BPC-157 vs TB-500
Side by side: what studies show, whether it is legal, doping and risks. No winner is shown on purpose.
| BPC-157 | TB-500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | A synthetic peptide popular for injuries. Only three studies in people exist, 30 people in total, none with a comparison group. No such medicine exists. | This name is used for thymosin beta-4 or a short piece of it. A test of products sold online found contents that did not match their description. |
| Stage | Still being studied | Still being studied |
| Is it legal (PL) | No approval. No approval. Polish health inspectors warn that synthetic peptides sold as research chemicals are not medicines and selling them is illegal. | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA) lists no such medicine in Poland (9 October 2026). The Polish register was down, so we could not check it directly. |
| Is it legal (EU) | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). | No approval. The European medicines database (EMA), which covers EU and national approvals, lists no such medicine (9 October 2026). |
| Is it legal (US) | No approval. No approved medicine. On 30 October 2026 the US health department (HHS) published a draft policy: it does not plan to act against pharmacies and doctors that make it on a prescription for a named patient, from an FDA-registered maker, until the FDA decides by rule. The draft is not binding, and comments close on 13 November 2026. | No approval. No approved medicine. On 30 October 2026 the US health department (HHS) published a draft policy: it does not plan to act against pharmacies and doctors that make it on a prescription for a named patient, from an FDA-registered maker, until the FDA decides by rule. The draft is not binding, and comments close on 13 November 2026. |
| Doping | Banned in sport, WADA 2026 | Banned in sport, WADA 2026 |
| Safety | Not known | Not known |
| Risk of fakes | High | High |
| Recovery and injury | D Not clear. Only uncontrolled reports in people, rated very unreliable. Mostly studies in rats and mice. | D Not clear. In one study of tendons in rats, TB-500 improved early healing. There is no study of this fragment in people. |