Peptides Banned by WADA in 2026: A Guide for Tested Athletes

Written by Dr. Andrii Kaleniuk. Updated November 11, 2026.

Most performance and recovery peptides discussed online are banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and they are banned at all times, not just on competition day. The 2026 Prohibited List, in force since January 1, 2026, names BPC-157 in section S0 (substances with no government approval for human use), and lists growth hormone releasers such as CJC-1295, ipamorelin, sermorelin, tesamorelin and the GHRPs, along with TB-500, IGF-1 and other growth factors, in section S2 (peptide hormones and growth factors). A few common products are not banned: collagen is not prohibited, and GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are not on the list, although WADA is still studying them. The rules apply under 'strict liability', which means you are responsible for anything found in your body, whatever you intended. This guide explains each class, the 2027 changes, the FDA vote, exemptions and how to check a substance. It contains no dosing or sourcing information.

WADA's Prohibited List is the rulebook used by Olympic sports and national anti-doping agencies such as USADA and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). The 2026 list was published on September 24, 2025 and took effect on January 1, 2026. It sorts substances into sections. For peptides, three matter most: S0 (non-approved substances), S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors and related substances) and S4.4 (metabolic modulators). The only peptide-related change for 2026 was the addition of pegmolesatide, an erythropoiesis (red blood cell) stimulating agent, as a named S2 example. The table below summarizes where common peptides sit as of November 2026.

Yes, BPC-157 is banned. S0 is a catch-all section. It covers any pharmacological substance that is not listed elsewhere and has 'no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use'. In other words, if no health regulator anywhere has approved a substance as a medicine, it is banned in sport even if the list does not name it. The 2026 list names BPC-157 directly as an example, alongside the chemical DNP and several experimental muscle drugs. BPC-157 was first named on the 2022 list. USADA's substance page, updated in August 2026, states that BPC-157 is not approved by the FDA or any other health authority. Background on the peptide itself is in what is BPC-157, and its general legal status outside sport is covered in is BPC-157 legal.

All S0 substances are 'Specified Substances'. This is a technical label in the anti-doping rules that can affect how a case is handled and what sanction is considered. It does not mean the substance is allowed, or that a positive test will be treated lightly.

Yes. Ipamorelin is named in section S2.2.4 as a growth hormone secretagogue, a substance that prompts the body to release more of its own growth hormone. The same section names the GHRH (growth hormone releasing hormone) analogues 'CJC-1293, CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin', other secretagogues including ibutamoren (MK-677) and anamorelin, and the growth hormone releasing peptides hexarelin and GHRP-1 through GHRP-6. Growth hormone fragments such as AOD-9604 are banned under S2.2.3. Tesamorelin being an approved medicine does not change its status, because S2 bans it by name. What ipamorelin is and how it differs from sermorelin is explained in what is ipamorelin and sermorelin vs ipamorelin.

Unlike S0, every S2 substance is non-Specified. That generally puts an athlete in a weaker position if a case is brought.

Yes. Section S2.3 bans growth factors and growth factor modulators. It names IGF-1 and its analogues, mechano growth factors (MGFs), FGFs, HGF, PDGF, VEGF and 'Thymosin-ß4 and its derivatives e.g. TB-500'. It also contains a catch-all for any other growth factor that affects muscle, tendon or ligament protein synthesis, blood vessel formation, energy use, regeneration or fibre type. More on TB-500 is in what is TB-500 and is TB-500 legal.

Other peptide hormones sit nearby. In male athletes, chorionic gonadotrophin (CG), luteinizing hormone (LH), gonadorelin and its analogues (such as buserelin, leuprorelin and triptorelin) and kisspeptin are banned under S2.2.1. EPO-type agents are under S2.1. In S4.4, the list bans the peptide MOTS-c as a metabolic modulator, and bans insulins.

Yes. S0, S2 and S4 are all prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. A recovery peptide used in the off-season is still a violation. Out-of-competition tests can be collected at training or at home. The 2023 USADA case of cyclist Roger Whitham, described below, began with an out-of-competition test.

WADA's Executive Committee approved the 2027 list in September 2026, and it takes effect on January 1, 2027. Summaries published by World Rugby (October 6, 2026) and World Triathlon (October 12, 2026) list changes to Substances of Abuse wording, S4.2, S8 cannabinoids, S9 glucocorticoid routes and the P1 beta-blocker rule, plus 'further examples or clarifications' in S0, S4, S5 and S8.

