Is Alpha-ketobutyrate legal?
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
- US: Sold as a supplement
- UK: Sold as a supplement
- AU: Available as a supplement / complementary medicine
- CA: Sold as a supplement
The US comes first because most people ask about it. Each country has its own page. It names the agency, the law or rule, and what the legal category means in real life.
All four countries, side by side
| What we list | United States · FDA | United Kingdom · MHRA | Australia · TGA | Canada · Health Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Status | Not approved | Not approved | Not approved | Not approved |
| Legal category | Sold as a supplement | Sold as a supplement | Available as a supplement / complementary medicine | Sold as a supplement |
| Note | Sold in a few longevity products. It has no approved use, and we found no study that gave it to people as a supplement. Do not confuse it with alpha-ketoglutarate, a different molecule with its own separate evidence. | Not licensed as a medicine for any use. It is hard to find as a food supplement. | None recorded | None recorded |
| Agency | Check FDA directly | Check MHRA directly | Check TGA directly | Check Health Canada directly |
US FDA status: Not an approved drug. It is also not a standard supplement ingredient with a set daily amount. A few longevity supplements sell it, usually as a salt.. Reviewed Sep 2026.
Country by country
Is Alpha-ketobutyrate legal in the United States?
Alpha-ketobutyrate can be sold in the United States as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. FDA has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given).
The full United States answerIs Alpha-ketobutyrate legal in the United Kingdom?
Alpha-ketobutyrate can be sold in the United Kingdom as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. MHRA has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given).
The full United Kingdom answerIs Alpha-ketobutyrate legal in Australia?
Alpha-ketobutyrate can be sold in Australia as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Available as a supplement / complementary medicine". That is not approval as a drug. TGA has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given).
The full Australia answerIs Alpha-ketobutyrate legal in Canada?
Alpha-ketobutyrate can be sold in Canada as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. Health Canada has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given).
The full Canada answerAlpha-ketobutyrate in sport and the military
Whether Alpha-ketobutyrate is banned in sport is set by the World Anti-Doping Code and by military rules, not by its legal status. Before you compete or get tested, look up Alpha-ketobutyrate by name on the Prohibited List, or look up a named product in Global DRO. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, category S0 bans, at all times, any drug-like substance that meets two tests. No other section of the List covers it. And no government health regulator anywhere has a current approval for it as a treatment in people. Many substances that are approved somewhere are banned by name in another section. So approval does not mean a substance is allowed in sport.
- WADA Prohibited List
- Global DRO (check a named product)
- USADA (US athletes)
- Operation Supplement Safety (US service members)
The rules you compete or serve under decide this, not this page.
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General information, current as of Sep 2026. Not legal advice. Legal status changes. For your own situation, check with the agency or a lawyer. Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use. Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.