BPC-157 Rotator Cuff Clinical Trial: Phase 1 Study Explained
NCT07803250 is a registered Phase 1 trial that will test whether BPC-157 helps recovery after rotator cuff repair surgery, comparing 30 patients randomly assigned to BPC-157 or to no treatment. It is not yet recruiting, with an estimated start in 2027, so there are no results and none are expected for some time.
Trial at a glance
Why does this trial matter?
This is the first registered trial of BPC-157 run by a university rather than a company, and the first to study it after surgery. It signals that academic researchers are beginning to test BPC-157 formally, though as a small Phase 1 trial with a no-treatment comparison group rather than a placebo, its eventual evidence will have limits.
What is the trial testing?
Whether patients recovering from rotator cuff repair surgery, an operation to fix torn shoulder tendons, regain shoulder strength faster with BPC-157 than without any additional treatment.
How is the trial designed?
Thirty adults who have had rotator cuff repair surgery will be randomly assigned to receive BPC-157 or to a comparison group receiving no additional treatment and no placebo. The registry lists shoulder strength as the primary outcome. Because the comparison group receives nothing, participants will know which group they are in, a design that is weaker than a placebo-controlled trial, since expectations can influence recovery and effort on strength tests.
What is the trial designed to measure?
- Shoulder strength: the primary outcome, measured during recovery after surgery.
Are results available yet?
No. The trial is registered but not yet recruiting, with an estimated start in 2027.
What can be concluded now?
Nothing about whether BPC-157 works. The registration shows that a university-run human trial of BPC-157 is planned, and no more than that.
What this trial does not prove
- Registration does not prove the trial will start, be completed or be published.
- It does not prove BPC-157 is safe.
- It does not prove BPC-157 works.
- A trial that has not started has no outcome.
Evidence strength
Research compound studied
BPC-157
This trial investigates 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.
How does this fit with other BPC-157 human research?
Together with the recruiting Phase 2 hamstring trial, this registration marks 2026 as the year human BPC-157 research visibly restarted after two decades of near-silence. Athletes should note that this research does not change BPC-157's prohibited status under the WADA list. View all BPC-157 clinical trials and human studies →
Primary 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.
View the ClinicalTrials.gov record →