Protocol
BPC-157
BPC157 · Body Protection Compound 157 · Body Protective Compound 157 · pentadecapeptide BPC 157 · Bepecin · PL 14736 · PL-10 · PLD-116
The evidence base is animal and cell-culture work, not human outcome data. Sport Integrity Australia states plainly that BPC-157 "is not approved for human use", that the multiple preclinical studies of it in conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and soft tissue injury were not conducted in humans, and that "there are currently no studies investigating BPC-157's use in human subjects". Healthy Male, an Australian government-funded men's health body, describes "a concerning lack of published clinical trial data" and characterises the only human data as one very small, low-quality study in 16 participants with knee pain and no control group. Note the two sources differ slightly on whether any human study exists at all, which is itself a signal of how thin the literature is. There is no randomised controlled trial of BPC-157 for any longevity or healthspan outcome, and no human data on lifespan, biological ageing, or any ageing biomarker. Safety is genuinely unknown rather than merely unstudied: Healthy Male notes "there is not enough evidence of its safety", and Sport Integrity Australia flags that pathways associated with BPC-157 have been linked to tumour growth, cardiovascular disease, and neurodegenerative disease, though this is mechanistic concern rather than demonstrated human harm. Product quality is a further risk, with warnings that online products may differ from their label or be contaminated. In short, a real preclinical signal for tissue repair is being sold as a longevity intervention that no human evidence supports.
At a glance
- Evidence
- Commercial
- Singapore (HSA)
- No HSA position on file
- Australia (TGA)
- Not approved by the TGA and not listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), per Sport Integrity Australia. Separately, BPC-157 is a Schedule 4 (prescription only) substance under the Poisons Standard, so it is illegal to possess without a valid prescription from a registered Australian practitioner. The TGA's own notice of final decisions for ACMS #43 (published 22 May 2024) lists BPC-157 among the substances decided on, confirming the scheduling action, though the exact entry wording and date of effect sit in a linked PDF that could not be retrieved. Because it is not on the ARTG, any clinical supply is as an unapproved therapeutic good, in practice as a compounded preparation dispensed by an Australian pharmacy against a prescription. It is also prohibited at all times in sport under WADA Prohibited List category S0 (Non-Approved Substances), and Sport Integrity Australia states a Therapeutic Use Exemption "would not be granted for the use of BPC-157, in any medical condition". A reported March 2025 rescheduling could not be verified against a TGA source and is not asserted here.
- Offered at
- 1 clinic
Singapore
Health Sciences Authority
- HSA status
- No position on file
- In our SG set
- Not tracked in Singapore
- SG clinics
- None on file
Australia
Therapeutic Goods Administration
- TGA status
- Not approved by the TGA and not listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), per Sport Integrity Australia. Separately, BPC-157 is a Schedule 4 (prescription only) substance under the Poisons Standard, so it is illegal to possess without a valid prescription from a registered Australian practitioner. The TGA's own notice of final decisions for ACMS #43 (published 22 May 2024) lists BPC-157 among the substances decided on, confirming the scheduling action, though the exact entry wording and date of effect sit in a linked PDF that could not be retrieved. Because it is not on the ARTG, any clinical supply is as an unapproved therapeutic good, in practice as a compounded preparation dispensed by an Australian pharmacy against a prescription. It is also prohibited at all times in sport under WADA Prohibited List category S0 (Non-Approved Substances), and Sport Integrity Australia states a Therapeutic Use Exemption "would not be granted for the use of BPC-157, in any medical condition". A reported March 2025 rescheduling could not be verified against a TGA source and is not asserted here.
- In our AU set
- Tracked in Australia
- AU clinics
- 1
Evidence is not approvalAn evidence grade describes how strong the science is. A regulatory status describes whether a body has approved the intervention for an indication. They are different questions, answered separately above.
What it is
Plain-language explainer
BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide (a pentadecapeptide) derived from a sequence identified in human gastric juice protein. It is marketed for tissue repair, tendon and ligament healing, gut and gastrointestinal recovery, and general "anti-ageing" support, and is typically supplied as a compounded subcutaneous injection, an injection pen, or oral capsules. It is not an approved medicine in any jurisdiction, and it is sometimes referred to in fitness marketing as the "Wolverine drug".
Categories
Protocol
Keep reading
Related coverage from the newsroom.
Sources
What this profile is built on
- BPC-157 Information · Sport Integrity Australia (Australian Government)
- BPC 157 in Australia: Benefits, side effects, risks and legality · Healthy Male (Australian Government funded)
- Notice of final decision to amend (or not amend) the current Poisons Standard - ACMS #43, ACCS #37, Joint ACMS-ACCS #35 · Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)
- Peptide Therapy Brisbane - Australian Longevity Clinic · Australian Longevity Clinic
Every entity profile on variis is sourced. Not medical advice.