Start with the problem
A conversation about care
Bring your symptoms, how they affect your day, and the names of medicines you take.
Ask what needs a hands-on exam and which choices have human studies behind them.
Check the care routeHealing claims without patient studies
TB-500 treatment: start with the facts.
If you came looking for help with an injury or a wound, start with the problem you want care for.
The US medicine regulator is the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA. As of September 30, 2026, it has approved no TB-500 treatment.
FDA’s review found no published study where TB-500 was given to people.
A care visit and a TB-500 offer are different starting points.
Check the offer
An offer of TB-500
FDA recorded healing claims for TB-500 but found no patient study that supported them.
Ask for the evidence behind the exact substance being offered.
Read the research comparisonPut the problem first. Then compare the evidence for each proposed treatment.
The substance and the rules
What is TB-500, exactly?
TB-500 is made in a lab from tiny parts linked like beads on a string. A short chain like this is called a peptide.
It is a copy of one small part of thymosin beta-4, the much longer chain that occurs naturally in the body.
- TB-500
- A short piece made in a lab.
- Thymosin beta-4
- The whole chain, which has been studied separately in people.
A finding about thymosin beta-4 does not establish the same result for TB-500.
Note ACan a pharmacy make it as treatment?
For a patient’s particular needs, a pharmacist or doctor can prepare a medicine. This is called compounding.
That does not make the product FDA-approved.
The request for permission to use TB-500 as a pharmacy ingredient is listed as withdrawn on FDA’s page dated April 22, 2026.
The requester took it back; FDA did not clear TB-500 by listing the withdrawal.
Under the federal rules for pharmacies that make medicine for individual patients, TB-500 does not qualify as an ingredient. These rules were checked September 26, 2026.
Who advises FDA about pharmacy ingredients?
In July 2026, FDA staff advised against adding TB-500 to the list of pharmacy ingredients.
FDA has a group called the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee. It gives advice about which ingredients pharmacies may use. As of September 30, 2026, FDA had posted no official record of this group’s votes on TB-500.
A vote by this group is advice to FDA. The vote alone does not change the rules on pharmacy ingredients.
Read the substance, then the result
Which research answers your question?
By September 30, 2026, FDA’s review had found no published study in people testing TB-500 for any health problem.
| Research setting | What was found |
|---|---|
| A lab dish | FDA’s July 2026 review described a lab test using cells, the body’s tiny living parts. Researchers grew them in a dish and scratched a gap through the layer. TB-500 did not make the gap close faster. That single lab test cannot settle whether a treatment works in a person. |
| People with dry eye | Sosne and Ousler’s 2015 study tested thymosin beta-4 eye drops for dry eye. The two main checks were eye discomfort and marks shown by a dye test on the lower part of the eye’s clear front. Neither check showed a clear difference between the medicine drops and drops without the medicine. Some of the other checks showed an improvement. ARISE-3 also studied thymosin beta-4 eye drops for dry eye. It measured the same two things: eye discomfort and marks from a dye test on the eye’s clear front. Average changes were about the same with the medicine drops and drops without the medicine. |
Eye-drop studies of thymosin beta-4 do not establish a benefit from injected TB-500.
Ask to see the paper for the substance and health problem being discussed with you.
Note CIf someone sends you a web page about a study
ClinicalTrials.gov is the US government’s list of studies in people. The TB-500 page there, checked September 30, 2026, called itself a made-up example.
It cannot show that a real TB-500 study is taking place.
Note DLeave space for what is unknown
What remains unknown about harm?
FDA’s review, checked September 30, 2026, found too little information to identify TB-500’s side effects in people.
As of September 30, 2026, TB-500 has no FDA-reviewed information for use during pregnancy, while breastfeeding or in children. There is also no FDA-reviewed information about what may happen when it is used with other medicines.
What concerns did FDA raise?
FDA flags a possible immune reaction: the body’s defence system may react to an injected peptide.
Peptide chains can stick together into clumps. Unwanted material in the medicine may also add to FDA’s concern about a reaction to the shot. FDA found no studies of this risk in people given TB-500.
FDA’s sample TB-500 test sheet did not check for harmful substances from germs or for peptide chains stuck together in clumps.
