State of Peptide Research 2026
Original counts for 99 compounds from PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, openFDA and NIH RePORTER. Free to cite under CC BY 4.0.
- Compounds counted
- 99
- PubMed records
- 421,044
- Indexed as human research
- 40%
- Registered trials
- 8,081
Where the compounds stand
Highest development stage reached, from regulatory status and registered trials.
- Approved somewhere31
- Phase 3 reached18
- Phase 2 reached4
- Phase 1 reached1
- Preclinical only45
Most-studied research compounds
PubMed records naming each compound. Endogenous molecules with very large general literatures (oxytocin, glutathione, NAD+, VIP and similar) are left out of this chart.
- Octreotide9,380
- Semaglutide5,742
- Liraglutide5,692
- Exenatide4,916
- Teriparatide3,065
- LL-373,029
- Leuprolide2,984
- Tirzepatide2,660
- Dulaglutide1,316
- Thymosin beta-41,132
- Triptorelin1,005
- GHRP-6683
Where human evidence is thinnest
Share of each compound's indexed records tagged as human research (compounds with 20+ records).
Registered trials by research goal
Sum of registered studies for the compounds listed under each goal; a compound can count toward several goals.
- Hormonal & endocrine research3,259
- Metabolic & insulin research2,693
- Appetite & body weight1,971
- Fertility & reproductive research1,437
- Cognition & neuroprotection1,359
- Inflammation research385
- Mitochondria & energy metabolism375
- Immune research359
- Sleep & circadian338
- Skin research327
- Longevity & cellular aging276
- Muscle & body composition127
- Gut & GI research91
- Tendon, ligament & injury repair29
- Sexual function research29
- Joint research5
Publications per year
All compounds combined. 2026 is a partial year.
- 201110,929
- 201211,953
- 201312,851
- 201413,218
- 201513,594
- 201613,547
- 201713,991
- 201814,904
- 201915,649
- 202017,078
- 202118,023
- 202218,427
- 202318,091
- 202419,833
- 202523,330
- 202622,288
Method
- PubMed: title/abstract search for each compound's name and verified synonyms (the exact query is linked from each compound's Research stats box). Human = MeSH Humans; animal-only = MeSH Animals not Humans; RCT and review counts use publication types. Counted 2026-10-24.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: studies listing the compound as an intervention; highest phase among them. A registered trial is not a result.
- openFDA FAERS: reports naming the product. Spontaneous reports do not establish cause.
- NIH RePORTER: projects mentioning the compound in title, abstract or terms. Funding is interest, not evidence.
- Limits: names shared with other substances inflate counts; indexing lags publication by weeks; counts measure volume, not quality. Evidence grades on compound pages come from reading the studies, not from these numbers.
Download the data
CC BY 4.0. Cite as: Amiravo, “State of Peptide Research 2026”, amiravo.com/research-report, accessed [date].
Journalists and researchers: contact us for charts or a methods note. See also the evidence map.