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Home / Peptide legality / By country / Portugal

Peptide legality · Portugal · updated 2026-09-22

Are peptides legal in Portugal?

Restricted

Peptides are legal in Portugal only as authorised medicines dispensed on prescription, GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide are prescription-only medicines, while unapproved 'research' peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500 have no marketing authorisation and cannot be lawfully sold, imported, or used for human treatment.

Legal status overview

Peptides are restricted in Portugal: they are lawful only when they are authorised medicines supplied on prescription, and unapproved research peptides have no legal route to human use. Portugal's national medicines regulator, INFARMED, requires every medicine to hold a marketing authorisation (AIM) before it can be sold or used, and clinically used peptides such as semaglutide are prescription-only medicines authorised through the EU/EMA system. Peptides marketed as 'research chemicals' (e.g. BPC-157, TB-500) are not approved by any drug regulator and fall outside any lawful supply channel.

Key points

  • In Portugal, INFARMED (the National Authority of Medicines and Health Products) is the government agency that evaluates, authorises, regulates and controls all human medicines and health products, making it the body that governs peptides sold as medicines. [1]
  • Under Portugal's INFARMED rules, a medicine may only be marketed and used after it obtains a marketing authorisation (AIM) or parallel-import authorisation, so any peptide sold for human treatment must be an authorised medicine. [2]
  • GLP-1 peptide medicines such as semaglutide (Wegovy®/Ozempic®) are prescription-only medicines in Portugal and the wider EU, available only with a doctor's prescription through the EMA-coordinated authorisation system. [4]
  • BPC-157 is not approved by any drug regulatory agency for human use, meaning it has no marketing authorisation in Portugal and cannot be lawfully sold as a medicine there. [5]
  • Personal importation of peptides into Portugal is not permitted through ordinary channels, INFARMED does not authorise the importation of medicines for personal use, and an unavailable medicine can only be obtained via a special-use authorisation (autorização de utilização especial). [3]
  • BPC-157 is prohibited in sport and is not approved for human clinical use, so athletes in Portugal competing under anti-doping rules face sanctions for its use in addition to its lack of medicinal authorisation. [6]

Compound-by-compound status

BPC-157BPC-157 is an unapproved research peptide in Portugal, it holds no INFARMED/EMA marketing authorisation and is not approved by any drug regulatory agency for human use, so it cannot be lawfully sold or used as a medicine. [5]
Semaglutide (GLP-1, e.g. Ozempic®/Wegovy®)Semaglutide is a legal but prescription-only medicine in Portugal, authorised via the EU/EMA system and available only with a doctor's prescription for diabetes or weight management. [4]
TB-500 (thymosin beta-4)TB-500 is an unapproved peptide in Portugal with no INFARMED marketing authorisation, so it has no lawful route to human medicinal use; no Portugal-specific source directly addressing TB-500 was located, and this reflects the general INFARMED authorisation requirement rather than a TB-500-specific ruling. (no source found)
Human growth hormone (HGH / somatropin)Somatropin (HGH) is available in Portugal only as a prescription medicine that must hold a marketing authorisation, while unapproved 'HGH-boosting' peptides have no lawful medicinal status; no HGH-specific Portuguese source was located, so this reflects the general INFARMED authorisation framework rather than an HGH-specific ruling. [2]

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy peptides in Portugal without a prescription?

No, in Portugal peptides used as medicines (such as semaglutide) are prescription-only, and only products holding an INFARMED marketing authorisation may be sold at all, so buying peptides without a prescription is not lawful. [2]

Can I import peptides into Portugal for personal use?

No, INFARMED does not authorise the importation of medicines for personal use in Portugal; a medicine unavailable domestically can only be obtained through a special-use authorisation, so ordering research peptides for personal import is not a lawful route. [3]

Is BPC-157 legal in Portugal?

BPC-157 is not a legal medicine in Portugal, it is not approved by any drug regulatory agency for human use and has no INFARMED marketing authorisation, so it cannot be lawfully sold or supplied for human treatment. [5]

Is Ozempic® or Wegovy® prescription-only in Portugal?

Yes, semaglutide products like Ozempic® and Wegovy® are prescription-only medicines in Portugal and the rest of the EU, available only with a doctor's prescription. [4]

Can athletes in Portugal use BPC-157?

No, BPC-157 is prohibited in sport and is not approved for human clinical use, so athletes subject to anti-doping rules risk sanctions and it has no lawful medicinal status in Portugal. [6]

General information based on the sourced research above, not legal advice. Laws change and enforcement varies; for a specific situation in Portugal, consult a licensed attorney or the national regulator.