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Legal status · Canada

Is Dermorphin legal in Canada?

Written by Reviewed Sep 2026

Not approvedNootropic & CNSHuman studies cited: 3

Direct answer

No. Dermorphin is not an approved medicine in Canada; its classification is "Not approved". Nothing containing it is authorized for any use in people. Vials labeled "for research use only" are not exempt: that label does not make human use lawful. On the evidence, 3 human studies are cited on its profile.

Dermorphin in Canada at a glance

ClassificationNot approved
Health Canada approval statusNot approved by Health Canada
Human studies cited3 of 7 citations on the profile
ReviewedSep 2026

Classification and note come from the Dermorphin profile, checked against Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch (Health Canada) listings at the reviewed date.

What this means

  • 01

    No product containing Dermorphin is approved by Health Canada for any use in Canada, so nothing on the market is authorized for people.

  • 02

    "Research use only" is a vendor label, not a legal category that permits human use. It does not exempt a product from medicines law.

  • 03

    Importing, supplying or promoting it for human use can fall under medicines legislation in Canada. This page is general information, not legal advice.

What Dermorphin is

A seven amino acid mu-opioid agonist from South American frog skin, 30 to 40 times more potent than morphine in animals. Given to 22 people in two 1980s Italian endocrine studies and never developed as a medicine; its documented real world use is as an undetected racehorse doping agent until 2011.

Dermorphin was isolated in 1980 from the skin of Phyllomedusa tree frogs and turned out to be one of the most potent and selective mu-opioid agonists known. Its sequence, Tyr-D-Ala-Phe-Gly-Tyr-Pro-Ser-NH2, contains a D-alanine at position 2, one of the first D-amino acids found in an animal peptide, which protects it from the enzymes that would otherwise destroy it within minutes.

Mechanism: In people, what is established comes from 22 subjects in the 1980s: intravenous dermorphin raises prolactin through a naloxone reversible, mu-opioid mechanism in healthy volunteers, and raises growth hormone in most patients with prolactinomas. That confirms it acts as a mu agonist in the human hypothalamic pituitary axis.

Regulatory history: Not FDA approved. Never developed as a human medicine; no trial registered; no regulatory submission located.

How Health Canada treats this kind of product

Authorises drugs for sale through a Notice of Compliance and Drug Identification Number. A compound that is not authorised for sale cannot lawfully be sold for human use, and personal importation of prescription drugs is limited.

The classification above is the The Longevity Archive reading of Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch listings for Dermorphin 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.

Dermorphin in other countries

Frequently asked questions

Is Dermorphin legal in Canada?

No. Dermorphin is not an approved medicine in Canada; its classification is "Not approved". Nothing containing it is authorized for any use in people. Vials labeled "for research use only" are not exempt: that label does not make human use lawful. On the evidence, 3 human studies are cited on its profile.

Can I buy Dermorphin in Canada?

No approved product exists to buy. In Canada Dermorphin is classified as "Not approved", so there is no licensed pharmacy product. Vendors selling it "for research use only" are not selling it for human use, and that label does not change its legal status. This site does not list or recommend vendors.

Is Dermorphin Health Canada approved?

No. In Canada Dermorphin is classified as "Not approved", which is not a Health Canada marketing approval. For comparison, the US FDA status is: Not FDA approved. Never developed as a human medicine; no trial registered; no regulatory submission located.. On the evidence, 3 human studies are cited on its profile.

Related compounds in Canada

Full research profile

Mechanism, cited studies, FDA status and the full legal summary for Dermorphin live on its compound profile.

Dermorphin profile

This page is general information about the regulatory status of Dermorphin in Canada, current as of Sep 2026. It is not legal advice, and classifications change; check Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch directly or consult a lawyer for a specific situation. Educational use only. This database summarizes published research. It is not medical advice and contains no dosing protocols or recommendations for personal use. The Longevity Archive has no vendor relationships and does not recommend where to buy anything.