Is ANP legal in the United Kingdom?

The hormone the heart releases when its chambers stretch, and the reason the heart counts as an endocrine organ. Its recombinant form, carperitide, is used for acute heart failure in Japan; a 2025 meta-analysis of 9 studies found higher in-hospital mortality in carperitide-treated patients when randomised and propensity-matched studies were pooled.

Atrial natriuretic peptide is a 28 amino acid peptide, sequence SLRRSSCFGGRMDRIGAQSGLGCNSFRY, released from atrial cells when the chamber wall is stretched. It makes the kidney excrete sodium and water, relaxes blood vessels and opposes the renin-angiotensin system.

Mechanism: In humans, ANP binds NPR-A (gene NPR1), a particulate guanylyl cyclase, raising cyclic GMP in vascular smooth muscle and kidney tubule cells. The results are natriuresis, diuresis and vasodilation, plus suppression of renin and aldosterone.

Regulatory history: Not FDA approved. No ANP or carperitide product was returned by the Drugs@FDA query on 11 September 2026. Carperitide is described in the clinical literature as in use for acute heart failure in Japan; this site did not verify that approval with the Japanese regulator and does not state its date or terms.

Licenses medicines for the UK market. A compound without a marketing authorisation is an unlicensed medicine, which can only lawfully be supplied for human use through a prescriber under the specials scheme, not sold as a research product.

The classification above is the The Longevity Archive reading of Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency listings for ANP at the reviewed date, not a legal opinion. Rules change, and importing, prescribing and possessing a compound can each be treated differently. Check the regulator directly before acting on anything here.