Why research-only peptide brands should be planning their next move

Most of the brands my payments group works with sell research-use-only peptides. Almost all of them tell me the same thing: we want to get into telehealth eventually. This post explains why "eventually" might be too late.

The risks are going up

Enforcement is increasing, with more cease-and-desist letters. Processors are dropping the category, and from where I sit, legitimate payment processing for research brands keeps getting harder. Some well-known operators have shut down with little or no notice.

No exit value

A research brand is hard to sell. Buyers want something durable and compliant. A telehealth brand with real customers, licensed clinicians and recurring revenue is an asset a buyer can underwrite.

You already have the hardest part

If you've built a research brand, you know how to market, how to build a community and how to run the operation. Those skills carry over. What changes is the model: licensed clinicians, real pharmacies, and the ability to talk openly about results.

Keep them separate

A telehealth brand should be its own company, with its own name, site and merchant account. You don't have to shut the research business down to start. You do have to build the new one properly.

If you're thinking about the move, start with my conversation with Mark Lombardi, then talk to us.