WADA Prohibited Peptides: What the 2026 List Bans and Where

Many research peptides are WADA prohibited peptides. The 2026 WADA Prohibited List names BPC-157 under section S0 (non-approved substances). It names TB-500 and tesamorelin under section S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics), and MOTS-c under S4.4 (metabolic modulators). All of them are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.¹ In Australia, the anti-doping rules are administered by Sport Integrity Australia.²

This guide works from the text of the 2026 List itself, in effect from 1 January 2026, and quotes section numbers exactly. It covers how the List is structured, which peptides it names and where, what "not named" does and does not mean, and where GLP-1 drugs and retatrutide currently sit.

How the WADA Prohibited List works

The Prohibited List is a mandatory International Standard under the World Anti-Doping Code. WADA updates it every year after a consultation process, and each edition takes effect on 1 January. The List is published in English and French, and if the two versions conflict, the English version prevails.¹ It has three parts:

• Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition): sections S0 to S5 and the prohibited methods M1 to M3.
• Prohibited in-competition: stimulants (S6), narcotics (S7), cannabinoids (S8) and glucocorticoids (S9). Unless WADA has approved a different period for a sport, the in-competition period starts at 11:59 p.m. the day before a competition and ends when the competition and sample collection are finished.
• Prohibited in particular sports: beta-blockers (P1).

The List also labels substances as Specified or non-Specified. Under the Code, every prohibited substance is Specified unless the List says otherwise. The List stresses that Specified substances are not less important or less dangerous. They are substances more likely to have been used for a purpose other than improving performance, and the label affects how sanctions are applied.¹ Most sections use the phrase "including, but not limited to", so the named substances are examples, not a complete catalogue.

Which WADA prohibited peptides are named in the 2026 List?

Source for every row: the 2026 Prohibited List text.¹

S0: non-approved substances and BPC-157

Section S0 is the List's catch-all. It covers any pharmacological substance that no later section of the List addresses and that has no current approval from any government health regulator for human therapeutic use. The List gives drugs in preclinical or clinical development, discontinued drugs, designer drugs and veterinary-only substances as examples.¹ S0 names BPC-157 alongside 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), ryanodine receptor-calstabin stabilisers and troponin activators. Every substance in S0 is a Specified substance.

BPC-157 has been named since the 2022 List. When WADA published that list, it said BPC-157 was the first substance ever included by name as an example in S0. It described BPC-157 as an experimental peptide sold as a supplement, added after a re-evaluation of its status.³ For what the preclinical literature on the compound actually reports, see our BPC-157 research overview.

S2: peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics

Section S2 is where most peptide-type substances sit. It is prohibited at all times, and all of its substances are non-Specified. The section opens by prohibiting the listed substances "and other substances with similar chemical structure or similar biological effect(s)".¹ Its subsections are:

• S2.1 erythropoietins and agents affecting erythropoiesis (for example EPO, HIF activators; pegmolesatide was added for 2026).⁴
• S2.2.1 testosterone-stimulating peptides in males: chorionic gonadotrophin, luteinising hormone, GnRH and its agonist analogues, and kisspeptin and its agonist analogues.
• S2.2.2 corticotrophins and their releasing factors.
• S2.2.3 growth hormone, its analogues and fragments, including AOD-9604 and hGH 176-191.
• S2.2.4 growth hormone releasing factors: GHRH and its analogues (CJC-1293, CJC-1295, sermorelin, tesamorelin); growth hormone secretagogues and mimetics (including ipamorelin, ibutamoren and lenomorelin, which is ghrelin); and GH-releasing peptides (GHRP-1 to GHRP-6, alexamorelin, examorelin/hexarelin).
• S2.3 growth factors and growth factor modulators: IGF-1 and analogues, mechano growth factors, FGFs, HGF, PDGF, VEGF, and thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, for example TB-500. The subsection also covers other growth factors or modulators affecting muscle, tendon or ligament protein synthesis or degradation, vascularisation, energy use, regenerative capacity or fibre-type switching.¹

Our articles on TB-500 and thymosin beta-4 and on tesamorelin cover the research behind two of these entries.

S4.4: metabolic modulators and MOTS-c

Section S4 covers hormone and metabolic modulators. Its first two subsections (S4.1 aromatase inhibitors and S4.2 anti-oestrogenic substances) are Specified. S4.3 and S4.4 are non-Specified. Section S4.4.1 names activators of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), including AICAR, BAM15 and MOTS-c, together with PPARδ agonists such as GW1516 and Rev-erb agonists. S4.4.2 covers insulins and insulin-mimetics, S4.4.3 meldonium and S4.4.4 trimetazidine.¹ BAM15 was the 2026 addition to the AMPK group; WADA's explanatory note says it had been found in supplements.⁴ Our MOTS-c research overview explains the AMPK link.

