WADA

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is an international independent organization established in 1999 to harmonize anti-doping rules, scientific research, testing standards, and compliance monitoring across global sport. WADA publishes and annually updates the International Standard Prohibited List, which legally governs competitive athletes worldwide under the World Anti-Doping Code.

Under the WADA Code, almost all growth hormone secretagogues, tissue repair peptides (BPC-157, TB-500), and many other unapproved peptides are banned at all times under Section S2 or Section S0. A positive test can lead to a ban of up to four years for a first violation, depending on the substance and the circumstances.

For athletes, WADA’s Prohibited List matters more than whether a peptide can be bought legally. Many peptides promoted for recovery, muscle or fat loss are prohibited at all times. Category S0 bans any pharmacological substance with no current approval from a government health authority for human therapeutic use, and names BPC-157 as an example. Category S2 covers peptide hormones, growth factors and releasing factors, including CJC-1295, ipamorelin and TB-500.

The list is written broadly on purpose. Section S2 covers its named substances “and other substances with similar chemical structure or similar biological effect(s)”, and S0 acts as a catch-all for unapproved drugs, so a new or renamed peptide is not automatically permitted just because it is missing from the list. WADA advises athletes who cannot find a substance to verify its status with their anti-doping organisation.

WADA status is a useful signal for non-athletes too. S0 explicitly captures drugs still in preclinical or clinical development, discontinued drugs and designer drugs. Seeing a peptide on the list does not prove it works, but it often reflects that the substance is being used outside approved medical channels, where product quality and human safety data are frequently unknown.

“If a peptide isn’t named on the list, it’s allowed”

The list names examples, not every banned substance. S2 includes substances with similar structure or biological effects to those named, and S0 covers any pharmacological substance without current regulatory approval for human therapeutic use. An unlisted research peptide may well be prohibited. WADA directs athletes to confirm a substance’s status with their anti-doping organisation.

“A prescription means an athlete can use it”

A prescription does not override the Prohibited List. Athletes who need a prohibited substance for a genuine medical condition must apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) through their anti-doping organisation, with the physician completing the form and supplying supporting medical information. A TUE lets the athlete be treated while avoiding the risk of sanction.

“Contamination or mislabelling is a valid excuse”

Under WADA rules, athletes are subject to strict liability: they are responsible for any prohibited substance that enters their body, whatever the source. Products of uncertain quality, including peptides sold as research chemicals, may contain undeclared or mislabelled substances. For a tested athlete, using such products is a direct anti-doping risk as well as a health risk.

Is BPC-157 banned by WADA?

Yes. BPC-157 is named as an example in category S0, Non-Approved Substances, which covers any pharmacological substance not addressed elsewhere on the list that has no current approval by a governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use. Substances in S0 are prohibited at all times, both in and out of competition.

Is TB-500 banned in sport?

Yes. WADA’s Prohibited List places thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, such as TB-500, in section S2.3, growth factors and growth factor modulators. All S2 substances are prohibited at all times and are classed as non-Specified Substances. The same section also covers other growth factors affecting muscle, tendon or ligament repair and vascularisation.

Are CJC-1295 and ipamorelin banned by WADA?

Yes. Section S2.2.4 covers growth hormone releasing factors, naming GHRH analogues such as CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin, growth hormone secretagogues such as ipamorelin and ibutamoren (MK-677), and GH-releasing peptides such as GHRP-2 and GHRP-6. These are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.

How often is the WADA Prohibited List updated?

At least once a year. WADA publishes the new list on its website in October, and it comes into force on 1 January of the following year. The official text is published in English and French, and athletes are expected to check the current version rather than rely on older lists or third-party summaries.