BPC-157: what it is, what the studies show and where it stands
BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide of 15 amino acids (a pentadecapeptide) that was originally isolated from gastric juice. No approved medicine containing it was found in the US or Canada.
At a glance
US Not approved
Canada Not authorized
Group Healing and recovery
Sources 18
Checked 10 Oct 2026What is BPC-157?
BPC-157 is a synthetic peptide of 15 amino acids (a pentadecapeptide) that was originally isolated from gastric juice. No approved medicine containing it was found in the US or Canada. [5]
Other names: BPC 157, BPC157, Body Protection Compound 157, PL 14736, PL-10, PLD-116, Bepecin, PCO-02.
How it has been given to people: In the published human reports: injection into the knee joint, injection into the bladder wall during cystoscopy, and intravenous infusion. No published human study of injection under the skin was found.
Looking for doses? BPC-157 dosage chart and vial math
Is BPC-157 approved in the US and Canada?
United States: Not FDA approved. FDA lists BPC-157 among bulk substances that were in compounding category 2 until the nominations were withdrawn; it is in none of the three categories on the 14 May 2026 list. [13]
Canada: Not authorized in Canada. Health Canada names BPC-157 among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs it has seized (advisory of 9 April 2026). [17]
Both were checked on 10 Oct 2026 against the regulators' own product databases.
Which approved products contain BPC-157?
No approved medicine containing BPC-157 was found in the US or Canada. Anything sold under this name is not a regulated product, so there is no label to check a dose against.
What human studies of BPC-157 exist?
The 13 findings listed here: 8 from smaller or observational human studies and 5 from animal or lab work.
A 2025 review counted only three pilot studies of BPC-157 in humans: knee pain, interstitial cystitis and intravenous safety. [5]
In a pilot study of 12 women with interstitial cystitis, 10 rated their symptoms fully resolved after one treatment and 2 rated the result at 80%. The abstract describes no comparison group. [2]
Two adults given 10 mg and then 20 mg by vein on consecutive days showed no measurable change in heart, liver, kidney, thyroid or blood glucose markers. [3]
In a retrospective chart review with phone follow-up, 11 of 12 patients given BPC 157 alone into the knee joint reported significant improvement in knee pain. The abstract gives no dose and says no specific tools were used to measure function. [1]
Four more patients in the same chart review were given BPC 157 together with thymosin beta-4 (written TB4) into the knee. This is the only human report of the two given together that was found. [1]
Of those four, 75% reported significant improvement and 25% had no relief. [1]
A systematic review of the literature to June 2024 found 35 preclinical studies and 1 clinical study. [4]
That review describes the knee series differently from its own abstract: 7 of 12 patients with relief lasting more than 6 months. [4]
In rats, BPC 157 given into the abdomen once a day improved healing of a cut Achilles tendon on biomechanical, functional and microscopic measures. [8]
In rats and beagle dogs the elimination half-life of BPC157 was under 30 minutes after injection into a vein or muscle. [6]
Bioavailability after injection into muscle was about 14 to 19 percent in rats and 45 to 51 percent in dogs. [6]
In a rat Achilles tendon repair study, giving BPC-157 together with TB-500 added nothing over either one alone. [9]
A 2006 review of animal work describes BPC 157 in passing as safe in clinical trials for inflammatory bowel disease under the codes PL 10, PLD 116 and PL 14736 (Pliva, Croatia). No published report of those trials was found. [7]
What are the side effects of BPC-157?
Reported in human studies or on a label:
- No side effects were reported by the 2 people given intravenous infusions. [3]
- No adverse events were reported among the 12 women in the bladder injection pilot. [2]
- A 2025 systematic review found no clinical safety data. [4]
- The same review warns that harm is possible from unregulated manufacturing, contamination or unknown clinical safety. [4]
- FDA says compounded BPC-157 may carry a risk of immune reactions for some routes of administration. [13]
- FDA says it does not have enough information to know whether BPC-157 would cause harm in humans. [13]
How does BPC-157 compare with others in its group?
These are the peptides filed under healing and recovery. The last column says whether a randomized human trial is on record for each.
| Peptide | US | Canada | Half-life | Randomized human trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BPC-157 | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| TB-500 | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | Yes |
| KPV | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| ARA-290 | Not approved | Not authorized | About 20 minutes after injection under the skin and about 2 minutes after intravenous injection, as given in a 2016 review written by the trial group (full text). | Yes |
| MGF | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| Cartalax | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
What could not be found
These were searched for and did not turn up. They are listed so a missing number is not mistaken for a hidden one.
