Recovery
An unapproved peptide studied mainly in rodents
Not FDA-approved · not available for sale or prescriptionFDA advisory vote, July 2026 · FDA staff opposed · no FDA action
BPC-157 is not approved as a drug anywhere and has almost no controlled human data; most of the evidence comes from rodent studies. It is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide modeled on a fragment of a human gastric juice protein ("body protection compound"). Its large rodent literature suggests protective and healing effects on gut, tendon, ligament and muscle tissue. It is not on any government essential-medicines list.
Also known as Body Protection Compound-157 · PL-10 · PL 14736 · Bepecin
GEPPPGKPADDAGLV
Proposed mechanisms include upregulation of growth-factor and nitric-oxide signaling pathways, promotion of angiogenesis (VEGFR2-dependent endothelial cell migration), modulation of the gut-brain axis, and effects on fibroblast activity and collagen deposition. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory (cytokine-modulating) effects are also reported. Mechanistic work is almost entirely in vitro or in rodents; the molecular target(s) in humans are not established.
Evidence · Early or small human studies
The only randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial FDA identified, a 2005 meeting abstract, gave 53 patients with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis a BPC-157 (PL 14736) enema or placebo for two weeks; the Disease Activity Index fell 3.2 vs 1.6 points, a difference that was not statistically significant, and FDA judged the data inadequate to support efficacy or safety.
53 adults with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis
A 2026 review of regenerative peptides for pain concluded that human evidence for BPC-157 is limited to small pilot studies (musculoskeletal pain, interstitial cystitis and intravenous use) and that comprehensive controlled trials are still needed before clinical use.
review of human pilot studies
A retrospective chart review at one clinic reported that 14 of 16 patients given knee injections of BPC-157 (alone or with thymosin beta-4) described symptom relief, including 11 of 12 given BPC-157 alone; with no control group, the design cannot show that BPC-157 caused the relief.
16 adult primary-care patients with knee pain (Institute for Hormonal Balance, Orlando, FL)
A 2025 literature and patent review noted that BPC-157 has not been approved by FDA or other regulators because comprehensive human clinical studies are lacking; the effects it describes come from preclinical models of tissue injury, inflammatory bowel disease and central nervous system disorders.
literature/patent review (no single population)
A 2019 review of musculoskeletal soft-tissue healing noted that efficacy in humans is unconfirmed and that only a handful of research groups have published in-depth studies; in rodent injury models, BPC-157 consistently sped tendon, ligament and skeletal-muscle healing.
rodent tendon/ligament/muscle injury models (narrative review)
Based on: mostly lab and animal studies; human data are limited to one small trial with no significant benefit and a few uncontrolled reports.
Checked 2026-09