Quick answer: the peptides in professional sports that leagues ban include growth hormone-releasing peptides (GHRP-2, GHRP-6, ipamorelin), GHRH analogs (CJC-1295, sermorelin, tesamorelin), growth hormone itself, and research peptides such as BPC-157 and TB-500. The NFL, MLB, NBA, UFC and NCAA all prohibit this class, most of them in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list.[1][3][9] Real suspensions have followed: MLB gave 80-game bans for GHRP-2 in 2016 and 2019, and the NBA gave 25-game bans for GHRP-2 and ipamorelin in 2019.[4][5][7]
This guide covers the rules league by league, how testing works, and notable cases. For the international list in detail, see peptides on the WADA prohibited list. For U.S. drug law, see are peptides legal and our FDA & Regulation hub.
The WADA list: the template most programs follow
WADA’s Prohibited List puts peptides in two classes:[1]
- S0, non-approved substances: any drug with no current government approval for human use. WADA has named BPC-157 here explicitly since its 2022 list.[2]
- S2, peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics: growth hormone and its fragments (such as AOD-9604), GHRH analogs such as CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin, and secretagogues such as ipamorelin, GHRP-2 and GHRP-6. Growth factors like IGF-1 and TB-500 are also in this class.
Both classes are banned at all times, in and out of competition. GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide are not on the 2026 list.[1]
League-by-league rules
North American leagues set drug rules through collective bargaining with their players’ unions, so their lists are not identical to WADA’s.
| League | Program | Peptides covered | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL | Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances (NFL-NFLPA) | Annual test covers “Protein and Peptide Hormones (e.g., hGH, GHRP, BPC 157)”[3] | Every player gets at least one annual PES test |
| MLB | Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program | GHRP-2 treated as a performance-enhancing substance in suspensions[4] | 2,300 blood samples tested for hGH in the 2025 reporting period[6] |
| NBA | Anti-Drug Program (NBA-NBPA) | GHRP-2 and ipamorelin led to suspensions[7] | 25 games for a first PED violation in the 2019 cases |
| NHL | Performance Enhancing Substances Program (NHL-NHLPA) | Not publicly itemized | We could not find a public NHL prohibited list |
| UFC | UFC Anti-Doping Policy | List modeled on WADA’s, with modifications[8] | Replaced USADA from December 31, 2023 |
| NCAA | NCAA Drug-Testing Program | Names BPC-157, hGH, hCG, IGF-1, TB-500 and ibutamoren[9] | Also bans any related substance |
A few details worth knowing:
- UFC. Since December 31, 2023, Drug Free Sport International collects samples, the WADA-accredited SMRTL lab in Salt Lake City analyzes them, and Combat Sports Anti-Doping makes sanction decisions.[8]
- NFL. The league and the NFLPA expanded the prohibited list in their 2016 policies to include “Growth Hormone Secretagogues and Growth Hormone Releasing Hormones and Peptides,” which covers compounds like ipamorelin and CJC-1295 that raise the body’s own growth hormone.[13]
- NCAA. Its 2026-27 list is one of eight banned drug classes and says it is “neither a complete nor exhaustive list.” It also bans “any substance that is chemically/pharmacologically related” to the listed classes, so an unnamed peptide is not a loophole.[9]
- Approved peptide drugs. Not every peptide medicine is banned. The NCAA’s peptide class names insulin, Synthroid and Forteo (teriparatide) as exceptions.[9] Under WADA rules, insulin is handled in a separate class and athletes who need it apply for an exemption.[1]
Notable suspensions involving peptides
| Year | Athlete and team | Substance | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Josh Ravin, Los Angeles Dodgers (MLB) | GHRP-2 | 80 games without pay[5] |
| 2016 | 34 current and former Essendon players (Australian Football League) | Thymosin beta-4 | 2-year bans by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, backdated[10] |
| 2019 | Steven Wright, Boston Red Sox (MLB) | GHRP-2 | 80 games without pay[4] |
| 2019 | Wilson Chandler, Brooklyn Nets (NBA) | Ipamorelin | 25 games without pay[7] |
| 2019 | John Collins, Atlanta Hawks (NBA) | GHRP-2 | 25 games without pay[7] |
The Essendon case is the most famous peptide case in pro sport. There were no positive tests; the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled in January 2016 on other evidence, including records of a plan to source thymosin beta-4, overturning an earlier tribunal decision that had cleared the players.[10]
How peptide testing works
Peptides are small and short-lived, which made them hard to test for. Labs have caught up:
- Mass spectrometry. Anti-doping labs use liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS/MS). A 2016 method from the Cologne anti-doping lab detected CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin in plasma.[12]
- BPC-157. A 2017 study from SMRTL, the Salt Lake City anti-doping lab that now analyzes UFC samples, identified BPC-157 in confiscated vials and validated a urine test for it and a stable metabolite, with a detection limit of 0.1 ng/mL.[11]
- Blood testing for growth hormone. MLB analyzed 2,300 blood samples for hGH in its 2025 reporting period, alongside 9,400 urine samples for other substances.[6]
Detection windows vary by compound, dose and test, and labs can store samples to retest later with newer methods.
Why leagues ban peptides
Leagues and WADA cite three reasons: possible performance gains (for example, raising growth hormone), health risks from unapproved products, and the spirit of sport. For most of these peptides, evidence of performance benefit in healthy athletes is thin, but bans do not require proof of effect. For U.S. legal status outside sport, see research use only peptides and the FDA peptide ban 2026 explainer.
Therapeutic use exemptions
An athlete with a real medical need for a banned substance can apply for a therapeutic use exemption (TUE). TUEs are for approved treatments with a diagnosis, not for research peptides. An unapproved compound like BPC-157 sits in WADA’s S0 class precisely because no health authority has approved it for human use, which makes an exemption very unlikely.[1]
Supplements and “recovery” products
Peptides often reach athletes through the supplement and wellness market rather than a prescription. That creates two risks:
- Mislabeling. The NCAA warns that supplements “may be contaminated with banned substances not listed on the label,” and that all supplements are taken at the athlete’s own risk.[9]
- Unknown contents. BPC-157 entered anti-doping research after it was found in confiscated vials, not in an approved medicine.[11] Products sold as “research use only” have no FDA review of identity or purity.
A product marketed for “recovery,” “healing” or “lean mass” that lists a peptide, a growth hormone secretagogue or an “IGF” ingredient is a red flag for any tested athlete.
What athletes should check
- Your own program’s list. League lists are set by collective bargaining and can differ from WADA’s. Ask your union, team physician or athletic department.
- Every product, every time. Formulas change. Check the ingredient list against your program’s banned classes, including “related substances.”
- Prescriptions. If a doctor prescribes a peptide drug, ask whether it is prohibited and whether you need an exemption before you start, not after a test.
- Telehealth and med spa offers. A clinic’s offer of BPC-157, TB-500 or ipamorelin “for recovery” does not make it allowed in sport. See state medical board peptide therapy rules for how prescribers are expected to handle these requests.
This is general information, not legal advice. Athletes should confirm current rules with their league, union or anti-doping agency.
