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Athletes, peptides and testing: what the rules say

If you compete under the World Anti-Doping Code, a peptide is not a wellness choice; it is a question of what the Prohibited List says on the day of the test. This section shows where the compounds athletes ask about stand, generated from our dataset, how laboratories detect them, when an exemption is possible, and why a supplement label is no defence.

Last updated November 3, 2026 · Reviewed by Grey Peptides Editorial Board · ✓ Every claim sourced · No products sold, no seller named

Guide
WADA status by compound
Growth hormone secretagogues, repair peptides, GLP-1s, hormones: every row generated from our dataset.
Guide
The 2027 Prohibited List
What changed for peptides, what WADA is monitoring, and which List applies on which date.
Guide
How testing finds peptides
The published methods for growth hormone secretagogues, BPC-157 and TB-500, and their limits.
Guide
Therapeutic use exemptions
The four conditions of WADA's 2027 TUE standard, applying in advance or afterwards, and why research peptides fail.
Guide
Contaminated supplements and products
What analyses of supplements and seized products found, and why a label is not evidence for an athlete.
📋 Key takeaways

Not named does not mean allowed. S0 prohibits any pharmacological substance that no other section addresses and that has no current approval for human therapeutic use anywhere, which is why most research peptides are prohibited although few are named.1

The List that counts is the one in force on the day of the sample. The 2026 List applies until December 31, 2026; the 2027 List from January 1, 2027.12

Laboratories have published methods for BPC-157 and the growth hormone-releasing peptides in urine.45

A prescription is not an exemption. Only a TUE granted under WADA's standard is, and it has four conditions.3

On this page

  1. The compounds athletes ask about, at a glance
  2. How an unnamed peptide can be banned
  3. Where to go next
  4. Testing, in short
  5. Exemptions and contaminated products
  6. GLP-1 drugs
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Related on Grey Peptides
  9. Sources

The compounds athletes ask about, at a glance

Every row below is generated from the WADA records in our dataset, the same records that drive the WADA Prohibited List hub and each encyclopedia entry's legal table. Nothing in it is typed by hand, so when a record changes, this table changes with it.

Generated from our dataset's WADA records (each List read September 27, 2026)

Compound2027 List (from January 1, 2027)SectionSpecified?2026 List (in force now)2027 Monitoring Program
BPC-157Prohibited at all times (S0)1S0SpecifiedProhibited at all times (S0)—
TB-500Prohibited at all times (S2.3)1S2.3Non-SpecifiedProhibited at all times (S2.3)—
IpamorelinProhibited at all times (S2.2.4)1S2.2.4Non-SpecifiedProhibited at all times (S2.2.4)—
CJC-1295Prohibited at all times (S2.2.4)1S2.2.4Non-SpecifiedProhibited at all times (S2.2.4)—
MK-677Prohibited at all times (S2.2.4)1S2.2.4Non-SpecifiedProhibited at all times (S2.2.4)—
SemaglutideNot on the 2027 List1——Not on the 2026 ListGLP-1 receptor agonists: semaglutide and tirzepatide, in and out of competition
TirzepatideNot on the 2027 List1——Not on the 2026 ListGLP-1 receptor agonists: semaglutide and tirzepatide, in and out of competition
RetatrutideProhibited (S0 catch-all)1S0SpecifiedProhibited (S0 catch-all)—
MOTS-cProhibited at all times (S4.4.1)1S4.4.1Non-SpecifiedProhibited at all times (S4.4.1)—
GHK-CuProhibited (S0 catch-all)1S0SpecifiedProhibited (S0 catch-all)—

Of the 583 compounds in our encyclopedia with WADA records, under the 2027 List: 93 named on the List, 1 prohibited in competition only, 258 caught by S0 without being named, 112 unsettled, 119 not on the List.1

The WADA status page has the same table for each family of compounds.

How an unnamed peptide can be banned

Most of the List names substances or classes. Section S0 is different: it covers any pharmacological substance not addressed elsewhere on the List and with no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use. Its examples include drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development or discontinued, and substances approved only for veterinary use.1 A research peptide that no regulator has approved therefore falls under S0 without anyone writing its name down. The 2027 List page covers what changed for 2027.

