BPC-157
Also called Body Protection Compound-157, Bepecin, PL-14736, PL 14736
Research and education only. Not medical advice. Talk to a doctor.
In 30 seconds
A lab-made chain of 15 amino acids, copied from a protein found in stomach juice.[1]
Almost all the research is in rats. A 2019 review said it hadn't been confirmed in people.[4]
Not approved by the FDA for human use, and banned in tested sport.[1][8]
How far has the research gotten?
Human reports so far: a 2-person IV safety pilot, a 16-patient chart review with no comparison group, and a meeting abstract FDA called inadequate.[1][9][10]
The molecule
Research over time
Papers on PubMed each year that mention BPC-157.16 papers in 2025FDA says products sold under one name can contain different salts or even different molecules, so what's in a vial may not match what was studied.[1]
What studies used
What each paper reports. A record of published research, not a recommendation.Whether BPC-157 changed healing of a cut Achilles tendon in rats, measured mechanically, functionally and under the microscope.
J Orthop Res · 2003 · PubMed 14554208What the paper reports
BPC 157 10 µg/kg, 10 ng/kg or 10 pg/kg intraperitoneally once daily (saline controls), first given 30 min after surgery, assessed up to day 14
Who: rat (plus cultured tendon cells)Blood tests and vital signs before and after two intravenous BPC-157 infusions in two people at a private clinic.
Altern Ther Health Med · 2025 · PubMed 40131143What the paper reports
10 mg BPC-157 in 250 cc normal saline infused over one hour on day 1, then 20 mg in 250 cc over one hour on day 2
Who: human (2 adults who had received IV BPC-157 before)A chart review and phone survey of patients who had knee injections of BPC-157, alone or with thymosin beta-4, asking them to rate their pain relief; no control group.
Altern Ther Health Med · 2021 · PubMed 34324435What the paper reports
not stated in abstract
Who: human (retrospective; 16 clinic patients surveyed)Tendon strength and tissue structure after Achilles tendon repair in rats given BPC-157, TB-500, both, or no treatment.
Jt Dis Relat Surg · 2026 · PubMed 42542926What the paper reports
BPC-157 10 µg/kg/day intraperitoneally for four weeks (TB-500 60 µg/kg/day; also a combination group)
Who: rat (32 male Sprague-Dawley)FDA's list of bulk substances it says may raise significant safety risks if pharmacies compound them. BPC-157 was on it until its nomination was withdrawn.[5]
What it is, in full 4
BPC-157 is a synthetic chain of 15 amino acids copied from part of a larger protein, called body protection compound (BPC), originally isolated from human gastric juice[1].
It was first described in 1993 by researchers at the University of Zagreb in Croatia, who presented it as a possible protector of many organs[2].
Most research has been done in rodents, including studies of tendon, ligament and muscle healing, and a 2019 review said its effects had not yet been confirmed in humans[4].
Published human data are sparse: FDA's 2026 review found only a meeting abstract of a 53-person, two-week ulcerative colitis trial using an enema, and judged that data inadequate[1].
Regulatory details 5
FDA's May 2026 briefing document states that no approved product containing BPC-157 exists in any country.[1]
Checked 2026-10-06FDA's safety-risk page (content current as of 04/22/2026) lists BPC-157 among substances previously in Category 2 whose nominations were withdrawn, citing possible immunogenicity, impurity and characterization concerns and too little safety information.[5]
Checked 2026-10-06BPC-157 does not appear in Categories 1, 2 or 3 of FDA's 503A nominated-substances list updated May 14, 2026.[6]
Checked 2026-10-06For the July 23, 2026 Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, FDA reviewed BPC-157 (free base and acetate) for ulcerative colitis on its own initiative and proposed not adding either form to the 503A Bulks List; no committee vote or final FDA decision was found.[1]
Checked 2026-10-06The 2026 Prohibited List names BPC-157 as an example of S0 non-approved substances, which are banned both in and out of competition.[8]
Checked 2026-10-06Human trials on ClinicalTrials.gov
A ClinicalTrials.gov search for BPC-157 returns 4 records: a 2015 phase 1 oral safety and pharmacokinetics study of Bepecin (status unknown), a pilot trial after rotator cuff surgery that has not started recruiting, a completed gummy-supplement study with no phase, and a phase 2 hamstring record from a sponsor whose other records include ones labeled mock or fictional, so that record is not treated as verified here[11].
All sources 11
- FDA Briefing Document, PCAC July 23-24, 2026: Evaluation of BPC-157-Related Bulk Drug SubstancesU.S. FDA
- Sikirić P et al. A new gastric juice peptide, BPC. J Physiol Paris 1993PubMed (NLM)
- Staresinic M et al. BPC 157 and transected rat Achilles tendon. J Orthop Res 2003PubMed (NLM)
- Gwyer D et al. Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 and musculoskeletal soft tissue healing (review). Cell Tissue Res 2019PubMed (NLM)
- Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (Category 2 page)U.S. FDA
- Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A (updated May 14, 2026)U.S. FDA
- July 23-24, 2026: Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory CommitteeU.S. FDA
- World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency
- Lee E, Burgess K. Safety of Intravenous Infusion of BPC157 in Humans: A Pilot Study. Altern Ther Health Med 2025PubMed (NLM)
- Lee E, Padgett B. Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain. Altern Ther Health Med 2021PubMed (NLM)
- ClinicalTrials.gov search: BPC-157ClinicalTrials.gov (NLM)
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