- No approved product or label in the US or Canada, so no official dose, contraindications, interaction list, missed-dose rule or storage instructions.
- No published human study of BPC-157 injected under the skin. PubMed was searched for BPC-157 with patients, volunteers, clinical trial, case report, pilot and retrospective.
- No human half-life. The only pharmacokinetic study found is in rats and dogs [6].
- The dose injected into the knee in [1] is not stated in the abstract.
- No PubMed record reporting the PL 14736 inflammatory bowel disease trials themselves. They are mentioned only in passing in animal papers [7].
- No results or publication for the oral Phase 1 study NCT02637284 [10]. It was registered in 2015 to give healthy volunteers tablets containing 1 mg each (single doses of 1, 3 or 6 tablets, then 3 tablets every 8 hours for 2 weeks). Its status is listed as unknown, so these are planned doses, not doses known to have been given.
- No completed trial of injection under the skin. A university pilot ([11], daily injections for 90 days after rotator cuff repair) had not started recruiting when checked and its record gives no dose in mg. A second record ([12], daily injections for 14 days) also gives no dose; see flags.
- Human study of BPC-157 given together with TB-500 or thymosin beta-4: one PubMed search (BPC-157 with TB-500 or thymosin terms) returned 12 records; the only human data are the 4 knee patients in [1]. No trial was found.
BPC-157 questions
Is BPC-157 approved in the US?
Not FDA approved. FDA lists BPC-157 among bulk substances that were in compounding category 2 until the nominations were withdrawn; it is in none of the three categories on the 14 May 2026 list.
Is BPC-157 authorized in Canada?
Not authorized in Canada. Health Canada names BPC-157 among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs it has seized (advisory of 9 April 2026).
Has BPC-157 been tested in a randomized human trial?
No randomized human trial was found. What exists is listed under the studies heading on this page.
Sources
Each one was opened on 10 Oct 2026 and matched to the line it supports.
- Lee E et al. Intra-Articular Injection of BPC 157 for Multiple Types of Knee Pain. Altern Ther Health Med 2021. PubMed 34324435.
- Lee E et al. Effect of BPC-157 on Symptoms in Patients with Interstitial Cystitis: A Pilot Study. Altern Ther Health Med 2024. PubMed 39325560.
- Lee E et al. Safety of Intravenous Infusion of BPC157 in Humans: A Pilot Study. Altern Ther Health Med 2025. PubMed 40131143.
- Vasireddi N et al. Emerging Use of BPC-157 in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: A Systematic Review. HSS J 2025. PubMed 40756949.
- McGuire FP et al. Regeneration or Risk? A Narrative Review of BPC-157 for Musculoskeletal Healing. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 2025. PubMed 40789979.
- He L et al. Pharmacokinetics, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of body-protective compound 157, a potential drug for treating various wounds, in rats and dogs. Front Pharmacol 2022. PubMed 36588717.
- Sikiric P et al. Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 in trials for inflammatory bowel disease (PL-10, PLD-116, PL 14736, Pliva, Croatia). Full and distended stomach, and vascular response. Inflammopharmacology 2006. PubMed 17186181.
- Staresinic M et al. Gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 accelerates healing of transected rat Achilles tendon and in vitro stimulates tendocytes growth. J Orthop Res 2003. PubMed 14554208.
- Bicer O et al. Effects of BPC-157 and TB-500 on Achilles tendon healing in rats: A histopathological and biomechanical study. Jt Dis Relat Surg 2026. PubMed 42542926.
- PCO-02 - Safety and Pharmacokinetics Trial ClinicalTrials.gov 2015. clinicaltrials.gov. Trial NCT02637284.
- Impact of BPC-157 on Recovery Following Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery ClinicalTrials.gov 2026. clinicaltrials.gov. Trial NCT07803250.
- BPC 157 for Acute Hamstring Muscle Strain Repair ClinicalTrials.gov 2026. clinicaltrials.gov. Trial NCT07437547.
- Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks US Food and Drug Administration 2026. fda.gov.
- Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act US Food and Drug Administration 2026. fda.gov.
- Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act US Food and Drug Administration 2026. fda.gov.
- World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency 2026. wada-ama.org.
- Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you Health Canada 2026. recalls-rappels.canada.ca.
- TB-500 (Thymosin Beta 4 17-23 Fragment) for Cardiovascular Biomarkers in Stable ASCVD ClinicalTrials.gov 2026. clinicaltrials.gov. Trial NCT07487363.
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