Legal status · Canada
Is Nicotinamide legal in Canada?
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
Direct answer
Nicotinamide can be sold in Canada as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. Health Canada has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 4 completed human trials are cited on its profile.
- People given it
- 591
- Found nothing
- 4
Legal category
Sold as a supplement
Sold as a supplement with a Natural Product Number. Not approved to prevent cancer.
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.
Nicotinamide in Canada at a glance
| Legal category | Sold as a supplement |
|---|---|
| Note | Sold as a supplement with a Natural Product Number. Not approved to prevent cancer. |
| Health Canada approval status | Not approved by Health Canada as a drug; sold as a supplement or cosmetic |
| Studies in people | 4 of 5 sources on the profile |
| Reviewed | Sep 2026 |
The legal category and note come from the Nicotinamide profile. We checked them against Health Canada, Health Products and Food Branch (Health Canada) listings on the reviewed date.
What this means
- 01
Nicotinamide can be sold in Canada as a supplement, food or cosmetic ingredient, under the legal category above. It has no approval as a drug.
- 02
Being sold as a supplement means Health Canada has not checked any health claim. The makers are responsible for safety and labels, and quality varies from product to product.
- 03
Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, are not supplements. That label does not make them legal to use in people, and anything you inject falls under the rules for medicines.
What Nicotinamide is
A plain form of vitamin B3. In a large final-stage study of 386 people at high risk, 500 mg twice a day cut new skin cancers other than melanoma by 23 percent over 12 months. The benefit stopped once the pills stopped. The same study in 158 organ transplant patients found nothing. No study has ever tested it against ageing.
Nicotinamide is the cheapest thing in this whole group. It is also the only NAD-pathway product with a winning large final-stage study on a health result a patient would notice.
How it works: Nicotinamide is turned back into NAD by the recycling route. First an enzyme called NAMPT turns it into NMN.
Approval history: Not an approved drug for preventing skin cancer in the United States. It is a standard form of the vitamin niacin. It is sold over the counter and found in multivitamins and skin care products. The dose used in the ONTRAC study is an over-the-counter dose, used off label, meaning outside any approved use.
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 Nicotinamide 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.
Nicotinamide in sport and the military
Whether Nicotinamide 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 Nicotinamide 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.
Nicotinamide in other countries
Frequently asked questions
Is Nicotinamide legal in Canada?
Nicotinamide can be sold in Canada as a supplement or cosmetic ingredient. Its legal category is "Sold as a supplement". That is not approval as a drug. Health Canada has not checked any health claim made for it. Versions you inject, and "research use only" versions, fall outside supplement rules, so that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 4 completed human trials are cited on its profile. Note: Sold as a supplement with a Natural Product Number. Not approved to prevent cancer.
Can I buy Nicotinamide in Canada?
Yes, as a supplement or cosmetic. In Canada, Nicotinamide has the legal category "Sold as a supplement". So products you swallow, put on your skin or use as a cosmetic can be sold under supplement rules. Versions you inject, and products labeled "research use only", are not supplements. They are not approved for use in people. Note: Sold as a supplement with a Natural Product Number. Not approved to prevent cancer.
Is Nicotinamide Health Canada approved?
No. In Canada, Nicotinamide has the legal category "Sold as a supplement". That is not a Health Canada approval to sell it. For comparison, its US FDA status is: Not an approved drug for preventing skin cancer in the United States. It is a standard form of the vitamin niacin. It is sold over the counter and found in multivitamins and skin care products. The dose used in the ONTRAC study is an over-the-counter dose, used off label, meaning outside any approved use.. On the evidence, 4 completed human trials are cited on its profile.
Related compounds in Canada
Full research profile
How Nicotinamide works, the studies we cite, FDA status and the full legal summary are all on its compound profile.
Nicotinamide profileThis page is general information about the legal status of Nicotinamide 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.