Where to go next

  1. WADA status by compound. Growth hormone secretagogues, repair peptides, GLP-1s, hormones: every row generated from our dataset.
  2. The 2027 Prohibited List. What changed for peptides, what WADA is monitoring, and which List applies on which date.
  3. How testing finds peptides. The published methods for growth hormone secretagogues, BPC-157 and TB-500, and their limits.
  4. Therapeutic use exemptions. The four conditions of WADA's 2027 TUE standard, applying in advance or afterwards, and why research peptides fail.
  5. Contaminated supplements and products. What analyses of supplements and seized products found, and why a label is not evidence for an athlete.
  6. WADA Prohibited List hub. All compounds in our encyclopedia against the 2026 and 2027 Lists.
  7. Do peptides show up on drug tests?. Workplace panels, sport testing and the cases.
  8. Our report on the 2027 List. What WADA published in September 2026.
  9. TB-500 is not thymosin beta-4. Two molecules under one ban.
  10. The grey market. What published tests of products sold online found.

Testing, in short

Peptides are small and short-lived, but anti-doping laboratories have published methods for them. A method for BPC-157 in urine had a limit of detection of 0.1 ng/mL, and BPC-157 was stable in urine for at least four days.4 After a single nasal dose, metabolites of GHRP-2 were found in urine up to 47 hours later, and metabolites of ipamorelin and hexarelin remained detectable after the parent compounds had cleared.5 The testing page sets out the methods for each compound and what they cannot do; our drug-testing guide covers workplace panels and the sanction cases.

Exemptions and contaminated products

An athlete who needs a prohibited substance for a medical condition must apply for a therapeutic use exemption, normally before using it; WADA's 2027 standard sets four conditions, including that there is no reasonable permitted alternative.3 See therapeutic use exemptions.

Supplements are a known route to an unintended positive test: a 2022 review of 50 studies found 875 of 3,132 supplements analysed contained undeclared substances, most often sibutramine and anabolic steroids.6 See contaminated supplements and products.

GLP-1 drugs

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are approved drugs; the table shows their List status and the 2027 Monitoring Program entry that names them. Being monitored means WADA is watching for patterns of misuse; the programme covers substances that are not prohibited.7 Grey-market GLP-1s are another matter: retatrutide is still in trials, and the table shows how that plays out under the List.

Frequently asked questions

Is BPC-157 banned in sport?

Check the table above, which is generated from our record of the List. S0 covers pharmacological substances with no current approval for human therapeutic use, whether or not the List names them.1

Can I get an exemption for a research peptide?

A TUE requires, among other things, that the substance is an indicated treatment with no reasonable permitted alternative. The US Anti-Doping Agency has said a TUE for BPC-157 is unlikely because permitted alternatives exist.38

WADA status by compound The 2027 Prohibited List How testing finds peptides Therapeutic use exemptions Contaminated supplements and products WADA Prohibited List hub Do peptides show up on drug tests? Our report on the 2027 List TB-500 is not thymosin beta-4 The grey market

Sources

The Lists are cited with the date we read them; each compound's status is our dataset record of that List. Studies by PMID, checked on PubMed. All read November 3, 2026 unless stated.

  1. World Anti-Doping Agency. Prohibited List 2027, in force January 1, 2027; read September 27, 2026. Each compound's status is our record of that List, kept in the dataset. WADA · Dataset
  2. World Anti-Doping Agency. Prohibited List 2026, in force January 1, 2026; read September 27, 2026. Each compound's status is our record of that List, kept in the dataset. WADA · Dataset
  3. World Anti-Doping Agency. International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE) 2027, approved by the WADA Executive Committee on December 5, 2025, effective January 1, 2027, Articles 4.1 and 4.2; read November 3, 2026 in the 2023-to-2027 comparison published by the Japan Anti-Doping Agency. Source
  4. Cox HD, Miller GD, Eichner D. Detection and in vitro metabolism of the confiscated peptides BPC 157 and MGF R23H. Drug Test Anal 2017;9(10):1490-1498. PMID 28035768. Source
  5. Semenistaya E, Zvereva I, Thomas A, et al. Determination of growth hormone releasing peptides metabolites in human urine after nasal administration of GHRP-1, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, Hexarelin, and Ipamorelin. Drug Test Anal 2015;7(10):919-925. PMID 25869809. Source
  6. Kozhuharov VR, Ivanov K, Ivanova S. Dietary Supplements as Source of Unintentional Doping. Biomed Res Int 2022;2022:8387271. PMID 35496041. Source
  7. World Anti-Doping Agency. 2027 Monitoring Program; read September 27, 2026. WADA
  8. US Anti-Doping Agency. BPC-157: what athletes should know about the prohibited experimental peptide (page modified August 10, 2026); read October 27, 2026. Source

This section reports the WADA Prohibited List, the anti-doping standards and published research, and our reading of them. It is not legal advice or an anti-doping ruling: an athlete's own anti-doping organisation gives the answer that counts. Grey Peptides sells nothing, links to no seller and rates none.