Desmopressin regulatory status
Current status of Desmopressin in the United States: FDA approved. In sport: WADA prohibited. Details, sources, and the dated timeline follow.
By the PeptideAgent Editorial Team. Draft, pending editorial review. Last verified
What is the current status of Desmopressin?
- FDA and compounding
- FDA approved as DDAVP injection in 1978 for central diabetes insipidus, with nasal and tablet forms following for diabetes insipidus, hemophilia A, von Willebrand disease type 1, and primary nocturnal enuresis. In December 2007 FDA alerted prescribers to severe hyponatremia and removed the enuresis indication from intranasal products. Noctiva (2017) and Nocdurna (2018) were approved for nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria with a boxed warning for hyponatremia. Generic tablets, nasal sprays, and injections are widely available, so compounding is limited to patient specific needs.
- WADA
- WADA prohibited
- Access path
- Prescription from a primary care provider, urologist, hematologist, endocrinologist, or pediatrician, filled at any retail pharmacy.
- Hospital administration for hemostatic dosing before procedures.
- Not available through telehealth peptide clinics; not compounded because generics exist.
Full Desmopressin page: evidence, dosing in the literature, and sources
How has the status of Desmopressin changed over time?
- WADA
WADA publishes the 2027 Prohibited List
WADA published the 2027 Prohibited List on September 21, 2026, and it takes effect January 1, 2027. The S2 peptide hormone and growth factor classes are unchanged. BPC-157 is still named under S0, and MOTS-c is still named under S4.4 as an activator of AMP-activated protein kinase. WADA added a note that many peptides without approval for human use fall under S0 or another section, and that a peptide not named on the list may still be prohibited. GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are still not on the list.
- WADA
WADA 2026 Prohibited List takes effect
The 2026 WADA Prohibited List took effect on January 1, 2026 and continues to prohibit the S2 peptide hormone and growth factor classes (GHRH analogs, growth hormone secretagogues, GH fragments, IGF-1 and analogs, MGF, thymosin beta-4 and derivatives, hCG and GnRH-class releasing factors in males), myostatin inhibitors, insulin and the AMPK activator MOTS-c under S4, desmopressin under S5, and BPC-157 under S0. GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and tirzepatide are not on the list.
- WADA
WADA 2025 Prohibited List keeps peptide hormones and growth factors banned at all times
The 2025 WADA Prohibited List took effect on January 1, 2025. Section S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors, related substances and mimetics) covers GHRH analogs such as CJC-1295, sermorelin, and tesamorelin, growth hormone secretagogues such as ipamorelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin, and ibutamoren (MK-677), growth hormone fragments such as AOD-9604, growth factors including IGF-1 and its analogs, MGF, and thymosin beta-4 (TB-500), and chorionic gonadotropin and releasing factors such as gonadorelin and kisspeptin (prohibited in males). Myostatin inhibitors such as ACE-031 fall under S4, insulin under S4 metabolic modulators, desmopressin under S5, and BPC-157 remains an S0 non-approved substance.
Sources
Numbered citations in the answers above point here, followed by the regulatory sources on record for Desmopressin and the source of each dated event.
- [1]FDA prescribing information for DDAVP (desmopressin acetate) tablets, via DailyMedFDA, 2025
- [2]FDA prescribing information for Nocdurna (desmopressin acetate) sublingual tablets, with boxed warning for hyponatremia, via DailyMedFDA, 2024
- [3]WADA Prohibited List, section S5 diuretics and masking agents (desmopressin)WADA, 2026
- [4]FDA prescribing information for DDAVP (desmopressin acetate) injection, via DailyMedFDA, 2022
- [5]FDA prescribing information for desmopressin acetate nasal spray, via DailyMedFDA, 2026
- [6]WADA 2027 Prohibited ListWADA, 2026