Peptide glossary
Research use only (RUO)
Also: for research purposes only · not for human use
The legal category for compounds sold for laboratory research, not for human or veterinary use; it is a condition of sale, not a quality grade.
"Research use only" is a regulatory designation for products sold for laboratory investigation rather than for administration to people or animals. A compound sold under it has not been reviewed by Health Canada for safety or efficacy, carries no Drug Identification Number, and is not manufactured under the pharmaceutical standards that apply to a medicine. The designation is a condition of sale: the buyer is a researcher and the use is research.
It is not a statement about quality. Research-grade peptides can be, and here are, tested by HPLC to purity above 98% with a certificate of analysis per lot, which is a higher standard than many consumer products meet. What separates them from a medicine is the absence of clinical trials, labelling, and regulatory oversight, not the purity of the material. The article on what research-grade means draws the line in detail.
Every compound profile on this site states its regulatory status in Canada. A handful, semaglutide and tesamorelin among them, are also approved medicines under brand names; the research-grade material sold here is not that product.
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Research & educational use only. Definitions are informational and not medical advice. Products are supplied for laboratory research and are not for human use.