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Peptide tools

Compare peptides side by side

Pick two or three peptides and see legal status, evidence grade, human study counts, half-life, side effects and open questions in one view. The link updates as you go, so you can send the comparison to someone.

Common comparisons

The two repair peptides most often stacked, and how little human data either has.

BPC-157Body Protection Compound 157, BepecinA 15-amino-acid synthetic peptide studied mostly in rats for tendon, muscle and gut healing. Human data is a handful of tiny pilot studies.Full profileTB-500Ac-LKKTETQ, Thymosin beta-4 fragment 17-23A 7-amino-acid piece of thymosin beta-4 sold for injury recovery. No completed human study has tested it; a small heart trial began in 2026.Full profile
Legal status
BPC-157
In clinical trialsBeing tested in human trials. Not approved anywhere yet.WADA prohibited in sport
TB-500
In clinical trialsBeing tested in human trials. Not approved anywhere yet.WADA prohibited in sport
Approved products
BPC-157None anywhere.
TB-500None anywhere.
Evidence grade
BPC-157
CSmall or open-label human studies only
TB-500
DAnimal or cell data only
Human studies
BPC-157
About 5 publishedKey studies on its page: 4 in people, 3 in animals or cells
TB-500
None publishedKey studies on its page: 3 in people, 3 in animals or cells
Class
BPC-157Tissue repair
TB-500Tissue repair
Mechanism target
BPC-157No confirmed receptor. Proposed: VEGFR2-Akt-eNOS signaling, FAK-paxillin pathway in fibroblasts, nitric oxide system
TB-500G-actin (monomeric actin), via the LKKTET actin-binding motif of thymosin beta-4
Half-life
BPC-157
Not establishedNot measured in humans
TB-500
Not establishedNot measured in humans
Routes studied
BPC-157
Subcutaneous injectionOralIntra-articular injectionRectal enemaIntravenous
TB-500
Subcutaneous injectionIntramuscular injection
Top side effects
BPC-157
  • Headache and flatulenceRate unknown
  • Injection site redness and swellingRate unknown
  • Shortness of breathRare
  • Diffuse skin darkening and dark gumsRare
TB-500
  • No characterized side-effect profileRate unknown
  • Skin and gum darkeningRare
  • Immune reaction to peptide or impuritiesRate unknown
  • Mild to moderate adverse events in full-length thymosin beta-4 trialsUncommon
Not yet known
BPC-157
  • Whether it heals any tendon, ligament or muscle injury in humans better than placebo: no completed human RCT exists for any musculoskeletal use
  • Human half-life and how much reaches the blood after subcutaneous or oral use
  • Long-term safety beyond 2 weeks of use, including effects on existing or undiagnosed tumors given its pro-angiogenic activity in animals
TB-500
  • Whether TB-500 does anything in a living human: there is no efficacy or safety study
  • Whether the acetylated fragment works at all, or only through its Ac-LKKTE breakdown product
  • Human half-life, distribution and how long fragments persist
US compounding
BPC-157Not a legal 503A compounding ingredient as of October 2026. FDA placed BPC-157 in Category 2 (significant safety concerns) in 2023. On April 15, 2026 FDA announced its removal from Category 2 after the nominations were withdrawn, which did not move it to Category 1. On July 23, 2026 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 8 to 6, with 1 abstention, to recommend adding it to the 503A Bulks List for ulcerative colitis, against the recommendation of FDA staff. The vote is advisory. Adding it requires a proposed rule, public comment and a final rule, and none had been published as of October 2026.
TB-500Not a legal 503A compounding ingredient as of October 2026. FDA placed 'Thymosin Beta-4, Fragment (LKKTETQ)' in Category 2 (significant safety concerns) in 2023 and announced its removal from Category 2 on April 15, 2026 after the nomination was withdrawn; that did not place it in Category 1. On July 23, 2026 the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted 8 to 6, with 1 abstention, to recommend adding TB-500 for wound healing, against FDA staff, who found no human data. The vote is advisory and FDA had not published a proposed rule as of October 2026. No US outsourcing facility has reported compounding it.

