Octreotide vs Lanreotide
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
The two main somatostatin copies, both approved and both used for acromegaly and for hormone making tumours. Lanreotide has something unusual for a peptide: a large final stage trial showing people lived longer before their cancer grew, which is a hard health result.
- Octreotide people
- 140
- Octreotide nulls
- 0
- Lanreotide people
- 0
- Lanreotide nulls
- 0
Dose
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses
Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose.
FDA-approved (Sandostatin)
Dose
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses
Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose.
FDA-approved for acromegaly, a condition caused by too much growth hormone. Also approved for neuroendocrine tumours of the gut and pancreas, to extend the time before the cancer gets worse, and for carcinoid syndrome.
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
OctreotideOctreotide (somatostatin analogue)
An FDA-approved, long-lasting copy of somatostatin, used for acromegaly and hormone-making tumors.
Column B
LanreotideLanreotide (Somatuline), long-acting somatostatin analogue
In people with advanced neuroendocrine tumours of the gut and pancreas, it kept tumours from growing for longer. At two years, 65 percent were still free of tumour growth, against 33 percent on a dummy shot. Very few peptides on this site can point to a real disease result like that.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | Octreotide | Lanreotide |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Hormone | Hormone |
| FDA status | FDA-approved (Sandostatin) | FDA-approved for acromegaly, a condition caused by too much growth hormone. Also approved for neuroendocrine tumours of the gut and pancreas, to extend the time before the cancer gets worse, and for carcinoid syndrome. |
| Half-life | ~1.7 hours (long-acting depot lasts weeks) | Roughly 23 to 30 days from the prolonged-release depot formulation, so it is dosed every four weeks by deep subcutaneous injection. |
| Molecular weight | 1,019.2 Da | Roughly 1.1 kDa. A cyclic octapeptide. |
| How it works | It switches on somatostatin receptors. That turns down growth hormone and several gut and pancreas hormones. | Lanreotide is a ring-shaped peptide of eight amino acids, built to copy somatostatin. It sticks strongly to two of somatostatin's receptors, types 2 and 5. It is given as a slow-release depot shot. Switching on those receptors, which are "off" receptors, cuts hormone release from the pituitary and from hormone-making tumour cells. It also slows the gut and cuts gut juices. In these tumours, the brake on growth seems to come from signals straight through the tumour's own receptors, not only from cutting hormone output. That is why it slows tumour growth instead of just easing symptoms. |
| Studies in people | 2 | 1 |
| Evidence | Moderate: 2 completed trials, 140 people given it | Limited: 1 completed trial, none stating how many people |
| Legal status, US | FDA-approved, prescription only | FDA-approved, prescription only |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Octreotide and Lanreotide?
Octreotide: An FDA-approved, long-lasting copy of somatostatin, used for acromegaly and hormone-making tumors. Lanreotide: In people with advanced neuroendocrine tumours of the gut and pancreas, it kept tumours from growing for longer. At two years, 65 percent were still free of tumour growth, against 33 percent on a dummy shot. Very few peptides on this site can point to a real disease result like that.
Which has stronger research evidence, Octreotide or Lanreotide?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. Octreotide is Moderate (2 completed trials, 140 people given it). Lanreotide is Limited (1 completed trial, none stating how many people). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
Are Octreotide and Lanreotide FDA-approved?
Octreotide: FDA-approved (Sandostatin). Lanreotide: FDA-approved for acromegaly, a condition caused by too much growth hormone. Also approved for neuroendocrine tumours of the gut and pancreas, to extend the time before the cancer gets worse, and for carcinoid syndrome..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.