BPC-157 Clinical Trials and Human Studies
Human research on BPC-157 remains limited. Three full human reports have been published in recent years, while earlier placebo-controlled studies were reported only in conference abstracts. Three additional BPC-157 interventional studies are currently registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. No full peer-reviewed randomised controlled efficacy trial has yet established that BPC-157 works in humans.
BPC-157 Human Studies and Clinical Trials Timeline
Published human studies and registered BPC-157 clinical trials identified in our search, shown newest first.
2027
Upcoming trial: starts 2027Phase 1 rotator cuff repair trial scheduled
NCT07803250, registered in September 2026 by the University of Arkansas, will assess BPC-157 after rotator cuff repair surgery. It is not yet recruiting, with an estimated start in 2027. No results exist yet.
View trial record →2026
Completed: results not postedSingle-arm supplement study posted
NCT07752381, sponsored by a supplement company, gave 40 participants a gummy product containing 500 µg of BPC-157 per serving. It had no comparison group, no blinding, and no results have been posted.
View trial record →2025
Published pilot studyIntravenous BPC-157 safety pilot
Two adults, both of whom had received intravenous BPC-157 before the study, were monitored across three days of blood work and vital signs at a private Florida clinic. No clinically significant adverse changes were reported in the biomarkers measured by the study, and no side effects were reported.
Review the safety study →2024
Published pilot studyBPC-157 in interstitial cystitis
Twelve women aged 39 to 76 whose symptoms had not responded to pentosan polysulfate received BPC-157 injections around inflamed areas of the bladder during cystoscopy, in a single procedure. Outcomes were self-rated, and there was no control group.
Review the study →2021
Published human studyIntra-articular BPC-157 for knee pain
A retrospective one-year chart review at a Florida clinic, followed by a telephone survey. Of the 16 patients successfully contacted, 12 had received BPC-157 alone and four had received BPC-157 with thymosin beta-4. There was no untreated or placebo control group, and validated measures of function or quality of life were not used.
Review the knee study →2015
Registered trial: results not postedPhase I safety and pharmacokinetics trial registered
NCT02637284 was registered in December 2015 by PharmaCotherapia d.o.o. to test an oral formulation of BPC-157 in healthy volunteers. The registry lists its status as unknown, last verified by the sponsor in October 2015, and no results have been publicly posted. Registration alone does not mean a trial was completed or published.
View trial record →2005
Abstract-only controlled trialUlcerative-colitis trial reported as an abstract
A two-week trial in mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis, reported only as a meeting abstract. The reported results could not show a clear difference between BPC-157 and placebo, and full peer-reviewed details were never published.
See the abstract-only trials →2002–03
Abstract-only Phase I studyPhase I rectal-enema safety study
An early placebo-controlled safety study in healthy volunteers, reported only in meeting abstracts. Full peer-reviewed study details are not publicly available, so the findings cannot be assessed to the same standard as a complete published paper.
See the abstract-only trials →Published studies report results in a scientific paper; abstract-only trials were reported at scientific meetings without a full paper; registered trials without posted results exist only as registry records. Animal and laboratory research is excluded from this page and covered in our guide to animal versus human peptide research.
What Human Studies Have Been Published on BPC-157?
Three full human reports have been published, all since 2021: a retrospective study of intra-articular BPC-157 for knee pain (17 patients reviewed),1 a pilot of BPC-157 injections in 12 women with interstitial cystitis,2 and a two-person intravenous safety pilot.3 None had a placebo or untreated comparison group.
Earlier BPC-157 human trials reported only as abstracts
The US Food and Drug Administration's 2026 evidence review of BPC-157 identified earlier human studies from the 2000s that were reported only as conference abstracts.7 A placebo-controlled Phase I safety study gave BPC-157 by rectal enema to 24 healthy volunteers in 2002–03. A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in 2005 randomised 53 people with mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis to a BPC-157 enema or placebo for two weeks; 46 completed the trial, and the reported results could not show a clear difference between BPC-157 and placebo.
Full peer-reviewed details of these studies are not publicly available, so their findings cannot be assessed to the same standard as a complete published paper. The FDA's review concluded the available data were inadequate to support the efficacy and safety of BPC-157.7
Controlled BPC-157 trials have taken place. The evidence from them, however, is limited to conference abstracts, and no complete, peer-reviewed record of a controlled efficacy trial has been published.
What BPC-157 Clinical Trials Have Been Registered?
Three interventional BPC-157 studies are currently listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.4,5,5 The record carrying the most historical weight is a Phase I oral safety and pharmacokinetics study registered in 2015 with no publicly posted results.
NCT02637284: Phase I, oral safety and pharmacokinetics
The sponsor, PharmaCotherapia d.o.o., registered a randomised, placebo-controlled and fully blinded study of an oral formulation called PCO-02, whose active ingredient is BPC-157 (also designated Bepecin). The trial planned to enrol 42 healthy adults aged 18–35, in single- and repeated-dose stages, with safety as its main focus and pharmacokinetics alongside. It was listed as starting in October 2015 with an estimated completion of March 2016. The registry entry was last updated in December 2015; its overall status is recorded as unknown, with a last known status of active, not recruiting, and no results have been publicly posted.
Read our full analysis →NCT07803250: Phase 1, rotator cuff repair · starts 2027
The sponsor, the University of Arkansas, registered a Phase 1 randomised trial in September 2026 to assess BPC-157 during recovery from rotator cuff repair surgery. The registry lists a comparison group that receives no active treatment or placebo injections, with shoulder strength as the main outcome. It is not yet recruiting, with an estimated start in 2027.
