Is Dimethyl fumarate legal in the United Kingdom?

An approved multiple sclerosis drug and the cleanest available NRF2 activator. It did not extend mouse lifespan, and the paper reports the dose delivered averaged only 35 percent of target, which the authors say may explain that.

NRF2 is the master transcriptional regulator of the antioxidant and detoxification response, and activating it is one of the most cited mechanisms in longevity supplementation. Sulforaphane, curcumin and a long list of plant compounds are all sold on this basis.

Mechanism: An electrophile that modifies cysteine residues on KEAP1, the protein that normally tags NRF2 for degradation. Disabling KEAP1 lets NRF2 accumulate and enter the nucleus, where it drives transcription of antioxidant response element genes including glutathione synthesis enzymes, NAD(P)H quinone dehydrogenase 1 and haem oxygenase 1.

Regulatory history: FDA-approved as Tecfidera for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis. Not approved for any ageing indication.

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 Dimethyl fumarate 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.