WADA 2027 Prohibited List: what it says about peptides

The 2027 WADA Prohibited List, approved by WADA's Executive Committee on 10 September 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027, keeps unapproved research peptides banned at all times. The changes for 2027 are minor overall, but the non-approved substances class, S0, received added examples and clarifications, and USADA's athlete advisory now names peptides in general within S0. BPC-157 remains prohibited under S0, peptides such as TB-500 remain under S2, and the GLP-1 medicines semaglutide and tirzepatide stay on the Monitoring Program rather than the banned list. This page sets out what is confirmed and what we could not verify.

What we could confirm

We could not open WADA's own website or the 2027 list document directly for this review. Everything below comes from summaries published by anti-doping organizations and sports federations that link to WADA's documents: USADA's athlete advisory (6 October 2026), World Rugby, World Triathlon and Athletics Illustrated. Where these sources differ in detail, we say so. Before relying on any substance's status, check the official list or a national anti-doping organization's lookup tool.

The 2027 changes at a glance

WADA's summary of major modifications, as reported by World Rugby and World Triathlon, lists these changes:

S0: where most research peptides sit

S0 is the catch-all class. It covers any pharmacological substance that is not addressed by another section of the list and that no government health authority has approved for human therapeutic use. That includes drugs in preclinical or clinical development, discontinued drugs, designer drugs and substances approved only for veterinary use. S0 substances are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.

BPC-157 has been named in the S0 wording for several years. The German Sport University Cologne's anti-doping reference quotes the WADA text effective 1 January 2024 as covering substances "including but not limited to BPC-157, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and troponin activators." A 2025 systematic review in the HSS Journal dates the specific ban on BPC-157 to 2022.

For 2027, the confirmed change is that S0 received added examples and clarifications. USADA's advisory goes further in its own wording: it says peptides in general are now named as prohibited in S0, and that for peptides not named on the list, "utmost caution should be taken, as it may still be prohibited and may be harmful to health." Cycling outlet Gran Fondo Daily News reported the same point as peptides being "explicitly identified as prohibited under class S0." Because we could not read the final WADA text ourselves, we cannot quote its exact new S0 wording.

S2: peptide hormones and growth factors

S2 covers peptide hormones, growth factors and related substances. USADA's 2027 advisory gives TB-500, thymosin beta-4 and IGF-1 (mecasermin) and its analogues among its S2 examples. S2 also includes growth-hormone-related substances, which this site does not cover. USADA's advisory does not describe any specific S2 change for 2027.

For how TB-500 compares with BPC-157 in the research literature, see BPC-157 vs TB-500, and for the two thymosins see thymosin alpha-1 vs beta-4.

GLP-1 medicines: still monitored, not banned

Semaglutide and tirzepatide remain on WADA's 2027 Monitoring Program, both in and out of competition. Monitored substances are not prohibited; accredited laboratories track them so WADA can see patterns of use. World Triathlon and World Rugby both report that WADA left their status unchanged for 2027 while it gathers more data. Research-grade powders sold under these names are not the approved medicines.

Other Monitoring Program changes

USADA reports these removals from the 2027 Monitoring Program: codeine, dermorphin and its analogues, hydrocodone, and out-of-competition use of fentanyl and tramadol. Removal reflects WADA's view that the data do not currently show an anti-doping concern; it does not mean a substance is approved or safe. Substances still monitored in competition include caffeine, nicotine and bupropion.

Can BPC-157 be detected?

The 2025 HSS Journal review notes that WADA sets a minimum required performance level of 2 ng/mL for peptide compounds, and that published detection limits for BPC-157 metabolites, 0.03 to 0.11 ng/mL, are well below that threshold. In other words, laboratory methods able to find it at very low levels have been reported. Strict liability applies: athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found in their bodies, whatever the source.

Does the HHS compounding policy change anything?

On 28 October 2026, HHS announced an enforcement-discretion policy allowing 503A pharmacies to compound BPC-157, TB-500, Epitalon, Semax, KPV and MOTS-c under conditions while rulemaking continues. Legal commentators stress that this does not make compounded products FDA-approved. S0 turns on whether a government health authority has approved a substance for human therapeutic use, so on our reading the policy does not move BPC-157 out of S0, and it has no effect on TB-500's S2 status. A prescription is not the same as permission under anti-doping rules; athletes with questions can contact their national anti-doping organization, and USADA offers a Therapeutic Use Exemption pre-check form. See our HHS compounding policy explainer and the peptide legal guide.

A wider change: the 2027 Code

The 2027 list arrives alongside a revised World Anti-Doping Code. Athletics Illustrated reports that from the start of 2027 the Prohibited List becomes one of nine mandatory international standards for Code signatories.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. USADA: Athlete advisory, what's new on the 2027 WADA Prohibited List (6 October 2026)
2. World Rugby: WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List (October 2026)
3. World Triathlon: WADA publishes Prohibited List update for 2027 (12 October 2026)
4. Athletics Illustrated: WADA published its 2027 list of banned substances and methods (28 September 2026)
5. Gran Fondo Daily News: WADA puts peptides on 2027 Prohibited List (17 October 2026)
6. German Sport University Cologne: S0, non-approved substances
7. Vasireddi et al., Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review, HSS Journal (31 July 2025)
8. FDA Law Blog: HHS enforcement discretion for peptide compounding (28 October 2026)