Is BPC-157 banned? Quick answers for the peptides people ask about

Is BPC-157 banned in sport?

Yes. It is named in S0 of the 2026 List and is prohibited at all times.¹ Titan Peptides supplies BPC-157 for laboratory research only; it is not for athletes or any human use.

Is TB-500 banned?

Yes. S2.3 names thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, with TB-500 as the example, prohibited at all times.¹ TB-500 sold for research is covered by that entry regardless of its research-use labelling.

Is MOTS-c banned?

Yes, under S4.4.1 as an AMPK activator.¹

Is tesamorelin banned?

Yes, under S2.2.4,¹ even though it is the active ingredient of an FDA-approved medicine, Egrifta.⁵ Approval does not remove a substance from the List. Sport Integrity Australia notes that an athlete prescribed a prohibited peptide by a medical practitioner may be granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption.⁶

Peptides not named in the 2026 List

Several compounds that researchers commonly ask about do not appear by name anywhere in the 2026 List text. These include bremelanotide (PT-141), GHK-Cu, Semax, Selank, DSIP and retatrutide. "Not named" is not the same as "permitted". Three features of the List make that clear:

1. Most sections, S2 among them, list examples "including, but not limited to".
2. S2 extends to substances with similar chemical structure or similar biological effect.
3. S0 captures any pharmacological substance not addressed elsewhere that has no current government approval for human therapeutic use.¹

Whether an unnamed compound falls within one of these clauses depends on its pharmacology and regulatory status. That is a question for the anti-doping authorities, not for a supplier's blog. In Australia, Sport Integrity Australia directs athletes to check substances on Global DRO or the Sport Integrity App, and takes questions about peptide products at substance.enquiries@sportintegrity.gov.au.⁶

Retatrutide

Retatrutide, Eli Lilly's investigational GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist, is not named in the 2026 List. It is also not approved by any regulator. S0's wording explicitly lists drugs under clinical development as examples, so athletes should treat its status as a question to put to their anti-doping organisation. Anti-doping science is already paying attention. A 2026 analytical study developed a liquid chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry method for retatrutide, validated to WADA criteria. It found the intact peptide detectable in plasma for an extended period but did not detect it in urine.⁷ Our retatrutide research overview covers its trial status.

GLP-1 drugs: monitored, not prohibited

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are not on the 2026 Prohibited List. Markers of both are on WADA's 2026 Monitoring Program, in and out of competition.⁸ The Monitoring Program exists for substances that are not prohibited but that WADA wants to track for patterns of misuse. The 2026 explanatory note clarified that monitoring of semaglutide also covers tirzepatide.⁴

On 10 September 2026, WADA's Executive Committee approved the 2027 Prohibited List and said that the status of GLP-1 receptor agonists, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, would remain unchanged for 2027 pending further data. WADA said the 2027 List would have a limited number of modifications, would be published before 1 October 2026 and would take effect on 1 January 2027.⁹ If you are reading this after the 2027 List is published, check the new text: section numbers and named examples can change from year to year.

Sport Integrity Australia and peptides

Sport Integrity Australia was established by the Australian Government in 2020 and functions as Australia's national anti-doping organisation. Its role and functions are set out in the Sport Integrity Australia Act 2020, the Sport Integrity Australia Regulations 2020 and the National Anti-Doping scheme.² On its peptides page, the agency makes several points relevant to anyone who works with research peptides:⁶

• Many unapproved peptides are prohibited in sport. Its examples include BPC-157, CJC-1295, ibutamoren (MK-677), ipamorelin, MOTS-C and thymosin beta-4 (TB-500).
• Possession or use of prohibited peptide products by athletes can result in an anti-doping rule violation, with significant consequences including a ban from sport.
• Unapproved peptide products are goods not included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. A Therapeutic Use Exemption is unlikely to be granted for an unregistered medicine, including one made by a compounding pharmacy.
• Supplements marketed as "peptide" versions of collagen, creatine or whey protein are not prohibited in themselves, but carry a risk of contamination.

What this means for research peptides

Research-grade peptides are sold for laboratory work, and nothing about "research use only" labelling changes a compound's status under the Prohibited List. For an athlete, the relevant facts are the List section and the anti-doping rules, not how a product is marketed. For laboratories, the List is a useful index of which compounds anti-doping authorities have singled out, and of how they classify each one pharmacologically.

Frequently asked questions

References