Athletes and anti-doping
Many peptides are prohibited at all times under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. Some are banned by name; others fall under catch-all categories for substances with no human approval. If you are subject to anti-doping testing, check the current list before using any substance, including prescribed medicines, and ask about a Therapeutic Use Exemption where one applies.
Read the current WADA Prohibited List
| Peptide | WADA status |
|---|---|
| Semaglutide | Not on the WADA Prohibited List; added to the WADA 2026 Monitoring Program (monitored, not sanctioned) starting 2024, and WADA's Executive Committee confirmed GLP-1 receptor agonists will not be added to the 2027 Prohibited List. |
| Tirzepatide | Not on the WADA Prohibited List; added to the 2026 WADA Monitoring Program effective Jan 1, 2026 (monitored, not sanctioned); WADA confirmed GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists will not be added to the 2027 Prohibited List. |
| Retatrutide | Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) under S0 Non-Approved Substances: retatrutide is not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List, but S0 covers any pharmacological substance with no current approval by any regulatory authority for human therapeutic use (e.g., drugs in clinical development). Not approved anywhere as of Sep 2026. The 2027 List (published 21 Sep 2026) adds 'peptides' to the S0 examples. |
| Cagrilintide | Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) under S0 Non-Approved Substances: cagrilintide is not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List, but it has no approval from any regulatory authority for human use (CagriSema still under FDA review as of Sep 2026), so S0 applies. The 2027 List (published 21 Sep 2026) adds 'peptides' to the S0 examples. |
| AOD-9604 | Prohibited at all times - explicitly named as an example under WADA Prohibited List section S2 (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors and Related Substances / GH fragments) |
| MOTS-c | Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition): WADA 2026 Prohibited List S4.4.1 names 'mitochondrial open reading frame of the 12S rRNA-c (MOTS-c)' as an example of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activators; non-Specified Substance. Unchanged in the 2027 List. |
| PT-141 (Bremelanotide) | Not prohibited: bremelanotide is not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List or Monitoring Program, and as an approved medicine (Vyleesi, FDA 2019) it falls outside S0 Non-Approved Substances; no other class covers melanocortin agonists. Unchanged for 2027. |
| Melanotan II | Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) under S0 Non-Approved Substances: Melanotan II is not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List (no melanocortin category exists in S2), but as a substance with no regulatory approval for human use it falls under S0. The 2027 List adds 'peptides' to the S0 examples. |
| Kisspeptin-10 | Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) for male athletes: WADA 2026 Prohibited List S2.2.1 (testosterone-stimulating peptides in males) names 'kisspeptin and its agonist analogues'; non-Specified Substance. Unchanged in the 2027 List. |
| Oxytocin | Not prohibited: oxytocin is not named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List or Monitoring Program, and as an approved medicine it falls outside S0 Non-Approved Substances. Unchanged for 2027. |
| Gonadorelin | Prohibited at all times (in and out of competition) for male athletes: WADA 2026 Prohibited List S2.2.1 (testosterone-stimulating peptides in males) names 'gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH, gonadorelin) and its agonist analogues' alongside chorionic gonadotrophin, LH and kisspeptin; non-Specified Substance. Unchanged in the 2027 List. (GnRH analogues in females under 18 are on the Monitoring Program only.) |
| BPC-157 | Prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under S0 Non-Approved Substances; named explicitly as an example substance in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List ("...including but not limited to BPC-157..."). |
| TB-500 / Thymosin Beta-4 | Thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, explicitly naming 'TB-500', are prohibited at all times under S2.3 (Growth Factors and Growth Factor Modulators) of the WADA 2026 Prohibited List ('Thymosin-β4 and its derivatives e.g. TB-500'). |
| GHK-Cu | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Topical/cosmetic use is clearly outside anti-doping scope; injectable/systemic research use is not specifically addressed by WADA. |
| KPV | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. However, S0 (Non-Approved Substances, prohibited at all times) covers any pharmacological substance not addressed elsewhere on the List that has no current governmental approval for human therapeutic use, including drugs in pre-clinical development, and KPV appears to fall within that definition. |
| Thymosin Alpha-1 | Not named anywhere in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List; the only thymosin-related entry is thymosin-β4/TB-500 under S2.3, a different molecule. Its long-standing drug approvals outside the US (Zadaxin) likely place it outside the S0 'non-approved substance' criterion. |
| Semax | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Its Russian government drug approval likely places it outside the S0 'non-approved substance' criterion, which requires no approval by any governmental health authority. |
| Selank | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. |
| Epitalon | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Because it has no known government approval for therapeutic use anywhere, it could plausibly be argued to fall under the general S0 'non-approved substance' catch-all in an anti-doping proceeding, although it is not explicitly named. |
| SS-31 (Elamipretide) | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. Its mechanism (mitochondrial cardiolipin binding) does not fit the S1-S5 prohibited categories, and it now holds a governmental (FDA) therapeutic approval, which would place it outside the S0 'non-approved substance' criterion. |
| Glutathione | Glutathione itself is not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List. However, the List's M2.2 method rule states: 'Intravenous infusions and/or injections of more than a total of 100 mL per 12-hour period [are prohibited] except for those legitimately received in the course of hospital treatments, surgical procedures or clinical diagnostic investigations.' Large-volume IV glutathione 'drips,' a common wellness-clinic delivery format, can therefore violate the Prohibited List purely on volume grounds regardless of glutathione's own status. M2.2 falls under M2 (Chemical and Physical Manipulation), prohibited at all times; M2.2 specifically is designated a Specified Method (other M2 methods are non-Specified). |
| Melanotan I / Afamelanotide | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List under either 'afamelanotide' or 'melanotan'. Scenesse's FDA/EMA drug approvals would likely place it outside the S0 'non-approved substance' criterion. It is chemically distinct from Melanotan II, a different cyclic melanocortin peptide sometimes discussed in anti-doping and safety contexts. |
| Argireline (Acetyl Hexapeptide-8) | Not named in the WADA 2026 Prohibited List or in the 2027 List published in September 2026. Topical cosmetic use has no known performance effect. However, it is not approved as a medicine, so WADA's catch-all S0 class ('any pharmacological substance ... with no current approval by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use') could apply to non-cosmetic use such as injection. |
| CJC-1295 | Prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under S2 (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics) of the WADA Prohibited List; GHRH and its analogues, naming CJC-1295 explicitly, are listed. |
| Ipamorelin | Prohibited at all times under S2 (Growth Hormone Secretagogues and their mimetics) of the WADA Prohibited List, naming ipamorelin explicitly. |
| Sermorelin | Prohibited at all times under S2 (GHRH and its analogues) of the WADA Prohibited List, naming sermorelin explicitly. |
| Tesamorelin | Prohibited at all times under S2 (GHRH and its analogues) of the WADA Prohibited List, naming tesamorelin explicitly. |
| GHRP-2 | Prohibited at all times under S2 (GH-releasing peptides / GHRPs) of the WADA Prohibited List, naming 'GHRP-2 (pralmorelin)' explicitly. |
| GHRP-6 | Prohibited at all times under S2 (GH-releasing peptides / GHRPs) of the WADA Prohibited List, naming GHRP-6 explicitly. |
| IGF-1 LR3 | Prohibited at all times under S2 of the WADA Prohibited List, which names 'insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1, mecasermin) and its analogues' -- IGF-1 LR3 falls within 'analogues' under this wording even though it is not separately named. |