- WADA published the 2027 Prohibited List on 21 September 2026. It was approved on 10 September and applies from 1 January 2027.
- The S0 "non-approved substances" class now names peptides explicitly. WADA's explanatory note warns that many peptides not approved for human use are prohibited under S0, S2 or S4 even when they are not named.
- Unchanged and still prohibited at all times: BPC-157 (S0), TB-500 and other thymosin beta-4 derivatives (S2), CJC-1295, sermorelin, tesamorelin and ipamorelin (S2), AOD-9604 (S2) and MOTS-c (S4).
- GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and tirzepatide stay off the List for 2027. WADA has started a second study of their effects on athletes.
- New S4 examples include the experimental exercise mimetics SLU-PP-332 and SLU-PP-915.
Every September the World Anti-Doping Agency publishes the next year's Prohibited List, the international standard that every anti-doping organisation applies. The 2027 edition is a modest revision overall, but it contains a change aimed squarely at the research-peptide market: for the first time, the S0 class says in so many words that peptides are covered. Below is what the List and WADA's own explanatory note say, checked against the official documents, and how it maps onto the compounds most discussed in peptide research.
The S0 change: peptides named outright
S0 is WADA's catch-all class. It prohibits at all times any pharmacologically active substance that is not covered by another section of the List and has no current approval by any government health authority for human therapeutic use. The class has always included drugs in pre-clinical or clinical development, discontinued drugs, designer drugs and substances approved only for veterinary use. For 2027, peptides are added to that list of examples, and the S0 text continues to name BPC-157 as an example.
WADA's Summary of Major Modifications explains why. It states that many peptides that are not approved for human use meet the criteria for inclusion and fall under S0 or under other classes such as S2 or S4. It adds that a peptide does not need to be named to be prohibited and may still be harmful to health, and that peptides are now named for clarity. In practice, this removes the argument that a peptide is permitted simply because it does not appear by name.
Where research peptides sit on the 2027 List
| Compound | 2027 status | List section |
|---|---|---|
| BPC-157 | Prohibited at all times (named) | S0 Non-approved substances |
| TB-500 / thymosin beta-4 | Prohibited at all times (named) | S2.3 Growth factors and modulators |
| CJC-1295, sermorelin, tesamorelin | Prohibited at all times (named) | S2.2.4 GHRH and its analogues |
| Ipamorelin, MK-677, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin | Prohibited at all times (named) | S2.2.4 GH secretagogues and GHRPs |
| AOD-9604, hGH 176-191 | Prohibited at all times (named) | S2.2.3 GH fragments |
| Mechano growth factors (MGF) | Prohibited at all times (named) | S2.3 Growth factors and modulators |
| MOTS-c | Prohibited at all times (named) | S4.4.1 Metabolic modulators (AMPK activators) |
| Semaglutide, tirzepatide (approved GLP-1 agonists) | Not prohibited in 2027 | Status deliberately unchanged |
| Investigational peptides not named (e.g. retatrutide) | Not named; S0 covers substances with no regulatory approval anywhere | S0, by definition |
Two points are easy to miss. First, S2 is not limited to the examples it names: it also covers "other substances with similar chemical structure or similar biological effect(s)", so new growth hormone secretagogues or GHRH analogues are caught even if they are not listed. Second, prohibited methods apply regardless of the substance: under M2.2, intravenous infusions or injections of more than 100 mL in total per 12-hour period are prohibited outside hospital treatment, surgery or clinical diagnostics, whatever is being infused.
GLP-1 agonists: a deliberate "not yet"
The most anticipated decision was on GLP-1 receptor agonists. WADA has kept semaglutide and tirzepatide off the List for 2027. In its release, WADA's science director Olivier Rabin says there is not yet enough evidence to conclude with confidence that these substances meet the criteria for inclusion. One sport-related study is already running and WADA has commissioned a second to examine their effects on athletes.
This applies to approved GLP-1 medicines. Investigational incretin peptides that have no approval anywhere, such as the triple agonist retatrutide, are not named on the List, but by the plain wording of the S0 definition they fall into the class of non-approved substances. Athletes should treat them as prohibited unless their anti-doping organisation says otherwise.
Other 2027 changes
- S4: the title of S4.2 was expanded to anti-estrogens, SERMs "or degraders (SERDs)"; imlunestrant, seladelpar (a PPAR-delta agonist) and the experimental exercise mimetics SLU-PP-332 and SLU-PP-915 were added as examples.
- S5: eplerenone and finerenone added as examples of diuretics and masking agents.
- S8: cannabinoid wording updated to reflect THC-like effects of common cannabinoids, with new examples. Cannabidiol (CBD) itself remains permitted.
- S9: vaginal administration of glucocorticoids added as a permitted route.
- Monitoring Program: codeine, dermorphin and its analogues, hydrocodone, and out-of-competition fentanyl and tramadol were removed because enough data had been collected.
Why this matters beyond sport
The WADA List is not a law, and it has no bearing on whether a laboratory may buy or study a compound. In the EU, research peptides are supplied as chemicals for laboratory research, not as medicines, and the WADA List does not change that. But the List is a useful, regularly updated map of how one major regulator classifies peptide pharmacology. It agrees with the FDA's 2026 review on one point: substances such as BPC-157 and TB-500 still lack the controlled human data that an approval would require.
Regulatory news for information only. Not legal, medical or anti-doping advice; athletes should check with their anti-doping organisation. Cryopept Labs products are for laboratory research use only, not for human or veterinary use.
