, whereas semaglutide was molecularly modified to have a half-life of approximately 5 to 7 days.

"So, in the case of semaglutide that is a naturally occurring peptide in our bodies, they tweaked it so that it has a longer half-life in your body. Instead of being minutes like your body produces it and it's in and out in a few minutes, it now becomes a week. It's in and out within, you know, 5 to 7 days, if you will." (said at 0:51:48)

Pharmacokinetic studies confirm that endogenous (native) human GLP-1 is rapidly degraded by dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) and renal clearance, giving it an elimination half-life of approximately 1.5 to 2 minutes. Semaglutide is a modified GLP-1 analogue engineered with an amino acid substitution (Aib8) to resist DPP-4 degradation and a C18 fatty diacid chain attached via a linker to promote reversible binding to albumin, extending its elimination half-life to approximately 1 week (around 165 hours, or 5 to 7 days) in humans.

0:44:12Tyna Moore (host)supportedvery low

Certain regenerative peptides promote tissue healing and regeneration by upregulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

"Some of these peptides are regenerative, specifically. And what they do is they upregulate VEGF." (said at 0:44:12)

Preclinical studies demonstrate that several peptides investigated for tissue repair and regeneration, such as thymosin beta-4 and BPC-157, promote angiogenesis and accelerate wound healing in part by upregulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or its receptor pathways. For example, thymosin beta-4 has been shown to increase VEGF secretion in endothelial progenitor cells and wound tissues to stimulate angiogenesis, and BPC-157 has demonstrated upregulation of VEGF-A and VEGFR2 in wound models and endothelial cell cultures. However, evidence is currently limited to in vitro experiments and animal models.

0:57:31Tyna Moore (host)supportedmoderate

Analytical testing of gray-market research peptides imported from China has identified batches containing contaminants, heavy metals, and endotoxins.

"And these labs are now reporting that several of these batches that come through which are ending up in these research labs are full of contaminants, full of heavy metals, full of endotoxins, right?" (said at 0:57:31)

Analytical testing of unregulated, gray-market peptide formulations (often marketed online as research chemicals) has repeatedly demonstrated significant quality deficiencies, including bacterial endotoxin contamination, severe lack of chemical purity, and mislabeling. For example, a quality analysis of unregulated semaglutide products purchased online identified endotoxin in 100% of tested vial samples (ranging from 2.16 to 8.95 EU/mg) and found active substance purities between 7.7% and 14.4% despite label claims of 99% purity.

3

No source found (not proven false)

0:17:34Tyna Moore (host)unverifiedlow

Eli Lilly released tirzepatide (Zepbound) in single-dose vial form in September 2024.

"in September of 2024, uh Eli Lilly released Zepbound, which is tirzepatide in a vial form." (said at 0:17:34)

No published record matching the claim regarding Eli Lilly's commercial release of Zepbound (tirzepatide) in vial form in September 2024 was located in the indexed biomedical literature; this does not prove the claim false.

0:22:45Tyna Moore (host)unverifiedvery low

In September 2023, the FDA placed several compounded peptides (such as BPC-157) onto the Category 2 bulk drug substances list, restricting compounding pharmacies from compounding them due to safety concerns.

"So, in September of 2023, we all woke up to the reality that the FDA had pulled all of these different peptides that we had been able to compound and have access to our patients for gosh, 10 years... What happened to them? They went onto what's called a Category 2 list." (said at 0:22:45)

No published literature or PubMed-indexed record matching the specific claim regarding the FDA's September 2023 placement of BPC-157 or other peptides onto the Category 2 bulk drug substances list was located; this does not prove the claim false. While published narrative reviews discuss BPC-157 as a synthetic pentadecapeptide with preclinical regenerative properties and notable regulatory barriers to clinical development (PMID: 42198317, PMID: 40789979), and studies address the general framework of 503B compounding facilities and state-level peptide access (PMID: 42394939), none of the retrieved biomedical literature documents the specific September 2023 regulatory action or Category 2 classification mentioned by the host.

0:42:07Tyna Moore (host)unverifiedvery low

Evidence-based medicine is formally defined as a three-part model integrating scientific evidence, physician clinical experience, and patient preferences/lived experience.

"the definition of evidence-based medicine is only reliant upon studies because that's not what evidence-based medicine—that's not the definition. The definition is a three-pronged approach. It's like a three-pronged stool, you guys, and it is equally as important as the physician's experience, and then the patient's desires and lived experience with the treatment." (said at 0:42:07)

No published record matching the claim that evidence-based medicine is formally defined as a three-part model integrating research evidence, clinical expertise, and patient preferences was located; this does not prove the claim false.

Unverified means no publication matching the claim was located; it does not prove the claim false. Spotted an error? See the corrections policy - disputes from the people quoted are prioritized.