Educational information only. Not medical advice. Nothing here is a recommendation to use any substance. Read the medical disclaimer
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Mostly animal & labNot approved

BPC-157

Synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide. Most results come from animal studies; human data are three small, uncontrolled studies.

Part 1Header & identifiers

Also known as: Body Protection Compound 157; Bepecin (DrugBank DB11882). Class: Tissue repair (investigational).

Structure
Synthetic pentadecapeptide (15 amino acids)
Identifiers
DrugBank DB11882 · UNII 8ED8NXK95P · CAS 137525-51-0
Formula
C62H98N16O22
Half-life (animals)
Under 30 minutes in rats and dogs [5]

Last reviewed 3 Nov 2026 by The Peptide Informative editorial team. Found an error? Tell us; see our corrections policy.

Part 2Status at a glance

FDANot approved for any use. Nominated for the 503A bulks list, then withdrawn (FDA list).
Compounding (28 Oct 2026)HHS announced limited, interim enforcement discretion for 503A pharmacy compounding of BPC-157 (subcutaneous, intramuscular, oral and topical), under strict conditions. This is not FDA approval, not a bulks-list addition, and it does not cover research-use-only sellers (Foley, McDermott). See our explainer.
SportBanned in professional sports [4]; see the WADA Prohibited List.

Status checked 3 Nov 2026. Regulations changed several times in 2026, so check the linked sources for updates.

Part 3Evidence grade

Mostly animal & lab

A 2026 systematic review found only three human studies (30 participants in total), all of poor methodological quality, and rated the certainty of the evidence very low [1]. Almost everything else is animal or lab work.

Animal
92%
Lab (cells)
7%
Human & other
1%

Share of 987 extracted results by evidence type (PepBank, data as of 30 Oct 2026): 92% animal, 7% lab cells. The remaining ~1% includes the three small human studies. How we grade evidence.

Part 4What it is

BPC-157 is a synthetic 15-amino-acid peptide [1]. Proposed mechanisms come from preclinical work: a 2025 systematic review describes increased growth-hormone receptor expression, activation of pathways involved in cell growth and new blood-vessel formation, and reduced inflammatory cytokines [4].

In rats and beagle dogs it was cleared quickly (half-life under 30 minutes). Intramuscular bioavailability was about 14–19% in rats and 45–51% in dogs, and the peptide was broken down into small fragments and amino acids [5]. We found no published human pharmacokinetic study.

One research group dominatesAn independent count of Europe PMC found 224 records mentioning BPC-157, of which 174 (about 78%) list the same author, P. Sikiric, (Certified Research, Sep 2026). Independent replication matters here.

Part 5What studies found

Human studies (all small, uncontrolled)

  • Knee pain, retrospective chart review: 16 patients at one clinic were reached by phone 6 to 12 months after an intra-articular injection. 14 of 16 reported relief. No validated outcome tools were used, and there was no control group [2].
  • Interstitial cystitis, pilot: 12 women who had not responded to standard treatment received bladder-wall injections during cystoscopy. The authors report that 10 had complete symptom resolution. There was no control group [3].
  • Intravenous safety, pilot: 2 adults who had already used IV BPC-157 received infusions on two days. No changes in the tested blood markers and no side effects were reported [6].

A 2026 systematic review of these three studies concluded that BPC-157 “should not be used clinically in humans outside ethically approved, regulated, high-quality clinical trials” [1].

Animal and lab studies

Of 36 studies in a 2025 orthopaedic systematic review, 35 were preclinical. In those models, BPC-157 improved functional, structural and biomechanical outcomes after muscle, tendon, ligament and bone injuries [4]. Animal results often fail to carry over to people.

Part 6Doses used in published studies

Not a recommendationThese are doses reported in published studies, listed with their population, route and duration so readers can understand the research. They are not instructions, and they say nothing about safety for you. Talk to a licensed clinician.
StudyPopulationRouteDose studiedDurationMain result
Lee & Walker 2024 [3]12 women with interstitial cystitisInjection into the bladder wall during cystoscopy10 mg totalSingle procedure10/12 reported complete resolution (uncontrolled)
Lee & Burgess 2025 [6]2 adults (prior IV users)Intravenous infusion over 1 hour10 mg on day 1; 20 mg on day 22 daysNo changes in tested markers; no side effects reported
Lee & Padgett 2021 [2]16 patients with knee pain (retrospective)Intra-articular injectionNot reported in the abstractNot reported; follow-up 6–12 months after injection14/16 reported relief (phone survey)

These are the only human doses in the published record we found. None comes from a controlled trial, and none establishes a safe or effective dose. We deliberately do not convert animal doses into human-equivalent doses.

Part 7Safety & adverse events

  • The three human studies reported no treatment-related adverse events, but they were too small and too poorly designed to establish safety [1].
  • The 2025 review found no clinical safety data and warned that adverse effects are possible because of unregulated manufacturing, contamination, and unknown clinical safety [4].
  • Cleveland Clinic lists concerns about purity and contamination, injection complications, an unknown overdose threshold, drug interactions, and a theoretical cancer concern (Cleveland Clinic).
  • For peptides it has reviewed for compounding, FDA has repeatedly cited the risk of immunogenicity and peptide-related impurities, along with limited human safety data (FDA).

Part 8What is unknown

  • Whether any effect seen in animals happens in people. No completed, controlled human trial has been published.
  • Human pharmacokinetics: how much reaches the bloodstream by each route, and how long it lasts.
  • Long-term safety, including the theoretical concern about promoting blood-vessel growth.
  • Product quality outside regulated pharmacies.

Part 9Community discussion

BPC-157 will have its own moderated category when our forum opens. Personal experiences there are labeled as anecdotes, and claims about research must link a source.

Join the forum waitlist

Part 10References

  1. Poolton JT, Minett J, Kazmi A. Human evidence for BPC-157 in orthopaedic and regenerative medicine: a systematic review of efficacy and safety. Acta Orthop Belg. 2026;92(3). PubMed 42885452 · doi:10.52628/92.3.15837
  2. Lee E, Padgett B. Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain. Altern Ther Health Med. 2021;27(4):8-13. PubMed 34324435
  3. Lee E, Walker C, Ayadi B. Effect of BPC-157 on Symptoms in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot Study. Altern Ther Health Med. 2024;30(10):12-17. PubMed 39325560
  4. Vasireddi N, et al. Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review. HSS J. 2025;21(4):485-495. PubMed 40756949 · doi:10.1177/15563316251355551
  5. He L, et al. Pharmacokinetics, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of body-protective compound 157 in rats and dogs. Front Pharmacol. 2022;13:1026182. PubMed 36588717 · doi:10.3389/fphar.2022.1026182
  6. Lee E, Burgess K. Safety of Intravenous Infusion of BPC157 in Humans: A Pilot Study. Altern Ther Health Med. 2025;31(5):20-24. PubMed 40131143
  7. PepBank. BPC-157 studies (results by evidence type, data as of 30 Oct 2026). pepbank.io
  8. DrugBank. BPC-157 (DB11882). drugbank.com
Educational information onlyThis profile summarizes published research. It is not medical advice and does not recommend using BPC-157. Full medical disclaimer.