Our earlier article described a blanket shutdown of Chinese SARMs production and predicted severe stock shortages. The official sources reviewed here do not substantiate those broad claims.
This page corrects that historical announcement. It is not a supplier recommendation or a current stock forecast.
What did the 2020 announcement say?
China's official 2020 anti-doping list announcement, dated 30 December 2019 and effective from 1 January 2020, instructed authorities to supervise production, sales, imports, exports and anti-doping activity under the relevant regulations. It also referred to separate import and export rules for anabolic agents and peptide hormones.
That notice does not establish that every factory closed or that all global raw-material production stopped. Our original article should not have presented those predictions as confirmed facts.
Why China matters to this subject
In short: online discussion of SARMs supply has long assumed that much raw material comes from Chinese manufacturers, so Chinese rules attract attention.
When China changes how it regulates a class of substances, suppliers elsewhere ask whether raw material will become harder to obtain. That is why a 2019 notice about anti-doping controls was widely reported online as a ban on SARMs. The useful question is what the official documents actually say, and that is what this page sets out.
Regulation is more specific than a blanket headline
In short: China's anti-doping regulations control production and trade in listed substances through licensing and permission requirements.
The Anti-Doping Regulations published by the Chinese Olympic Committee prohibit unlawful production, sale, import and export of listed substances. They also describe licensing and permission requirements for specified categories.
These provisions are not a general permission to trade. The exact substance, activity and applicable requirements matter. This article does not determine whether a particular supplier or shipment meets them.
Doping and Chinese criminal law
In short: since 2021 Chinese criminal law has covered serious doping offences in major competitions.
The eleventh amendment to China's Criminal Law, in force from 1 March 2021, added an offence relating to doping athletes in major domestic and international competitions. It is directed at doping in sport rather than at laboratory research, but it shows how seriously Chinese authorities now treat the substances on the anti-doping list.
What does the 2026 list show?
In short: China's 2026 list names LGD-4033, enobosarm (Ostarine) and MK-677.
The official 2026 list includes LGD-4033, enobosarm (Ostarine) and Ibutamoren (MK-677). Its notes expressly address MK-677, explaining that although it is not structurally a peptide hormone, it is regulated within that category for the purposes described in the list.
Our old uncertainty about MK-677 should therefore not be relied on as current information. Inclusion in this document does not by itself answer every manufacturing, supply or import question.
How China's list relates to the WADA list
In short: China's list follows the World Anti-Doping Agency list closely, where SARMs are prohibited at all times.
China's national anti-doping organisation is a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code, and its annual list tracks the WADA Prohibited List, where SARMs sit under section S1.2 and growth hormone secretagogues such as MK-677 under section S2. Anti-doping laboratories worldwide test for these compounds routinely (Thevis and Schänzer, Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 2018).
What about the old shortage and price predictions?
In short: they were predictions in the original article, not facts, and they have been removed.
The stock estimates and January 2020 price-rise message belonged to the original announcement. They are not current offers or a reason to stock up now. We have removed them from this corrected article.
Why supply chains and testing matter
In short: product quality in this market has been poor, which matters more than any single country's rules.
When Van Wagoner and colleagues analysed 44 products sold online as SARMs, only about half contained the labelled compound at the stated amount, and some contained other unapproved drugs (JAMA, 2017). Wherever raw material comes from, the reliable check is analysis of the finished batch. Dexterz Labs research compounds are made in the UK, which keeps the supply chain short.
For the separate UK framework, see our UK SARMs rules guide. Chinese controls do not establish permission to sell or import a product in the UK or elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Did China ban SARMs? China placed SARMs on its anti-doping list and requires supervision and permissions for listed substances. The official documents do not show a blanket closure of all production.
When did the change take effect? The 2020 list was announced on 30 December 2019 and took effect on 1 January 2020.
Is MK-677 covered? Yes. The 2026 list names it and explains that it is regulated within the peptide hormone category.
Does this change the UK position? No. UK law is separate, and our UK guide covers it.
Sources
- General Administration of Sport of China, 2020 anti-doping list announcement.
- Anti-Doping Regulations, Chinese Olympic Committee.
- China anti-doping list 2026.
- Van Wagoner RM et al. (2017). Chemical composition and labeling of substances marketed as selective androgen receptor modulators and sold via the internet. JAMA. PubMed 29183075
- Thevis M, Schänzer W (2018). Detection of SARMs in doping control analysis. Mol Cell Endocrinol. PubMed 28137616
- WADA Prohibited List 2026.