Is Hydralazine legal in the United Kingdom?

An old blood pressure drug that extended lifespan in worms by activating the same stress pathway as dietary restriction. In mice it did nothing, in either sex.

Hydralazine is a direct vasodilator that has been used for high blood pressure since the 1950s. Its appearance in ageing research came from an unexpected direction: screens in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans found it extended lifespan and increased stress resistance, working through the worm equivalent of the NRF2 antioxidant response pathway, which is one of the pathways dietary restriction uses.

Mechanism: Two separate mechanisms that should not be confused. Clinically it is a direct arteriolar vasodilator, reducing peripheral resistance and lowering blood pressure, with reflex tachycardia and fluid retention as consequences, which is why it is usually combined with a beta blocker and a diuretic.

Regulatory history: FDA-approved for hypertension, and used in heart failure in combination with isosorbide dinitrate. No 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 Hydralazine 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.