Neither summary reported any change to S2, so the growth hormone releasers and growth factors above stay banned. Both said new examples were added to S0 but did not name them. We could not read the official 2027 list and explanatory note directly, so athletes should check WADA's published list before relying on the status of any specific substance in 2027. Anything without regulatory approval remains banned under S0, named or not.

No. On July 23, 2026, the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted to recommend BPC-157, KPV and TB-500 (8 to 6, with 1 abstention each) and MOTS-c (7 to 5) for the list of bulk substances that pharmacies may use in compounding under section 503A. Semax and Epitalon were backed the next day. The votes are advisory and not binding. FDA staff had recommended against all seven, none of them is an FDA-approved drug, and rulemaking would still be required before anything changes. We found no report of final FDA action on these votes as of November 2026. The background is covered in FDA peptide rules in 2026.

For sport, the key point is that eligibility for compounding is not the same as 'approval for human therapeutic use', which is the test S0 uses. Even if the FDA eventually adds BPC-157 to the 503A list, it would not become an approved drug, and BPC-157 is named in S0 directly. TB-500 and MOTS-c are banned by name in S2.3 and S4.4 regardless of their regulatory status.

No. GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) do not appear in the 2026 Prohibited List. World Rugby and World Triathlon both report that their status is 'unchanged for 2027 pending further data', and that a second WADA study is under way. They remain permitted for now, but compounded or 'research' versions may contain other, prohibited substances.

Collagen is not banned. USADA states that 'the substance collagen is not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)'. The caveat is that collagen is sold as a supplement, supplements can be contaminated, and USADA has no supplement approval process.

Cosmetic peptides are mixed. USADA notes that many peptides in skin creams, such as palmitoyl tripeptide-1, are not prohibited. But topical products containing IGF-1, FGF, PDGF or VEGF are prohibited, and USADA says there is 'no threshold level of allowable use'. A face serum containing a growth factor can therefore put an athlete at risk.

A therapeutic use exemption (TUE) allows an athlete to use a prohibited substance for a genuine medical need. Under the 2027 International Standard for TUEs, approved on December 5, 2025 and effective January 1, 2027, all four of these conditions must be met:

Retroactive TUEs, granted after use, are allowed only in emergencies or other exceptional cases. For BPC-157 and other S0 substances, USADA says a TUE is unlikely, because a substance with no regulatory approval cannot meet the standard of an indicated treatment. UFC fighter Cortney Casey's 2023 case illustrates this: her BPC-157 had been prescribed by a doctor, but a TUE was not available.

Anti-doping rules work on strict liability: 'if it is in the athlete's body, the athlete is responsible for it', regardless of intent. Not knowing a peptide was banned does not prevent a violation, although circumstances can affect the ban length. Possession, attempted use and helping others can also be violations without a positive test. The cases below are confirmed by USADA announcements or court reports.

Several details stand out. McCauley's case began with a whistleblower tip rather than a test, and his promotion of CJC-1295, ipamorelin and tesamorelin to followers counted as attempted complicity. He received 4 years, reduced from 5 for an early admission. In the Essendon case, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in January 2016 that 34 players had used thymosin beta-4, overturning an earlier acquittal by the AFL tribunal. Health risks are a separate question, discussed for BPC-157 in BPC-157 side effects.

'Research peptides' are not covered by Global DRO. If a substance is not an approved medicine, assume it is banned under S0.

Keep a record of every medicine and supplement you take, and declare them on doping control forms.

For tested athletes, the safe assumption is that recovery and growth hormone peptides are banned. BPC-157 is named in S0; CJC-1295, ipamorelin, sermorelin, tesamorelin, the GHRPs, MK-677, TB-500, IGF-1 and AOD-9604 are named in S2; and MOTS-c is in S4.4. All are banned at all times. Neither the 2027 list nor the July 2026 FDA vote changes that. Collagen is allowed, and GLP-1 drugs remain off the list for now. Check every substance before use, and talk to your doctor about a TUE if you have a genuine medical need.

This article explains anti-doping rules for general information as of November 2026. It is not medical or legal advice; always confirm a substance's status with your anti-doping organization before use.