Are peptides banned in sport? What the WADA list says

What is the WADA Prohibited List?

The Prohibited List is the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) list of substances prohibited in sport. It is split into classes, such as S0 (non-approved substances), S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics) and S4, which includes S4.4, metabolic modulators.

The lists used on this page took effect on January 1 of 2022, 2025 and 2026. The 2027 list takes effect on January 1, 2027.

Three of the classes that matter for peptides are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition:

Separately, WADA runs a Monitoring Program. USADA says substances in it are not prohibited, but labs test for them.

This page reports what the lists and anti-doping agencies say. It is not advice on using any substance.

Which peptides are on the list?

The table below covers peptides and related medicines with fact files on this site. Wording is quoted only from the fact files behind this page. "Not recorded" means those fact files have no WADA entry for the substance.

For more on each substance, see the BPC-157, semaglutide, tirzepatide and retatrutide pages.

What does class S0 mean?

S0 is the catch-all class for substances that no government has approved for use in people. The 2026 list defines it as:

"Any pharmacological substance which is not addressed by any of the subsequent sections of the List and with no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use (e.g. drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development or discontinued, designer drugs, substances approved only for veterinary use)"

What changes in 2027:

• Peptides added as an example. The 2027 list, in force from January 1, 2027, adds "peptides" to the examples of non-approved substances.
• Specified Substances. Under the 2027 list, all substances in S0 are Specified Substances. On the 2026 list, substances in S2 and S4.4 are non-Specified Substances. The fact files behind this page do not record what this label changes for an athlete.

WADA's 2027 explanatory note sums up the approach: "Many peptides, not approved for human use by regulatory authorities, fulfill the criteria of the World Anti-Doping Code for inclusion on the Prohibited List and fall under the S0 (Non-Approved Substances) class ... Even if a peptide is not specifically named on the List, utmost caution should be taken as it may still be prohibited and may be harmful to health."

USADA's 2027 advisory puts it the same way: S0 covers substances not approved "for human therapeutic use by any governmental health agency anywhere in the world", including "drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development".

Why is AOD-9604 in S2 and not S0?

AOD-9604 started in S0 and is now named in S2 as a growth hormone fragment.

The year it moved from S0 to S2 was not pinned down: the 2022 list is the earliest list checked that names it in S2. The name hGH 176-191 refers to the same fragment, and WADA lists both names.

Why is MOTS-c in S4.4.1?

WADA treats MOTS-c as a metabolic modulator. MOTS-c is thought to work by switching on AMPK, an energy-sensing enzyme, and S4.4.1 covers "Activators of the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)".

• 2024 list: the S4.4.1 entry does not name MOTS-c.
• 2025 list: names MOTS-c in S4.4.1, alongside AICAR.
• 2026 and 2027 lists: still name MOTS-c in S4.4.1. S4 substances are "PROHIBITED AT ALL TIMES (IN- AND OUT-OF-COMPETITION)".

Are semaglutide and tirzepatide banned in sport?

No, according to USADA. Its 2027 advisory says semaglutide and tirzepatide are in the WADA 2027 Monitoring Program, which means they are not prohibited but labs test for them.

Both are registered prescription medicines in the Philippines. The FDA Philippines Verification Portal (checked October 7, 2026) lists:

Athletes should check the current status of any medicine with their anti-doping organisation.

What about peptides not named on the list?

A peptide missing from the list is not automatically allowed. WADA's 2027 explanatory note says that even if a peptide is not named, "utmost caution should be taken as it may still be prohibited and may be harmful to health."

What is recorded for peptides not named on the list:

• GHK-Cu: not named on the 2026 or 2027 lists. No WADA or USADA statement on GHK-Cu itself was found. USADA lists "Tripeptide-1 (GHK, non-palmitoylated" among example cosmetic peptide ingredients that are "NOT PROHIBITED", but it does not mention GHK-Cu or injectable use.
• KPV: not named on the 2027 list, and no WADA, USADA or Operation Supplement Safety statement on KPV was found.
• Cagrilintide: not named on the 2026 or 2027 lists. Novo Nordisk stated in December 2025 that CagriSema, which contains cagrilintide, "is not approved in the US or EU." Because S0 covers unapproved substances, cagrilintide may fall under S0, but this is not a named listing.
• Retatrutide: not named on the 2026 or 2027 lists. S0 covers "drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development", but WADA has not said whether retatrutide falls under S0. It is not in the WADA 2026 Monitoring Program, which lists "Markers of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide", and USADA's summary of the 2027 Monitoring Program does not name it.

This page does not say whether any of these are permitted. A tested athlete can ask their anti-doping organisation.

Does it matter whether a peptide is injected, swallowed or applied to the skin?

Not for a prohibited peptide, according to USADA. It says the WADA list has no route-dependent status for peptides and growth factors, so "topical use of a growth factor or peptide is just as prohibited as injectable or oral forms" when the peptide itself is prohibited.

USADA advises athletes to check products on Global DRO.

What has USADA said about these peptides?

USADA, the US Anti-Doping Agency, has published statements on several of them.

What does the US military say?

Operation Supplement Safety (OPSS), a US Department of Defense program, has a statement on BPC-157. It is the only OPSS statement in the fact files behind this page.

• BPC-157 "is not a dietary ingredient" and is on the DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients List.
• Service members should avoid products containing it "regardless of how they are taken (by mouth, injection, or nasal spray)".
• The marketed benefits "have only been shown in lab or animal studies (rats, mice, and dogs)".
• Products may be labelled as research chemicals, with statements such as "Research use only" or "Not for human consumption".

Can anti-doping labs detect these peptides?

Yes, for several of them. Anti-doping scientists have published tests:

Check with your anti-doping organisation

The list can change from one year to the next: MOTS-c was first named in 2025, and the 2027 list adds peptides to the examples in S0. Many peptides are not named on it at all. WADA's 2027 explanatory note warns that a peptide missing from the list may still be prohibited.

• Check the current WADA Prohibited List for the year you compete in.
• Ask your national anti-doping organisation, or your sport's anti-doping body, about any substance or product.
• If you have a medical need, ask your doctor and your anti-doping organisation about a Therapeutic Use Exemption.

For how Philippine rules treat peptides outside sport, see are peptides legal in the Philippines and what are peptides.