WADA's 2027 Prohibited List now names peptides among non-approved substances
WADA's 2027 Prohibited List, in force from 1 January 2027, adds "peptides" to the examples in its S0 non-approved class.
On 21 September 2026 the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) published its 2027 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. WADA's Executive Committee approved the List on 10 September, and it comes into force on 1 January 2027. [1] On 6 October the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) followed with an advisory that singles out one change in particular: the List now names peptides directly. [3]
What changed: one word in S0
Section S0, "Non-approved substances," is the List's catch-all class. It covers any pharmacological substance that no later section of the List addresses and that has no current approval from any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use. Substances in S0 are prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. [2]
In the 2026 List, the examples given for S0 were drugs under pre-clinical or clinical development or discontinued, designer drugs, and substances approved only for veterinary use. [4] The 2027 List adds "peptides" to those examples. [2]
WADA's Summary of Major Modifications explains the reasoning. It says many peptides not approved for human use already met the criteria of the World Anti-Doping Code for inclusion on the List, and fall under S0 or other classes such as S2 or S4. It adds that a peptide not specifically named on the List may still be prohibited, and that peptides are now named as examples "for clarity." [5] WADA presents the edit as a clarification, not a new class of ban.
What carried over from 2026
The named peptide entries elsewhere on the List are unchanged. A line-by-line comparison of the 2026 and 2027 texts of sections S2.2 and S2.3 shows no differences. [2][4] In the 2027 List:
- BPC-157 remains a named example in S0. [2]
- AOD-9604 and hGH 176-191 are listed as growth hormone fragments in S2.2.3. [2]
- CJC-1295 and CJC-1293 are listed as growth hormone-releasing hormone analogues, and ipamorelin as a growth hormone secretagogue, in S2.2.4. [2]
- Thymosin-β4 and its derivatives, such as TB-500, are listed under growth factors in S2.3. [2]
USADA's advisory also reminds readers that the List is not exhaustive. A substance that is not named can still fall into one of its categories. [3]
How the List works
WADA publishes the List by 1 October each year, three months before it takes effect. For a substance or method to be added, WADA must find that it meets at least two of the three criteria set out in the World Anti-Doping Code. [1] The List is one of the International Standards that are mandatory for all Signatories of the World Anti-Doping Code. [1]
What the change does not cover
The Prohibited List is a sports rule. WADA describes it as an International Standard that designates which substances and methods are prohibited in sport. [1] The S0 test is also global: it asks whether any governmental health authority has approved a substance for human therapeutic use, not only one country's regulator. [2] For how research-use-only supply is regulated in the US, see our overview of US peptide regulation in 2026 and our explainer on what research use only means.
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