Effort to loosen rules on unproven peptide drugs, favored by RFK Jr, faced fierce pushback from agency scientists

A plan to give people in the United States easier access to unproven peptide drugs favored by the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, was opposed by most Food and Drug Administration scientific staff members, who had limited input in drafting the policy, according to six people familiar with its development.

The document posted online on Wednesday by Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) covers a handful of injectable peptides promoted within the wellness industry for building muscle, healing injuries and boosting energy.

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© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

© Photograph: Alex Wong/Getty Images

Health officials will now allow some levels of a powerful substance to remain in products marketed as natural. The change could help a G.O.P. donor facing wrongful death lawsuits.

© Nick Oxford for The New York Times

As the weight-loss drugs become more common, some runners find the side-effects challenging. Here’s what experts say

• Women: was your autoimmune condition misdiagnosed?

Keri M, a marathoner in her 50s, knew the race would be terrible.

This feeling couldn’t be chalked up to inexperience. Keri, who asked us to omit her full name due to the sensitive subject matter, has completed dozens of half marathons and four full marathons.

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© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

© Composite: The Guardian/Getty Images

It is hoped the move will galvanise action in the archipelago at the centre of the world’s fastest-growing HIV crisis