Class
The repair peptides are the research market's center of gravity: compounds sold for tendon, ligament, and tissue recovery, on evidence that is overwhelmingly preclinical. None has an approved product. Only GHK-Cu may be compounded today, and only in a non-injectable form; the injectable route has none. Three carry advisory votes from July 2026 that could eventually change their position, and one was nominated without adequate support despite a small human trial record.
The class also illustrates a recurring substitution: a studied relative's literature standing in for an unstudied product, as full-length thymosin beta-4's trials do for the TB-500 fragment. The monographs keep those records separate.
Molecules in this class
| Molecule | Class | US status | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| BPC-157Body Protection Compound 157; pentadecapeptide BPC | Repair peptides | PCAC-recommended · pending | Removed from Category 2 in April 2026; PCAC recommended 503A listing in July 2026 on a reported tally; no FDA final rule. Verified August 2026. |
| GHK-CuCopper tripeptide-1 | Repair peptides | Compoundable (503A) | Nominations withdrawn April 2026; the non-injectable route was restored to Category 1 in May, the injectable route was not and has no lawful route. Verified August 2026. |
| TB-500Thymosin beta-4 fragment | Repair peptides | PCAC-recommended · pending | Removed from Category 2 in April 2026; PCAC recommended 503A listing in July 2026 on a reported tally; no FDA final rule. Verified August 2026. |
| KPVLysine-proline-valine; alpha-MSH fragment | Repair peptides | PCAC-recommended · pending | Removed from Category 2 in April 2026; PCAC recommended 503A listing in July 2026 on a reported tally; no FDA final rule. Verified August 2026. |
| ARA-290Cibinetide; helix B surface peptide | Repair peptides | No lawful route | Category 3 of the 503A bulks list — nominated without adequate support — despite five indexed human trials, which is the distance between a literature and a nomination. |
Body Protection Compound 157; pentadecapeptide BPC
Removed from Category 2 in April 2026; PCAC recommended 503A listing in July 2026 on a reported tally; no FDA final rule. Verified August 2026.
Copper tripeptide-1
Nominations withdrawn April 2026; the non-injectable route was restored to Category 1 in May, the injectable route was not and has no lawful route. Verified August 2026.
Thymosin beta-4 fragment
Removed from Category 2 in April 2026; PCAC recommended 503A listing in July 2026 on a reported tally; no FDA final rule. Verified August 2026.
Lysine-proline-valine; alpha-MSH fragment
Removed from Category 2 in April 2026; PCAC recommended 503A listing in July 2026 on a reported tally; no FDA final rule. Verified August 2026.
Cibinetide; helix B surface peptide
Category 3 of the 503A bulks list — nominated without adequate support — despite five indexed human trials, which is the distance between a literature and a nomination.
The records are at BPC-157, TB-500 and KPV, the three with July votes; GHK-Cu, whose topical and injectable forms hold different positions; and ARA-290, in Category 3 despite five indexed human trials. The pending page carries the committee arithmetic in full.
The advisory committee voted on three members in July 2026, as reported in secondary accounts (FDA has published no vote record): BPC-157 8–6 with 1 abstaining, TB-500 8–6 with 1 abstaining and KPV 8–6 with 1 abstaining.
The 2026 WADA Prohibited List names BPC-157 (section S0) and TB-500 (section S2.3). It does not name GHK-Cu, KPV and ARA-290, and that is not the same as permitted: the relevant sections are expressly non-exhaustive, and section S0 covers any substance with no current approval for human therapeutic use.
The vote ledger and the WADA table carry the sources.
Evidence reviews
Reference tables
Definitions