Half-life bars use a log scale from 6 minutes to 30 days. Human study counts are approximate and include small and uncontrolled studies. Dose data is not shown here.
Reading the rows

What each row tells you

Legal status
Whether any regulator has approved a product made from this molecule, and whether it is banned in tested sport. An approved product is made under drug manufacturing rules; a research chemical is not.
Evidence grade
A means an approved drug or several randomized trials in people. D means animal or cell data only. The bar fills further for stronger evidence.
Mechanism target
The receptor or pathway the molecule acts on. Two peptides that hit the same receptor usually share side effects too.
Half-life
How long it takes for half of a dose to clear from the blood. It decides whether a drug is given daily or weekly. Many research peptides have never had it measured in people.
Side effects
The most reported effects, with how often they occurred where trials measured it. "Rate unknown" means no trial has counted them.
Not yet known
Questions no study has answered, such as long-term safety or whether an animal result holds in people. This row is often the most important one.
Common questions

The four comparisons people ask about most

Each card opens the tool with those peptides loaded.

BPC-157 vs TB-500 The two repair peptides most often stacked, and how little human data either has. BPC-157 C In clinical trials TB-500 D In clinical trials Open this comparison Semaglutide vs tirzepatide vs retatrutide One, two and three hormone receptors: two approved drugs and one still in trials. Semaglutide A FDA-approved Tirzepatide A FDA-approved Retatrutide A In clinical trials Open this comparison CJC-1295 vs ipamorelin vs sermorelin Three ways to push the pituitary to release growth hormone. CJC-1295 B Research chemical Ipamorelin B Research chemical Sermorelin B Withdrawn Open this comparison Semax vs Selank The two Russian nasal-spray peptides, one sold for stroke and one for anxiety. Semax C Approved outside US Selank C Approved outside US Open this comparison
The Staate peptide brief

Get the trial results when they come out

One email when a peptide trial reads out, a label changes or the FDA acts. Human evidence first, every source linked. Nothing for sale.
Frequently asked questions
Is BPC-157 better than TB-500 for healing?
Nobody has tested them against each other in people. BPC-157 has a handful of small human reports and dozens of rat studies. TB-500, a fragment of thymosin beta-4, has no published human trials of the fragment itself. Both are unapproved research chemicals, and both are prohibited in tested sport. The comparison above shows each one's evidence grade and what is still unknown.
What is the difference between semaglutide, tirzepatide and retatrutide?
They act on one, two and three hormone receptors. Semaglutide activates the GLP-1 receptor. Tirzepatide activates GIP and GLP-1 receptors. Retatrutide adds the glucagon receptor. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are FDA-approved. Retatrutide is still in phase 3 trials and is not approved anywhere.
Can I share a comparison?
Yes. The page address updates as you pick peptides, in the form /peptides/tools/compare?p=bpc-157,tb-500. Use the Copy link button and the person you send it to sees the same comparison.
Why are dose amounts not in the comparison?
Dose numbers lifted out of context are easy to misuse. The doses used in published trials and on approved labels are listed on each peptide page for free members, next to the source they came from.
Does a combination of two peptides work better than either one?
For most popular combinations, nobody has run the study. Stacks such as BPC-157 with TB-500, or CJC-1295 with ipamorelin, are built on reasoning from mechanisms, not on trials of the combination in people. Each peptide page lists common stacks with a note on what, if anything, has been tested.
Sources
  1. U.S. FDA. Drugs@FDA: FDA-approved drug products database.
  2. U.S. FDA. Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks.
  3. World Anti-Doping Agency. The Prohibited List.
  4. Muttenthaler M et al. (2021). Trends in peptide drug discovery. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 20:309-325.

This is educational information, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before changing your treatment, medication, or supplement routine, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or managing a health condition.