Legal status · Canada
Is Metformin plus rapamycin legal in Canada?
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
Direct answer
Metformin plus rapamycin is available in Canada only through a prescriber. Its legal category is "Prescription only, each drug separately; no authorized combination". It is not sold over the counter. Using it rests on the prescriber's judgment, not on an approval to sell it. Vials sold "for research use only" fall outside that route, and the label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given).
- People given it
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- Found nothing
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Legal category
Prescription only, each drug separately; no authorized combination
Each drug separately. Using them together is off-label.
Reviewed Sep 2026. This is a legal category, not legal advice.
A "research use only" label on a vial does not make it legal to use on people.
Metformin plus rapamycin in Canada at a glance
| Legal category | Prescription only, each drug separately; no authorized combination |
|---|---|
| Note | Each drug separately. Using them together is off-label. |
| Health Canada approval status | Prescription route only; no broad Health Canada approval to sell it |
| Studies in people | 2 of 8 sources on the profile |
| Reviewed | Sep 2026 |
The legal category and note come from the Metformin plus rapamycin profile. We checked them against Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch (Health Canada) listings on the reviewed date.
What this means
- 01
Metformin plus rapamycin reaches patients in Canada only through a prescriber. Usually that is for one narrow use on its label, or through a compounding pharmacy (a pharmacy that mixes its own version) with a prescription.
- 02
That route rests on the prescriber's judgment. For pharmacy-mixed products, it also rests on the pharmacy's own quality checks, not on an approval of the product for sale.
- 03
Buying it online "for research use only" is outside that route. The label does not make it legal to use in people.
What Metformin plus rapamycin is
Nobody has tested this pair in people. In mice fed both from 9 months, typical lifespan rose 23 percent in both sexes. But metformin alone did nothing in the same run. There was no rapamycin-only group to compare with. And the mouse program's own paper says the extra gain over earlier rapamycin-only runs did not pass its standard test.
This page is about one group in one mouse experiment. People across the longevity world cite it as proof that metformin and rapamycin boost each other.
How it works: Rapamycin blocks mTORC1, a growth switch. At the doses used in mice, it lowers cancer rates, changes immune function and shifts metabolism in ways that differ from eating less.
Approval history: Both drugs are FDA-approved for other uses (metformin for type 2 diabetes, rapamycin as sirolimus for transplant rejection and other uses). The combination is not approved for anything. The lifespan result is in mice, and the study did not test rapamycin alone at the same time to compare.
How Health Canada treats this kind of product
Allows a drug to be sold by issuing a Notice of Compliance and a Drug Identification Number (DIN). A compound that is not allowed for sale cannot legally be sold for use in people. Bringing in prescription drugs for your own use is also limited.
The legal category above is how The Longevity Archive reads Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch listings for Metformin plus rapamycin on the reviewed date. It is not a legal opinion. Rules change. Bringing a compound into the country, prescribing it and owning it can each be treated differently. Check with the agency before you act on anything here.
Metformin plus rapamycin in sport and the military
Whether Metformin plus rapamycin is banned in sport is set by the World Anti-Doping Code and by military rules, not by its legal status in Canada. Before you compete or get tested, look up Metformin plus rapamycin by name on the Prohibited List, or look up a named product in Global DRO. Under the World Anti-Doping Code, category S0 bans, at all times, any drug-like substance that meets two tests. No other section of the List covers it. And no government health regulator anywhere has a current approval for it as a treatment in people. Many substances that are approved somewhere are banned by name in another section. So approval does not mean a substance is allowed in sport.
- WADA Prohibited List
- Global DRO (check a named product)
- USADA (US athletes)
- Operation Supplement Safety (US service members)
The rules you compete or serve under decide this, not this page.
Metformin plus rapamycin in other countries
United States
Prescription routePrescription only, each drug separately; no approved combination
Is Metformin plus rapamycin legal in the United States?United Kingdom
Prescription routePrescription only, each drug separately; no licensed combination
Is Metformin plus rapamycin legal in the United Kingdom?Australia
Prescription routePrescription only, each drug separately; no registered combination
Is Metformin plus rapamycin legal in Australia?Frequently asked questions
Is Metformin plus rapamycin legal in Canada?
Metformin plus rapamycin is available in Canada only through a prescriber. Its legal category is "Prescription only, each drug separately; no authorized combination". It is not sold over the counter. Using it rests on the prescriber's judgment, not on an approval to sell it. Vials sold "for research use only" fall outside that route, and the label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given). Note: Each drug separately. Using them together is off-label.
Can I buy Metformin plus rapamycin in Canada?
Only through a prescriber. In Canada, Metformin plus rapamycin has the legal category "Prescription only, each drug separately; no authorized combination". You cannot buy it over the counter. Products sold online "for research use only" are not the same as a product a prescriber orders and a pharmacy hands out. Note: Each drug separately. Using them together is off-label.
Is Metformin plus rapamycin Health Canada approved?
No. In Canada, Metformin plus rapamycin has the legal category "Prescription only, each drug separately; no authorized combination". That is not a Health Canada approval to sell it. For comparison, its US FDA status is: Both drugs are FDA-approved for other uses (metformin for type 2 diabetes, rapamycin as sirolimus for transplant rejection and other uses). The combination is not approved for anything. The lifespan result is in mice, and the study did not test rapamycin alone at the same time to compare.. On the evidence, no completed trial in people is cited on its profile (2 human records with no result or no dose given).
Related compounds in Canada
Full research profile
How Metformin plus rapamycin works, the studies we cite, FDA status and the full legal summary are all on its compound profile.
Metformin plus rapamycin profileThis page is general information about the legal status of Metformin plus rapamycin in Canada, current as of Sep 2026. It is not legal advice. Legal status changes. For your own situation, check with Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch or ask a lawyer. Educational use only. This database summarizes published research and is not medical advice. Where a dose appears it is a record of what a trial or clinic ran, or what people describe doing, with its source attached. Nothing here is a recommendation for personal use. Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.