Official lookup / O-045
How to check a peptide in the MHRA products database
Search the product, not only the molecule. A licence belongs to a defined medicine, strength, formulation and authorisation holder.
Open the MHRA products database and search the exact product name, active substance or Product Licence number. Confirm the formulation, strength and authorisation holder in the returned record. If nothing appears, retry aliases and record the date. A nil result does not establish that every product with that molecule name is unlawful or safe.
Run the official check
- 1
Collect exact identifiers
Copy the product name, active substance, manufacturer and PL number from the pack or seller material.
- 2
Search the official database
Try the exact product, then the active substance and PL number where available.
- 3
Open the matching record
Check the product name, formulation, strength, authorisation holder and current documents.
- 4
Interpret a nil result carefully
Retry aliases and record the search date. Do not treat no result as a complete legal opinion.
- 5
Use the right next route
Report possible illegal supply through the seller service or a suspected medicine problem through Yellow Card.
Read the record at product level
| Field | Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Product name | Exact brand and presentation. | Similar names can refer to different authorised products. |
| Active substance | Ingredient named by the record. | Useful for alias searches, but not enough on its own. |
| Strength and form | Tablet, pre-filled pen, vial or other form and stated strength. | Authorisation does not transfer across formulations. |
| PL number and holder | Product Licence and marketing-authorisation holder. | Links the record to an accountable authorised product. |
| PIL, SPC and PAR | Current patient leaflet, professional product information and assessment material where available. | Defines authorised use and the evidence assessed. |
Interpret no result without overclaiming
No result can reflect a spelling difference, a brand search when only the active substance is indexed, a missing PL number or the absence of a UK authorisation under that name. Record the search terms and date, then return to what the result means in law. The companion status guide covers interpreting what the register returns.
The products database answers whether you located an authorised medicine record. It does not certify an unrelated online vial, decide border enforcement or replace an MHRA case-by-case status decision.
Our lookup record
We save the exact search terms, date, matching product, active substance, form, strength, licence number and source URL. A compound profile can therefore show the authorised product separately from products that borrow its molecule name.
MHRA database questions
What can I search in the MHRA products database?
The database accepts a product name, active substance or Product Licence number. You can also browse the A-Z active-substance index.
What does a product record contain?
Records can include patient information leaflets, Summaries of Product Characteristics and Public Assessment Reports. The product and licence details define the authorised presentation.
What does no search result mean?
It means you did not locate an authorised record under the terms used. Retry the active substance, brand and PL number. A nil result is not a complete opinion about possession, import, supply or the status of every differently named item.
Does a licensed molecule make an online vial licensed?
No. Authorisation belongs to the defined medicinal product, manufacturer, formulation, strength and licence. It does not transfer to an unrelated vial using the same active-substance name.
Official sources
- MHRA products databaseAccessed 7 August 2026
- UK regulation of experimental peptide productsAccessed 7 August 2026
- MHRA Guidance Note 8Accessed 7 August 2026
Editorial experience
From our work: how we checked this page
For topical-map item O-045, How to check a peptide in the MHRA products database was checked as a distinct editorial task, not treated as a generic peptide page. We reviewed 2 unique external sources and 4 internal destinations in the page, then checked that the opening answer, headings, source descriptions and linked next steps stayed within the same claim boundary. The count records links in the published page and is not a claim that every source carries equal evidential weight.
Yianni Kiromitis checked the page against its mapped purpose, verified the cited sources, reviewed the internal routes and approved the final wording as Lead Author, Publisher and Managing Editor. This page does not carry a specialist review credit because its publication decision did not require a scientific or clinical conclusion beyond the named material it links to.
We did not use patient experience, a personal treatment outcome, seller testimony or an assumed product identity to support this page. The publication did not independently test a vial for this review. Where a page refers to a laboratory result, that result applies only to the named sample, method and attribute. We kept uncertainty beside the conclusion, recorded which source supports each material claim, and checked that the visible review date matches the publication record. A new controlled study, regulator update, corrected source, analytical report or credible safety signal can trigger reassessment through the public correction route.