BPC-157

Approval status

Not approved as a medicine in any country. FDA had listed it among compounding substances that may pose significant safety risks. It came off that list in April 2026 after its nomination was withdrawn, but it is still not a substance pharmacies may compound with. In July 2026 FDA staff advised against allowing it; news reports say FDA's advisory panel narrowly voted to recommend it. In October 2026 FDA sent a draft interim access policy for compounding certain peptides for White House review; news reports say it would let pharmacies temporarily compound BPC-157.^1345678915

What it’s used or studied for

• Human studies

  Ulcerative colitis: one small placebo-controlled trial of BPC-157 enemas was reported only as a meeting abstract. FDA judged the data too limited to show a benefit.¹

• Human studies

  Knee pain: in clinic records of 16 people given knee injections, most reported less pain. There was no control group, and reviewers rate the evidence very low.¹⁰¹¹

• Human studies

  Interstitial cystitis (bladder pain): an uncontrolled pilot study in 12 women reported symptom relief after injections into the bladder wall.¹²¹¹

• Animal & lab only

  Tendon, ligament and muscle healing: many rat studies report faster repair, but this has not been tested in controlled human trials.¹³¹⁴

• Animal & lab only

  Protecting the stomach, gut and liver: rat studies report fewer ulcers, fistulas and liver lesions after various injuries. How it might work is not known.¹

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

Human safety data come from a few small, short studies. Healthy volunteers given BPC-157 enemas most often reported headache and gas. FDA has received a few reports of injection-site reactions, shortness of breath, and skin and gum darkening, but could not tell whether BPC-157 caused them.¹¹¹

Cautions

• FDA warns that injected peptides such as BPC-157 may trigger immune reactions, a risk raised by clumping (aggregation) and impurities.¹
• There are no human data on long-term use, and no data on how the body absorbs it after injection, oral or nasal use.¹
• FDA found different salts and related substances sold under the name BPC-157, so products with the same label may differ.¹