How the list works
The World Anti-Doping Code's Prohibited List is updated every January and applies to every athlete under a code-compliant federation, from Olympic sport to many amateur leagues. A substance is prohibited if it is named, if it belongs to a named class, or — under section S0 — if it has no approval for human therapeutic use from any governmental health authority. That last clause is why legality and doping status diverge: a peptide can be legal to prescribe in one country and still banned for athletes, and an unapproved peptide is banned even where possession is lawful.
For the compounds on LYO the 2026 list breaks down as follows. S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors: sermorelin, CJC-1295 and tesamorelin (GHRH analogues) and ipamorelin, GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 (secretagogues). S2.2.3, growth hormone fragments: AOD-9604. S2.3, growth factors and modulators: thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, named as TB-500. S2.2.1: kisspeptin and its analogues (prohibited in males). S4.4.1, metabolic modulators: MOTS-c. S0, non-approved substances: BPC-157 is named as an example; epitalon, retatrutide and cagrilintide fall under the same clause because no regulator has approved them.
Not prohibited: semaglutide, tirzepatide and liraglutide are approved medicines that appear in no section of the list. Bremelanotide (Vyleesi) is approved and unlisted. Semax and selank are approved in Russia, so S0 does not apply, and neither is named. GHK-Cu is not named; used as a cosmetic it raises no doping question, while injected as an unapproved drug it would sit under S0.
What it means in practice
Possession and use of a prohibited substance are both anti-doping rule violations; a positive test is not required. Sport Integrity Australia, which mirrors the list nationally, lists BPC-157, CJC-1295, ipamorelin, MOTS-c and TB-500 as common examples and notes that a therapeutic-use exemption is unlikely to be granted for an unregistered medicine. Tested athletes on a prescribed GLP-1 need no exemption, since those drugs are not prohibited, but should check the list each January.
Compound by compound
Named under S0 (non-approved substances) on the Prohibited List since 2022.
Not on the 2026 Prohibited List.
Unapproved anywhere, so it falls under S0 (non-approved substances).
Not on the 2026 Prohibited List.
GHRH analogue: S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors.
Growth hormone secretagogue: S2.2.4.
Not listed. As a cosmetic it raises no doping question; injected as an unapproved drug it would fall under S0.
Not named, but unapproved anywhere, so it falls under S0 (non-approved substances).
S2.3: 'thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, e.g. TB-500'.
Unapproved anywhere, so it falls under S0 (non-approved substances).
Approved in Russia, so S0 does not apply, and it is not named.
Approved in Russia, so S0 does not apply, and it is not named.
An approved drug that is not named in any section.
GHRH analogue: S2.2.4.
GHRH analogue: S2.2.4.
S2.2.3: growth hormone fragments, AOD-9604 named.
S4.4.1 metabolic modulators: MOTS-c named. Sport Integrity Australia lists it among common prohibited peptides.
What changed, and when
- 1 Jan 2022BPC-157 named as an example under S0 (non-approved substances).
- 1 Jan 20262026 Prohibited List in force; MOTS-c listed under S4.4.1, TB-500 under S2.3, AOD-9604 under S2.2.3.
Questions
Is BPC-157 banned by WADA?
Are semaglutide and tirzepatide banned in sport?
Is TB-500 the same as thymosin beta-4 for doping purposes?
Does a prescription make a banned peptide allowed?
Sources
- 1WADA — The Prohibited List (2026)wada-ama.org
- 2
- 3Sport Integrity Australia — Peptides explainedsportintegrity.gov.au
LYO summarises the law for research and educational purposes. It is not legal advice; rules change and enforcement varies. Corrections through the contact page.