Is Lanreotide legal in the United Kingdom?

A somatostatin analogue that extended progression-free survival in neuroendocrine tumours in a randomised phase 3, which is a hard endpoint that very few peptides on this site can claim.

Somatostatin is the body's universal inhibitory hormone, switching off growth hormone, insulin, glucagon and most gut secretions. Its native half-life is a couple of minutes, so the useful drugs are engineered analogues, and lanreotide is one of two that matter clinically alongside octreotide.

Mechanism: A cyclic octapeptide analogue of somatostatin with high affinity for somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 5, formulated as a prolonged-release depot. Activating those receptors, which are G protein-coupled and inhibitory, suppresses hormone secretion from pituitary and neuroendocrine cells and reduces gut motility and secretion.

Regulatory history: FDA-approved for acromegaly, for gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours to improve progression-free survival, and for carcinoid syndrome.

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 Lanreotide 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.