The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has published its 2025 Prohibited List, which will come into force on 1 January. The list can be found here. The most significant updates include new prohibited substances, changes to the dosing intervals for certain medications, and the removal of beta-blockers from skiing and snowboarding.
Key changes for next year include a change in the dosing interval for formoterol, although the maximum daily dose remains the same.
In addition, blood and blood component donations, including by apheresis, are no longer prohibited if they are made at an accredited collection centre.
Hydrafinil is now classified as an unspecified stimulant and it has been clarified that guanfacine is not a prohibited substance. Beta-blockers are no longer prohibited in any ski or snowboarding discipline.
To assist Athletes and their support personnel in identifying Prohibited Substances, additional examples have been added to the following classes of substances:
– S0. Prohibited substances,
– S4. Hormonal and Metabolic Modulators,
– S5. Diuretics and masking agents, and
– S6. Stimulants.
For a substance or method to be added to the list, it must meet at least two of the following three criteria It has the potential to enhance or improve athletic performance; It poses an actual or potential health risk to athletes; It violates the spirit of sport.
The list is published three months before it comes into force to allow athletes, their supporters and other stakeholders to familiarise themselves with any changes.
In addition to the prohibited substances listed, there is a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) programme for athletes who have a legitimate medical reason to use a prohibited substance or method. To use a prohibited substance on the list, an athlete may apply for a TUE to determine whether he or she meets the criteria outlined in the International Standard for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (ISTUE).
WADA has also released two key documents for consultation:
– The 2025 Summary of Major Changes and Explanatory Notes to the 2024 List
– The 2025 Monitoring Programme, which includes substances that are not on the List but that WADA would like to monitor in order to identify potential patterns of abuse in sport.