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.
The 2027 List, published on 21 September 2026 and in force from 1 January 2027, moves none of the compounds on LYO: each stays in the section named above. Two things are new. Section S0 now names 'peptides' among its examples of non-approved substances, and WADA's explanatory note warns that a peptide not named on the List 'may still be prohibited and may be harmful to health'. And WADA stated that the status of GLP-1 receptor agonists, 'including semaglutide and tirzepatide, will remain unchanged for 2027': both stay permitted and stay on the Monitoring Program while WADA runs two studies of their effects on athletes.
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, and WADA confirmed on 21 September 2026 that GLP-1 receptor agonists stay off the 2027 List. Semaglutide remains on WADA's Monitoring Program.
Unapproved anywhere, so it falls under S0 (non-approved substances).
Not on the 2026 Prohibited List, and WADA confirmed on 21 September 2026 that GLP-1 receptor agonists stay off the 2027 List. Tirzepatide remains on WADA's Monitoring Program.
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.
Not on the 2026 Prohibited List.
Unapproved anywhere, so it falls under S0 (non-approved substances).
Approved by China's NMPA, so S0 does not apply; not named in any section. Athletes should check the annual list.
S2.2.1: 'kisspeptin and its agonist analogues', prohibited in males as an LH/testosterone releaser.
Approved in several countries, so S0 does not apply; not named in any section.
Unapproved anywhere, so it falls under S0 (non-approved substances).
Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List; athletes should still check, since new peptides are added regularly.
Not on the 2026 Prohibited List.
Not specifically named on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, though as a non-approved substance it may fall under S0; athletes should verify.
WADA class S2.2: growth-hormone secretagogues and GH-releasing peptides are banned in and out of competition.
WADA class S2.2: GH-releasing peptides are banned in and out of competition.
WADA class S2.2: growth-hormone secretagogues and GH-releasing peptides are banned in and out of competition.
NAD+ and its precursors are not on the 2026 Prohibited List.
As a non-approved substance, KPV falls under WADA class S0 (non-approved substances) and is prohibited in and out of competition.
As a non-approved substance, humanin falls under WADA class S0 (non-approved substances) and is prohibited in and out of competition.
As a non-approved substance, dihexa falls under WADA class S0 (non-approved substances) and is prohibited in and out of competition.
As a non-approved substance, 5-amino-1MQ falls under WADA class S0 (non-approved substances) and is prohibited in and out of competition.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are not on the 2026 Prohibited List.
Not named on the 2026 Prohibited List.
Growth hormone is prohibited in and out of competition under the peptide-hormone class, and is specifically tested for.
Prohibited for male athletes as a testosterone-stimulating agent.
Not on the 2026 Prohibited List. Intravenous infusions above the permitted volume are separately restricted regardless of what is infused.
IGF-1 and its analogues are prohibited in and out of competition as growth factors.
As a non-approved substance it falls under the non-approved-substances class and is prohibited in and out of competition.
Named on the Prohibited List among growth-hormone secretagogues, in and out of competition.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are not on the Prohibited List.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are not on the Prohibited List.
Gonadorelin is named on the Prohibited List among gonadotrophin-releasing factors, prohibited in males in and out of competition.
Not on the Prohibited List.
Not on the Prohibited List.
Myostatin inhibitors are prohibited under the S4 class (agents preventing activin receptor IIB activation), in and out of competition.
Not named on the Prohibited List.
Not named on the Prohibited List.
Parathyroid hormone analogues are not on the Prohibited List.
Leuprorelin is named on the Prohibited List among gonadotrophin-releasing factors, prohibited in males.
Not on the Prohibited List.
Somatostatin analogues are not on the Prohibited List.
Mechano growth factors are named on the Prohibited List under growth factors (S2), in and out of competition.
As a non-approved substance it falls under the non-approved-substances class, prohibited in and out of competition.
Not on the Prohibited List.
Not on the Prohibited List.
A non-approved substance under the non-approved-substances class; it is designed not to stimulate red cells, but that does not exempt it.
Cagrilintide is unapproved, so the combination falls under S0 (non-approved substances) even though semaglutide is not banned.
Unapproved anywhere, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Unapproved anywhere, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Not approved by any of the regulators WADA recognises, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Parathyroid hormone analogues are not on the Prohibited List.
Not on the Prohibited List.
Listed under S5 (diuretics and masking agents) since 2011, because it dilutes urine and can mask other substances.
Unapproved by any regulator WADA recognises, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Unapproved, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Unapproved, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Unapproved anywhere, so S0 (non-approved substances).
GLP-1 receptor agonists are not on the Prohibited List.
Insulins are listed under S4 (hormone and metabolic modulators), in and out of competition; a therapeutic use exemption is required for athletes with diabetes.
Not on the Prohibited List.
Not on the Prohibited List; beta-alanine is likewise permitted.
Unapproved, so S0 (non-approved substances).
Unapproved by any regulator WADA recognises, so S0 (non-approved substances).
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.
- 21 Sep 2026WADA publishes the 2027 Prohibited List, in force 1 January 2027: 'peptides' named as examples under S0; semaglutide and tirzepatide stay off the List and on the Monitoring Program; no change of section for any compound on LYO.
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
- 3
- 4WADA — The 2027 Monitoring Programwada-ama.org
- 5
- 6Sport 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.