Peptide Policy Watch

Which popular gym peptides are banned in sport? What WADA's 2026 and 2027 lists name

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Illustration (AI-generated): Gym and strength: dumbbell rack, kettlebell, bench with a plate and a jump rope. Image credits

In the copies we compared, WADA's 2027 Prohibited List (published September 21, 2026) adds one word to its definition of non-approved substances: "peptides." Names you hear in fitness circles, BPC-157 among them, are already listed, and USADA says a supplement label does not change an athlete's responsibility.

Published October 25, 2026. Status is "as of" this date. Sources and retrieval dates are at the bottom. This is not medical advice. The site owner is not a medical professional. Nothing here is a recommendation to use any substance.

The short version

  • The 2026 List is in force now. The 2027 List, published September 21, 2026, takes effect January 1, 2027. [V]
  • Both lists name BPC-157 (S0), AOD-9604 and several growth-hormone-releasing peptides (S2), TB-500 (S2) and MOTS-c (S4). [S] (see the note on our source below)
  • For 2027, WADA says the status of GLP-1 drugs, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, "will remain unchanged" while more data are gathered. [V]
  • USADA says athletes are strictly liable for what is in their system, and that neither USADA nor WADA approves any dietary supplement. [V]

Why this is a wellness story too

You do not have to be an elite athlete for this to matter. Plenty of recreational athletes enter races, lifting meets and amateur leagues that follow anti-doping rules. The peptide chatter that reaches a casual gym-goer reaches them too.

How a substance ends up on the List

WADA says a substance or method is added when it meets at least two of three criteria: it has the potential to enhance, or enhances, sport performance; it represents an actual or potential health risk to athletes; or it violates the spirit of sport. [V]

The 2026 List was published September 24, 2025 and took effect January 1, 2026. WADA added further examples or clarifications for 2026 to classes S1, S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics), S4 and S6. [V]

The 2027 List was approved by WADA's Executive Committee on September 10, 2026 and published September 21, 2026. WADA says further examples or clarifications were added to S0 (non-approved substances), S4, S5 and S8. [V]

What the lists name

A note on sourcing: WADA's own PDF would not download for our automated tools. We read the 2026 text from a copy hosted by the International Handball Federation and the 2027 text from a copy hosted by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS). Each copy states which List it is, and we confirmed dates and structure against WADA's news releases. Treat the specific names below as [S] until you check WADA's own copy.

  • S0, non-approved substances. Any pharmacological substance with "no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use" is prohibited at all times. The 2026 examples include "drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development or discontinued, designer drugs" and substances approved only for veterinary use. The class names BPC-157 "including but not limited to." In the 2027 copy, "peptides" appears in that list of examples too. [S]
  • S2, peptide hormones, growth factors and mimetics. Examples include kisspeptin (S2.2.1), AOD-9604 and hGH 176-191 (S2.2.3), and growth-hormone-releasing peptides: CJC-1293, CJC-1295, sermorelin, tesamorelin, ibutamoren (MK-677), ipamorelin, and the GHRPs such as hexarelin (S2.2.4). Thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, such as TB-500, appear in S2.3. These names are identical in the 2026 and 2027 copies we read. [S]
  • S4, metabolic modulators. MOTS-c is an example under S4.4.1. In 2027, SLU-PP-332 and SLU-PP-915 are added there as well. [S]

Two of those names, ibutamoren and kisspeptin, also appear in FDA's Category 2 compounding list, which we explain in our categories post. The agencies ask different questions: FDA asks about compounding and safety, and WADA asks about fair play and athlete health. Neither list says whether anything works.

The GLP-1 question

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are widely used in society. WADA says it has looked at the science, and that for 2027 their status "will remain unchanged." Its Senior Director of Science and Medicine said "at this stage, there is not enough evidence available for us to conclude with confidence that the substances meet the criteria needed for inclusion on the List." WADA says one sport-related study is under way and it has started a second. [V]

That is a regulator saying "we need more data." It is not a statement about benefit or safety.

The part many people miss: strict liability

USADA's 2026 Clean Sport Handbook says athletes are "strictly liable" for substances they ingest, including those in dietary supplements. USADA's 2026 Pocket Guide says this means athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their system "regardless of how it got there." [V]

USADA also says [V]:

  • FDA does not analyze the safety, efficacy or label accuracy of supplements before they are sold. Manufacturers may misidentify prohibited substances on labels, or leave them off.
  • Neither USADA nor WADA approves any dietary supplement.
  • Products labeled "for research purposes only," or with no label at all, "should be considered risky from both a health and anti-doping perspective."

What a medical need looks like

WADA says athletes with a legitimate medical reason to use a listed substance can apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). USADA points athletes to its TUE Pre-Check Form and to Global DRO to look up medications. If a medication is not on Global DRO, USADA says that does not mean it is permitted. [V]

Why you should care

If you only train for yourself, the List may never apply to you. If you ever compete, even locally, a product you read about in a group chat can become a rule problem. The rules also exist partly because of health risk, one of WADA's three criteria.

For everyone else, the List is a reality check. It shows which names the global sport system takes seriously enough to ban.

What to do with this

Questions to ask, not advice:

  1. Do I, or does anyone I train with, compete under anti-doping rules? If yes, the national anti-doping organization is the place to ask.
  2. Is the name I am reading about on the current List? WADA says to contact your anti-doping organization if in doubt.
  3. Who says a product is what its label claims? USADA says labels can be wrong.
  4. If a clinician suggests something, have I told them I am subject to testing? USADA advises athletes to tell their treating physicians.

What to watch next

  • The 2027 List starts January 1, 2027. WADA says an Athlete and ASP Guide to the 2027 List will be available in December. [V]
  • WADA's GLP-1 studies, which WADA says it expects will provide the data for a firm decision. [V]
  • Our timeline tracks FDA's side of the story.
  • Coming: "Myth vs. evidence" and a label decoder for wellness products.

Sources (all retrieved October 25, 2026)

  1. WADA, "WADA publishes 2026 Prohibited List," news release, September 24, 2025 [V] — https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-publishes-2026-prohibited-list
  2. WADA, "WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List," news release, September 21, 2026 [V] — https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-publishes-2027-prohibited-list
  3. WADA, 2026 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (PDF). Official copy: https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf (our automated download was blocked). Text read from a copy hosted by the International Handball Federation [S]
  4. WADA, 2027 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods (PDF). Text read from a copy hosted by FIS: https://assets.fis-ski.com/f/252177/x/4526d29144/2027list_en_final_clean_26_august_2026_2.pdf [S]
  5. USADA, 2026 Clean Sport Handbook, dietary supplements pages [V] — https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-Clean-Sport-Handbook%5Fv2.pdf
  6. USADA, 2026 Pocket Guide [V] — https://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/2026-USADA-Pocket-Guide_.pdf
  7. FDA, "Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks," content current as of 04/22/2026 (cross-reference only; see our categories post) [V] — https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks

Reading this for health reasons? This site reports on regulation; it is not medical advice. See our disclaimer, how we source and corrections policy.