GHK-Cu: where it stands with the FDA, and what it costs
Sold as injections and as a skin cream. No FDA-approved drug contains it.
Prices by form:cream (61)injections (30)
Go to clinicLowest per monthGHK-Cu cream (150mg)
Everlife · from $55/mo
- PGo to clinicLowest at a clinic we link to
GHK-Cu cream
PlexusDx · $89/mo (supply not stated, counted as 4 weeks: ≈ $95 per 30 days)
Code GETSTARTED: 10% off (its own page)
Where GHK-Cu stands today
No FDA-approved drug contains GHK-Cu. For 503A pharmacies FDA lists 'GHK-Cu (except for injectable routes of administration)' in Category 1 (updated May 14, 2026), where FDA does not intend to take action if the guidance's conditions are met. Injectable GHK-Cu was in Category 2 from September 2023 until April 22, 2026, when it was removed because the nominations were withdrawn; it is in no category now. FDA plans an advisory committee review of GHK-Cu before the end of February 2027. It is not in HHS's October 2026 interim policy and is not on the 503B bulks list or in any 503B category.
For pharmacies compounding one patient's prescription (section 503A)
Split by route. Non-injectable routes (topical, oral and other): Category 1 (Bulk Drug Substances Under Evaluation), removed April 22, 2026 and added back after a nominator clarified on May 5, 2026. Injectable: removed from Category 2 on April 22, 2026 (nominations withdrawn) and now in no category. Advisory committee review planned before the end of February 2027. Not in HHS's Oct 2026 interim policy.
“GHK-Cu (except for injectable routes of administration) was removed from category 1 on April 22, 2026, because the nominations for GHK-Cu were withdrawn by the nominators. On May 5, 2026, one of those nominators clarified that it intended to withdraw only its nomination of the injectable route of administration with respect to GHK-Cu and would like to retain its nomination for GHK-Cu for non-injectable routes of administration. GHK-Cu (except for injectable routes of administration) will be added back to category 1.”
“503A Category 1 – Bulk Drug Substances Under Evaluation ... GHK-Cu (except for injectable routes of administration)”
What Category 1 means (FDA 503A page)
“FDA does not intend to take action against a compounder for compounding drugs using bulk drug substances listed in category 1, provided that the conditions described in the guidance document are met.”
“Bulk drug substances nominated but withdrawn ... GHK-Cu (for injectable routes of administration) Compounded injectable drugs containing GHK-Cu may pose risk for immunogenicity due to the potential for aggregation and peptide-related impurities.”
““GHK-Cu (for injectable routes of administration)” has been removed from category 2 because the nominations were withdrawn by the nominators.”
FDA interim 503A bulks policy: a substance outside Category 1 gets no interim enforcement discretion
“Drug products compounded using a bulk drug substance for which each of the above circumstances are not present are not within the scope of the policy described in this guidance.”
For outsourcing facilities (section 503B)
Not on the 503B bulks list and not in any 503B category (FDA's 503B nominations list, updated March 21, 2025, does not name it)
“Outsourcing facilities, which operate under section 503B of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), may not compound a drug product that includes a bulk drug substance unless: The bulk drug substance appears on a list identifying bulk drug substances for which there is a clinical need (the 503B bulks list), or”
The 503B bulks list holds five substances (diphenylcyclopropenone, glycolic acid, quinacrine HCl oral, squaric acid dibutyl ester, trichloroacetic acid); none of the compounds in this file
“FDA has evaluated the following bulk drug substances and determined that there is a clinical need for outsourcing facilities to compound drug products using these bulk drug substances under section 503B of the FD&C Act:”
The FDA's compounding advisory committee
Invalid Date: Whether to include GHK-Cu on the 503A bulks list. Pending
“FDA will host an advisory committee meeting before the end of February 2027 ... The Committee will discuss the following bulk drug substances being considered for inclusion on the 503A bulks list: Cathelicidin (LL-37) GHK-Cu”
FDA warnings, recalls and letters
21 October 2025: Recall of injectable GHK-Cu. Class II; recall initiated 2025-07-30, classified 2025-10-21, distributed nationwide. (GenoGenix LLC, Boca Raton, FL (registered 503B outsourcing facility)).
“GHK-Cu (Copper Peptide) for Injection, all strengths and presentations ... Lack of Assurance of Sterility”
Our reading
A 503A pharmacy may compound topical (or other non-injectable) GHK-Cu under FDA's Category 1 policy; injectable GHK-Cu has no enforcement-discretion cover from FDA or HHS. 503B facilities have no route. Cosmetic GHK-Cu creams sold without a prescription are a separate (cosmetic) category not assessed here.
Every source above was checked again on 14 November 2026.
What 97 clinics charge
- EverlifeGHK-Cu cream (150mg)from $55/mo
- CLYR HealthGHK-Cu cream (30ml)≈ $62/mo$249 for 120 days
- WillowGHK-Cu cream (30mg)≈ $66/mo$199 for 90 days
- EdenGHK-Cufrom $68/mo
- CLYR HealthGHK-Cu cream≈ $75/mo$149 for 60 days
What GHK-Cu is
- What it is
- Copper-binding tripeptide
- How it works
- A three-amino-acid peptide that binds copper and occurs naturally in human plasma; studied in skin and wound repair.
- How it is given
- Subcutaneous injection; topical cream
- Also called
- copper peptide, GHK copper, glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine copper
GHK-Cu side by side
About GHK-Cu
Is GHK-Cu FDA-approved?
No. No FDA-approved drug contains GHK-Cu. What clinics sell is compounded by a pharmacy for a prescription, and the FDA does not review compounded products before they are sold.
Is GHK-Cu legal in the US?
Whether a pharmacy may compound it for your prescription is what decides it. No FDA-approved drug contains GHK-Cu. For 503A pharmacies FDA lists 'GHK-Cu (except for injectable routes of administration)' in Category 1 (updated May 14, 2026), where FDA does not intend to take action if the guidance's conditions are met. Injectable GHK-Cu was in Category 2 from September 2023 until April 22, 2026, when it was removed because the nominations were withdrawn; it is in no category now. FDA plans an advisory committee review of GHK-Cu before the end of February 2027. It is not in HHS's October 2026 interim policy and is not on the 503B bulks list or in any 503B category.
How much does GHK-Cu cost?
97 clinics publish a price. The lowest that compares per month is from $55/mo at Everlife, and the middle of 74 clinics' lowest monthly prices is about $157. What a month buys differs by clinic, so each price lists what it includes. every GHK-Cu price
What forms does GHK-Cu come in?
Clinics sell it as cream (61 prices), injection (30 prices), other (19 prices), tablets (2 prices), capsules (2 prices), troches (1 price).