Read our full analysis →NCT07752381: Single-arm supplement study
A supplement company, Parlay Wellness, registered a completed study in which all 40 participants received a gummy product containing 500 µg of BPC-157 per serving. It had no comparison group and no blinding, and no results have been posted, so this study does not add to the evidence on BPC-157.
Read our full analysis →What Does the Human Evidence Actually Tell Us?
The level of conclusion each kind of evidence can support.
Has BPC-157 been used in published human research?
YesThree full published reports describe human exposure to BPC-157: a retrospective knee-pain study, a 12-person interstitial cystitis pilot and a two-person intravenous safety pilot. Earlier placebo-controlled studies were reported only as conference abstracts.
Has BPC-157 been proven effective in humans?
No established evidenceNo full peer-reviewed randomised controlled trial has established that BPC-157 is effective in humans. Earlier controlled studies were reported only as conference abstracts, and the available information is too limited to establish efficacy. The recent studies reporting improvement had no placebo or untreated comparison group, so they cannot show how much of the improvement came from BPC-157 rather than natural recovery, placebo effects or other care the patients received.
Has safety been established?
NoThe two-person intravenous study cannot establish safety in the wider population or estimate how often adverse effects occur. Both participants had previously received intravenous BPC-157, which means the study may simply reflect people who had already tolerated it well. Larger studies in people who have not used BPC-157 before would be needed to give a reliable picture of safety. The study's authors themselves called for further research.
Are human results consistent with animal research?
Cannot be answeredThe animal literature reports healing effects across many rodent injury models. Whether those effects carry over to humans cannot yet be answered, because there are no full published controlled human results to compare against.
Have the Published Human Findings Been Independently Repeated?
Independent researchers have not yet repeated these findings. All three recent full human reports have the same first author, Edwin Lee, and appeared in the same journal, Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.1,2,3 That does not mean the findings are wrong, but repetition by independent researchers is one of the main ways science tests whether a result holds up.
Where Does the Human Evidence Currently Sit?
Published evidence: each rung supports stronger conclusions than the one above it.
What Human Research Is Still Needed?
What is missing from the record, and why each gap matters.
How We Identified BPC-157 Human Research
We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and ClinicalTrials.gov using BPC-157, BPC157, Body Protection Compound 157 and related naming variants. We also checked the reference lists of recent peer-reviewed reviews and the FDA's 2026 evidence review of BPC-157 to identify potentially relevant human studies that may not have appeared in the primary search.
We included human exposure studies, clinical reports, trials reported as conference abstracts and registered prospective interventional studies involving BPC-157. We excluded animal studies, cell studies, reviews, opinion pieces and publications without original human BPC-157 exposure data.
Our search identified the three full published human reports and, through the FDA review, the two earlier abstract-reported controlled trials described above. Recent reviews likewise characterise the full published human literature as limited to small reports involving musculoskeletal pain, interstitial cystitis and intravenous administration.8,9 Clinical-trial registries were checked separately for unpublished and ongoing research, which is how the four registered studies on this page were identified. If you know of human BPC-157 research we have missed, contact us through our contact page; our correction policy is described in our editorial standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has BPC-157 been tested in humans?
Yes. Human administration has been reported in three full published studies and in historical trial abstracts, and additional interventional studies are registered. However, the human evidence remains limited.
Are there BPC-157 clinical trials?
Yes. Three interventional studies are currently registered, including a Phase 1 rotator cuff trial scheduled to start in 2027. None is currently recruiting.
Has BPC-157 been proven to work in humans?
No. No full peer-reviewed randomised controlled trial has established clinical effectiveness.
Is BPC-157 safe in humans?
Human safety data are too limited to establish a reliable safety profile. Our BPC-157 side effects guide covers what has and hasn't been documented.
Are there ongoing BPC-157 human trials?
Not at present. No registered BPC-157 trial is currently recruiting. A Phase 1 rotator cuff trial is registered with an estimated start in 2027.
Research Database Update History
A registry record previously listed here as a recruiting Phase 2 trial was removed after verification showed its sponsor publishes fictional example records on ClinicalTrials.gov. The registered-study count and related wording were updated accordingly.
Page scope expanded to include the two earlier controlled trials reported only as abstracts, identified through the FDA's 2026 evidence review. Rotator cuff trial design confirmed against the live registry record.
Human publications and clinical-trial registries checked. Three full published human reports and four registered interventional BPC-157 studies identified; one Phase 2 trial is currently recruiting.
Research compound studied
BPC-157
Every study and trial in this database investigated BPC-157, a synthetic peptide of 15 amino acids. Batch-tested BPC-157 with certificates of analysis is available from our catalogue.
Sold for laboratory research use only. Not for human consumption. Nothing on this page is a claim that any product treats or prevents any condition.
Related BPC-157 research
View the BPC-157 research specification →
References
- 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
- 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
- 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
- PharmaCotherapia d.o.o. PCO-02: Safety and Pharmacokinetics Trial. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02637284. Registered 15 December 2015. Registry record
- University of Arkansas. Impact of BPC-157 on Recovery From Rotator Cuff Repair Surgery. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT07803250. First posted 3 September 2026. Registry record
- Parlay Wellness. A Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Effects of Peptide Gummies on Markers of Inflammation, Physical Performance, and Recovery. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT07752381. First posted 7 August 2026. Registry record
- US Food and Drug Administration. Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee Briefing Document: BPC-157. 2026. FDA briefing document
- McGuire FP, Martinez R, Lenz A, Skinner L, Cushman DM. Regeneration or Risk? A Narrative Review of BPC-157 for Musculoskeletal Healing. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2025;18(12):611–619. DOI
- Yuan C, Demers A, Silva-Ortiz V, et al. From Regeneration to Analgesia: The Role of BPC-157 in Tissue Repair and Pain Management. Int J Mol Sci. 2026;27(6):2876. DOI