Non-approved substances

Group S0, “Substances Not Approved for Medical Use,” on the WADA Prohibited List (see original WADA text below) was added to the list by WADA in 2011 to generally prohibit the misuse of newly developed medications that have not yet been approved. This also renders moot the discussion of whether the new active ingredient is actually a performance-enhancing substance or not.

Substances whose use in humans has not yet been conclusively investigated with regard to potential health risks must not be put into circulation to protect the public. It is therefore fundamentally prohibited for athletes who, for whatever reason, gain access to these substances to use them for performance enhancement.

This rule is intended to clearly signal to athletes that a newly developed substance is prohibited in principle, even if it is not yet specifically listed on WADA’s Prohibited List.

Original text from WADA: (January 1, 2024)

S0. NON-APPROVED SUBSTANCES

Any pharmacological substance that is not addressed by any of the subsequent sections of the List and that is not currently approved by any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use (e.g., drugs under preclinical or clinical development or discontinued, designer drugs, substances approved only for veterinary use) is prohibited at all times.

This class covers many different substances, including but not limited to BPC-157, 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP), and troponin activators (e.g., reldesemtiv and tirasemtiv).