Is retatrutide banned in sport?
Retatrutide does not appear by name on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Prohibited List. It does not need to: the List has a catch-all class for drugs that no health authority has approved yet. Here is how that class works, why semaglutide and tirzepatide are treated differently, and what changes in 2027.
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Which class covers retatrutide?
Class S0, non-approved substances, covers any pharmacological substance that no other section of the List addresses and that has no current approval by any governmental health authority for human therapeutic use. WADA gives drugs in pre-clinical or clinical development as examples, and the whole class is prohibited at all times.
Retatrutide fits that description. It is still in clinical development, and Eli Lilly stated on 12 August 2026 that no medicine containing retatrutide has been approved for human use by any regulatory agency in the world.
In competition, out of competition, or both?
Both. S0 substances are prohibited at all times, so a positive test counts whether the sample was taken at an event or during training.
Why semaglutide and tirzepatide are treated differently
Semaglutide and tirzepatide are approved medicines, so class S0 does not apply to them, and they are not on the Prohibited List. They are in WADA's 2027 Monitoring Program: accredited laboratories look for them so that WADA can follow how they are used in sport, but finding them is not a violation. WADA has kept their status unchanged for 2027 while it waits for more data.
What changes in 2027
The 2027 Prohibited List takes effect on 1 January 2027, together with a new version of the World Anti-Doping Code. The 2027 List names peptides in general in class S0, and the US Anti-Doping Agency advises the utmost caution even with peptides that are not listed by name. For retatrutide nothing changes: it stays prohibited at all times.
Strict liability: why the label does not matter
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, an athlete is solely responsible for any prohibited substance found in their system, however it got there. A product sold for research use only offers no protection, and the label on a vial is no defence.
Would approval change the status?
Class S0 only covers substances without an approval. Lilly plans to file retatrutide for approval in the United States in the first quarter of 2027 (see the approval timeline). If it is approved, its status in sport will depend on how WADA classifies it at that point, so always check the List in force.
Sources
- WADA: The Prohibited List. www.wada-ama.org
- USADA: Athlete Advisory, what's new on the 2027 WADA Prohibited List (6 October 2026). www.usada.org
- World Rugby: WADA publishes 2027 Prohibited List (6 October 2026). www.world.rugby
- UK Anti-Doping: The World Anti-Doping Code. www.ukad.org.uk
- Eli Lilly: statement on the illegal retatrutide market (12 August 2026). investor.lilly.com
Frequently asked questions
Is retatrutide on the WADA Prohibited List?
Not by name, but it is covered by class S0, non-approved substances, which is prohibited at all times.
Is retatrutide banned out of competition?
Yes. Substances in class S0 are prohibited in and out of competition.
Are semaglutide and tirzepatide banned in sport?
No. They are approved medicines and are not prohibited. WADA tracks them in its 2027 Monitoring Program.
Does the 2027 WADA List change anything for retatrutide?
No. From 1 January 2027 it stays prohibited at all times under class S0, and the 2027 List names peptides in general in that class.