On a test sheet, purity means how much of the tested material was reported to be the named peptide. It does not mean a shot has passed every safety check. A high result alone cannot rule out harmful substances from germs or peptide chains stuck together.
Note EIf sport rules apply to you
Under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s 2026 rules, TB-500 is prohibited during competition and outside it.
The US college sports list for 2026–27 also names TB-500 as banned.
The world list taking effect on January 1, 2027, keeps that prohibition, as checked September 30, 2026.
Note GA route to an assessment
Where can you start a care conversation?
In a room
Describe what hurts, what changed, and what you hope to get back to doing. Bring the questions below to the visit.
By telehealth
Telehealth means meeting a health professional by video, phone or online messages.
Ask how the service would arrange an examination or tests if a remote visit cannot answer the question.
Begin with an assessment of your concern. Ask how each proposed treatment fits it.
US guidance checked September 26, 2026, says an online doctor needs permission to practise in the state you are in at the time of the visit.
Each state sets its own rules and exceptions.
Check the person and the pharmacy separately
State medical boards are the state offices that oversee doctors. They publish licence records showing whether a doctor has permission to practise. Their public records also show whether the board has taken action over a problem with the doctor’s work.
- Get the health professional’s name and type of licence.
- Find the state board for that profession.
- Match the name. Check that the licence is current. Also check for any action the board has taken against that person.
FDA directs people to state pharmacy licence records. Its advice is to avoid an online pharmacy that does not appear there.
A licence record does not establish that a particular TB-500 product is allowed or appropriate.
Note HAsk for an item-by-item quote
What does the price include?
As of September 30, 2026, no TB-500 medicine is approved. There is therefore no maker’s published price for an approved product, or price published by a government medicine program.
For a care visit, ask for the charges to be written out before comparing offers.
- The visit
- What is included in the assessment? Is follow-up charged separately?
- Any tests
- Which tests are proposed, what question would they answer, and who bills for them?
- Any medicine
- Which exact product is being discussed, who makes it, and what is the separate cost?
- A membership
- Is it optional, when does it renew, and how do I cancel? What happens when an introductory offer ends?
Compare the whole quote, including repeat charges.
Ask your insurer about each item
Ask about the visit, any proposed tests and the exact treatment separately. Get the answer about your plan in writing.
Useful wording: “What would I pay myself, and does anything need your approval before the visit or treatment?”
Note ITake the conversation with you
Bring these questions to the visit
Which substance are we discussing: TB-500 or thymosin beta-4?
Ask for the exact name in writing.
What study in people supports it for my concern?
Ask to see the actual paper.
Which other treatments could we compare for this problem?
Make room to discuss more than the treatment name you searched.
Which rule allows this exact product to be used?
Ask to see the rule that would allow its use.
Who made this batch, and which checks looked for harmful material or clumped peptide chains?
A batch is the amount made together. Ask for the maker’s name and the actual test results.
What would follow-up involve, and who would answer a concern?
Ask how to contact the person in charge of your care.
Your questions, in your words
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Page footnotes
Source notes
Use these notes to open the records behind the answers above.
A · The substance and US approval
The approval search and FDA review were checked September 30, 2026.
Back to the openingB · Pharmacy ingredient rules
The withdrawal listing was checked September 30, 2026; the federal compounding rules were checked September 26, 2026.
Back to the pharmacy answerC · Research on the related substance
The eye-drop research in people discussed here used thymosin beta-4.
Back to the research comparisonD · The study web page
This page was checked September 30, 2026. Its summary said it was a made-up example.
Back to the study-page questionE · Unknown harms and batch testing
FDA’s review describes missing safety studies and gaps in the sample batch test sheet.
Back to the harm questionsF · When to seek urgent help
The US National Library of Medicine publishes MedlinePlus. Its guidance explains severe allergic reactions and emergency help.
Back to urgent helpG · Sport rules
The world and college sport lists were checked September 30, 2026.
Back to the sport questionH · Care and licence checks
The medical boards’ policy gives advice about online care. It is not itself a law. Doctors must follow the rules set by each state.
Medical boards’ advice on online care (PDF) State medical board directory FDA’s pharmacy licence lookup
Back to checking careI · Cost and price records
FDA approval records, checked September 30, 2026, contain no approved TB-500 medicine to price.
Back to cost questions