Peptide products' side effects: Abu Dhabi health authority launches online form

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Health has provided an online form for reporting health problems or side effects that individuals may experience after using peptide products, and for investigating where these products were obtained. This is part of its efforts to enhance patient safety and monitor the effects associated with the use of these products. The department explained that peptide products are medications or products containing small proteins known as peptides, and may be used for various health purposes, including weight loss and anti-aging. Specifically, the department invited members of the public who experienced any health problems or side effects after using a peptide product to fill out an online form on its official website. The form includes 13 questions to gather details about the product's use and associated symptoms. It begins by collecting identifying information, including name and contact details, clarifying that participants' information, such as name and email address, is only collected if provided by the user themselves. The form includes questions about the name of the peptide product used, whether the user has a picture of the product or its packaging, and the purpose of its use (weight loss, muscle building and fitness, anti-aging, or other purposes), explaining the reason. It also asks for the date of start of use and a description of the health problem or side effect that appeared after using the product. The affected body part should be mentioned first, followed by a description of the problem in no more than 10 words. Examples include: Skin: Itchy rash; Stomach: Severe vomiting; Respiratory system: Difficulty breathing; Eyes: Blurred vision; Nervous system: Severe headache; Heart: Rapid heartbeat. The form also inquires about the timing of the onset of the health problem or side effect, whether it appeared on the same day as the dose, several days later, several weeks later, or if the timing is uncertain. It also includes questions about whether the user consulted a doctor or went to the hospital because of the problem, and their current health status, with options including "Recovered," "I'm improving," and "I'm still experiencing the problem." The form further asks whether the user has stopped using the peptide product, and how they obtained it - whether from a pharmacy, clinic, hospital, online, social media, a friend or family member, or another source - requesting the name of the place or seller, if possible. Officials at health facilities confirmed that the increasing spread of peptide treatments, especially on social media, has sparked widespread controversy in medical circles, particularly with their marketing promotion as a means of weight loss, muscle building, or delaying aging. They pointed out that, in order to ensure patient safety and ethical practice based on scientific evidence, health facilities in Abu Dhabi apply a risk-based approach to supervising peptide products, which is divided into low-risk peptide products: these include products with a superficial topical effect outside the body, such as topical cosmetic peptides; and medium- and high-risk peptide products, which include products with a clinical organ effect (one or more organs inside the body), regenerative applications, or products based only on emerging or insufficient clinical evidence. These products are subject to enhanced regulatory controls, strict quality assurance requirements, and rigorous clinical governance, in accordance with the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi standard for human cell and tissue-based therapies and regenerative medicine. They stressed that all physicians are obligated to prescribe peptide therapies only for appropriate clinical cases supported by available scientific evidence, to conduct a patient eligibility assessment and document the clinical evaluation before initiating treatment, to obtain informed, documented and specific patient consent for peptide therapy, including expected benefits, uncertainties, potential risks, available alternatives, and regulatory approval status, to maintain complete and accurate clinical documentation throughout the course of treatment, in addition to putting in place appropriate post-treatment follow-up mechanisms, and ensuring timely reporting of any adverse events.