BPC-157 side effects and results in studies
The two small human pilot reports that described safety found no adverse events (12 patients) and no side effects or biomarker changes (2 adults). Reviews of the animal work state that few studies report adverse reactions, but no controlled human safety trial exists in these records.
What side effects of BPC-157 have studies reported? In the human reports, none were recorded. The 12-patient interstitial cystitis pilot reported no adverse events and no dropouts after a single 10 mg procedure. The 2-person intravenous pilot reported no side effects and no measurable change in the tested heart, liver, kidney, thyroid and blood glucose markers after 10 mg and then 20 mg infusions. The knee pain chart review does not mention adverse events in its abstract.
These are very small, uncontrolled studies from one author group working in private clinics. Two participants cannot show whether an effect is uncommon, and without a control group reported improvements cannot be separated from placebo response, natural recovery or other care.
What results were measured? In the knee pain review, 14 of 16 patients reported relief by phone survey. In the cystitis pilot, 10 of 12 reported complete symptom resolution. The rest of the measured results are from rats: better tail motor function after spinal cord injury, restored blood supply in an ischaemic colon model, and counteracted bupivacaine cardiotoxicity. A 2019 review in this file notes that most studies are in small rodent models and that efficacy in humans is yet to be confirmed.
Adverse events reported
| Event | As reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Adverse events, 12-patient bladder pilot | No adverse events reported; no dropouts | Lee E et al. |
| Side effects, 2-adult intravenous pilot | No side effects reported; no measurable effect on tested biomarkers | Lee E et al. |
| Adverse events, knee pain chart review | Not stated in the abstract | Lee E et al. |
| Adverse reactions across the literature | Review states there are few studies reporting any adverse reactions | PMID 30915550 |
| Lethal dose in animals | Reviews and a rat study state that LD1 has not been achieved | Perovic D et al. |
Outcomes measured
| Outcome | Result as reported | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Interstitial cystitis symptoms, human (n=12) | 10 of 12 complete resolution; 2 of 12 rated success at 80% | Lee E et al. |
| Knee pain relief by phone survey, human (n=16) | 14 of 16 reported relief (11 of 12 with BPC-157 alone) | Lee E et al. |
| Heart, liver, kidney, thyroid and glucose markers, human (n=2) | No measurable effects | Lee E et al. |
| Tail motor function after spinal cord injury, rat | Improved; spasticity resolved by day 15 | Perovic D et al. |
| Colon blood supply after ischaemia, rat | Vessel presentation increased; MDA and NO normal | Duzel A et al. |
| Bupivacaine arrhythmias and asystole, rat | Largely counteracted | Zivanovic-Posilovic G et al. |
What the studies don't show
No randomised or placebo-controlled human study of BPC-157 appears in these records, and the largest human group is 16 patients. Nothing here measures long-term or repeated exposure in people.