Dr Omar Babar & Peptide Therapy In The BBC Spotlight

Peptide therapy has rapidly emerged from niche scientific research into mainstream wellness discourse. Over the past few months, major media outlets, including The Guardian and The Daily Mail, featured our very own Medical Director of Healand Clinic, Dr Omar Babar.

More recently, the BBC published an article this past week on The Wellness Peptide Craze, written by esteemed journalist and Senior Producer at BBC News, Ruth Clegg. Once again, Dr Omar Babar was interviewed to contribute expert insight into how peptide therapies are being used and overseen in clinical settings.

The article discussed peptides as both a promising medical innovation and a controversial trend. Peptide recipients Katie and Jack use peptide therapy, respectively, and report satisfactory results.

Katie has been injecting a copper-based peptide for several weeks and believes it has improved her skin. Whereas Jack states that within two weeks, he noticed a significant recovery from a back injury he sustained in the gym, with “literally no side effects".  

However, the article also points out that social media is flooded with adverts and videos of influencers injecting themselves with various peptide mixtures labelled as for research purposes only.

While GLP-1 medications have been thoroughly tested in human trials and are licensed by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), a “grey market” for other unlicensed peptides is now emerging in public use.

“People look at the transformative results of pharmaceutical-grade peptides and wrongly assume that all peptides are inherently safe,” Dr Mike Mrozinski, a UK-trained medical doctor currently practising in Australia, told the BBC.

Last year, Healand Clinic won “Aesthetics Clinic of the Year 2025” at the esteemed Corporate LiveWire Innovation & Excellence Awards, in recognition of its commitment to innovation. One of the key factors behind Healand’s recognition was its sought-after peptide therapies, specifically advanced peptide-based weight-loss treatments.

Therefore, being interviewed by the BBC was not only an honour but also a reflection of the clinic’s high standing in the field, with Dr Omar Babar sharing his perspective on the peptide wellness craze, its benefits, and the controversies surrounding it.

A Closer Look At Peptides

At their core, peptides are short chains of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins in every living organism. They function as key signalling molecules throughout the body. In humans, peptides act as hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, and immune modulators.

Some examples of medically relevant peptides include:

• Insulin, the first therapeutic peptide used to treat diabetes since 1922, has transformed a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition.

• GLP-1 analogues such as semaglutide (found in drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy) help regulate blood sugar and appetite.

• Growth hormone–releasing peptides (e.g., CJC-1295, Ipamorelin) support metabolic and regenerative functions.
  

Peptides differ from full proteins in that they are easier for scientists to synthesise, can be targeted to specific receptors, and can be designed to achieve unique therapeutic goals.

The therapeutic use of peptides began nearly a century ago. With the discovery of insulin in the early 1920s, scientists recognised that manipulating peptide hormones could treat major diseases. Since then, research has expanded; however, it is still ongoing.

Despite growing interest, few peptides have undergone full regulatory approval, largely because clinical trials and drug licensing are resource-intensive and complex.

When asked by the BBC, “Why are there no gold-standard trials in humans? If these peptides are so safe and effective, why aren’t they licensed medicines?”, Dr Omar responded: “It comes down to funding. To take a product from animal studies to human trials and ultimately to a fully licensed medicine takes years and billions of dollars. It is not in the interests of big pharmaceutical companies to fund this process.”

That is why, at Healand Clinic, patient safety and treatment goals remain paramount. All the peptide therapies the clinic offers are overseen by a GMC-registered doctor.

As Dr Omar Babar explains, “There is no textbook on how to use them; it comes down to experience.”

Healand Clinic And Dr Omar Babar: Leading Clinical Peptide Innovation

At Healand Clinic, peptide therapy is offered within a broader medical framework that includes weight management, metabolic enhancement, and personalised consultation and follow-up. Patients are strictly monitored throughout their treatment to ensure optimal results. Dr Babar and his team stress that peptides should be administered under medical supervision, ensuring safety, quality sourcing, and personalised dosing, particularly as many peptide products have not yet completed formal licensing processes.

The attention paid by outlets such as the BBC underscores the rising public interest in peptide therapy. There is, without a doubt, a growing consumer curiosity about peptides. And when it comes to the future of peptide medicine, Peptide therapy stands at an intersection of promise and caution. From the life-saving breakthrough of insulin to modern protocols targeting recovery, immunity, and metabolism, peptides offer a versatile toolkit for medical innovation.

Clinicians like Healand’s very own Dr Omar Babar are at the forefront of integrating these therapies into clinical practice, navigating regulatory complexities, and educating patients about both potential benefits and risks. As science progresses and more data emerges, peptide therapy may well redefine personalised medicine, but always with a spotlight on safety and evidence-based care.