Legal status · United States
Is NRH legal in the United States?
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
Direct answer
No. NRH is not an approved medicine in the United States. Its legal category is "Not approved; research use only". Nothing that contains it is allowed for any use in people. Vials labeled "for research use only" get no exception: that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile.
- People given it
- 65
- Found nothing
- 0
Legal category
Not approved; research use only
Sold online as a supplement or research chemical, though no human trial of any kind has been published. We found no public New Dietary Ingredient notice, the safety filing the FDA expects for a new supplement ingredient.
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.
NRH in the United States at a glance
| Legal category | Not approved; research use only |
|---|---|
| Note | Sold online as a supplement or research chemical, though no human trial of any kind has been published. We found no public New Dietary Ingredient notice, the safety filing the FDA expects for a new supplement ingredient. |
| FDA approval status | Not an approved drug, and not a recognised supplement ingredient in the United States. Research-chemical and supplement sellers sell it with no published human safety data. The FDA has not reviewed it. |
| Studies in people | 1 of 4 sources on the profile |
| Reviewed | Sep 2026 |
The legal category and note come from the NRH profile. We checked them against U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) listings on the reviewed date.
What this means
- 01
No product containing NRH is approved by FDA for any use in the United States. So nothing on sale is allowed for use in people.
- 02
"Research use only" is a label sellers put on. It is not a legal category that allows use in people, and it does not get a product out of medicines law.
- 03
Importing it, supplying it or promoting it for use in people can fall under medicines law in the United States. This page is general information, not legal advice.
What NRH is
In cells grown in a dish, NRH raised NAD 2.5 to 10-fold within an hour, more than NR or NMN at the same amount. It also reaches body tissues in mice. It has never been given to a person in a published study, and it is already sold to consumers.
NRH is the reduced form of nicotinamide riboside, or NR. By a wide margin, it raises NAD harder than anything else in this batch.
How it works: Inside cells, an energy-using enzyme turns NRH into NMNH. That step does not need NRK1 or NRK2.
Approval history: Not an approved drug, and not a recognised supplement ingredient in the United States. Research-chemical and supplement sellers sell it with no published human safety data. The FDA has not reviewed it.
How FDA treats this kind of product
Approves prescription drugs, each for a named use. It also acts against unapproved products, including peptides sold online. Compounding pharmacies, which mix drugs to order, may make some compounds with a prescription. That only applies when the FDA puts the compound in a category of bulk ingredients it allows.
The legal category above is how The Longevity Archive reads U.S. Food and Drug Administration listings for NRH 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.
NRH in sport and the military
Whether NRH is banned in sport is set by the World Anti-Doping Code and by military rules, not by its legal status in the United States. Before you compete or get tested, look up NRH 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.
NRH in other countries
Frequently asked questions
Is NRH legal in the United States?
No. NRH is not an approved medicine in the United States. Its legal category is "Not approved; research use only". Nothing that contains it is allowed for any use in people. Vials labeled "for research use only" get no exception: that label does not make them legal to use in people. On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile. Note: Sold online as a supplement or research chemical, though no human trial of any kind has been published. We found no public New Dietary Ingredient notice, the safety filing the FDA expects for a new supplement ingredient.
Can I buy NRH in the United States?
There is no approved product to buy. In the United States, NRH has the legal category "Not approved; research use only". So no licensed pharmacy product exists. Sellers who list it "for research use only" are not selling it for use in people, and that label does not change its legal status. 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. Note: Sold online as a supplement or research chemical, though no human trial of any kind has been published. We found no public New Dietary Ingredient notice, the safety filing the FDA expects for a new supplement ingredient.
Is NRH FDA approved?
No. FDA status: Not an approved drug, and not a recognised supplement ingredient in the United States. Research-chemical and supplement sellers sell it with no published human safety data. The FDA has not reviewed it.. Current US legal category: "Not approved; research use only". On the evidence, 1 completed human trial is cited on its profile.
Related compounds in the United States
Full research profile
How NRH works, the studies we cite, FDA status and the full legal summary are all on its compound profile.
NRH profileThis page is general information about the legal status of NRH in the United States, current as of Sep 2026. It is not legal advice. Legal status changes. For your own situation, check with U.S. Food and Drug Administration 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.