Anamorelin_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as ONO-7643, RC-1291, Adlumiz
An oral ghrelin agonist approved in Japan for cancer wasting, and turned down in the US.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Anamorelin?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
An oral cousin of the GHRP peptides that made it through real trials. It added lean mass in cancer patients and did not improve their grip strength, which is why only Japan approved it.
Anamorelin hydrochloride, an orally bioavailable non-peptide ghrelin receptor (GHSR-1a) agonist. Approved in Japan in 2021 for cancer cachexia in non-small cell lung, gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Pivotal trials met lean body mass endpoints without a corresponding improvement in handgrip strength. Not FDA-approved. Named individually on the WADA prohibited list among GH secretagogues.
What it's used for
A prescription drug for cancer-related wasting, approved in Japan. Named on the WADA prohibited list.
How does Anamorelin work?
What it does in the body, and where.Anamorelin is what the GHRP family looks like when a compound completes real trials, and it shows what those trials can and cannot deliver.
- 01It hits the same receptor as the research peptidesAnamorelin is a ghrelin receptor agonist, meaning it works at GHSR-1a like GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin and ipamorelin. The difference is that it was taken through a pharmaceutical development program.
- 02It raised lean mass but not strengthThe pivotal trials in cancer cachexia met their lean body mass endpoints. Handgrip strength, the functional co-primary endpoint, did not improve. That gap is the reason the regulatory paths diverged.
- 03Japan approved it, the US did notAnamorelin was approved in Japan in 2021 for cachexia in non-small cell lung, gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. It is not FDA-approved, and an EU application was also unsuccessful.
- 04It is oral, which the peptide secretagogues are notGHRP-2 and its relatives are injected because peptides do not survive digestion. Anamorelin is a small molecule built to be swallowed.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Cancer cachexia in non-small cell lung, gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancerClinical use
- Appetite stimulation and lean body massInvestigational
- Muscle building outside a cancer settingnone
The published record
Papers and trials about Anamorelin
137 papers tagged human · 83 not reviews or lab · 14 clinical trial publications
14 registered trials · 9 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Approved outside the US, Japan
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.
At a glance
Four things to know about Anamorelin
Evidence
Investigational
Category
Growth hormone
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
7 to 9 hours
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.Set by prescription where approved, daily. Set by the prescription FDA label
This is a prescription drug. Duration and schedule are set by the label and the prescriber, not by a cycling convention.
7 to 9 hoursHuman study
Published figures run from 6 to 8.8 hours and no single number is settled. Anamorelin is approved in Japan as Adlumiz for cancer cachexia, so a label figure exists there, but it has no FDA approval and no US label. Worth reading the Japanese label before treating any of these as final.
Source: Phase 1 pharmacokinetics, PMC4657463, Clin Pharmacol Drug Dev. Case report citing 8.8 hours, PMC10030307.
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
What does it cost?
Typical dose and cost, in plain numbers.Anamorelin is not injected
It is taken by mouth (oral). Where approved, the dose is set by the Japanese label and the prescriber. There is no FDA label because the drug is not approved in the US.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Room temperature. Cool, dry, out of light.
Anamorelin is taken as a pill or capsule. Keep it in its original container at room temperature, away from heat, humidity, and direct sun. No fridge or mixing needed. Check the expiration date on the bottle.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Anyone competing in drug-tested sport
- Heart rhythm problems, since the development program monitored cardiac conduction
- Use outside a prescription, where no label governs the dose
Stop and get help
- Palpitations, fainting, or an irregular heartbeat
- Signs of an allergic reaction, including facial or throat swelling or trouble breathing
- Symptoms of high blood sugar, including unusual thirst and frequent urination
Common effects
- Increased appetite, which is the intended effect
- Raised blood sugar and HbA1c
- Nausea
- Effects on cardiac conduction seen during development
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Anamorelin approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not in the United States. Anamorelin has no FDA approval and is in company-run clinical trials, with no legal route to obtain it there outside a trial. It is approved in Japan.
- Approval statusInvestigational
- RouteBy mouth (oral)
- Checked22 September 2026
- Approved outside the USJapan: Approved in Japan on 22 January 2021 as Adlumiz, 50 mg tablets, for cancer cachexia in non-small cell lung, gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Approved in Japan only.This does not change the United States position above.
- DoseFrom the drug label. The manufacturer tested this range and a regulator reviewed it.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesNone traced yet.
What has happened recently
Approved in Japan in 2021 for cancer cachexia. Not approved by the FDA. Prohibited in sport at all times by WADA, which names anamorelin explicitly among GH secretagogues.
Banned in drug-tested sport. Most research peptides are prohibited under WADA's S0 category, which covers any substance with no approval from any regulatory authority for human use. That means a compound can be banned without ever being named on the prohibited list. Check with your own anti-doping authority rather than assuming absence from the list means permitted.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Anamorelin?
Others in Growth hormone peptides, side by side.If you're weighing Anamorelin, it's worth reading GHRP-1, GHRP-3, and GHRP-4 in the same class.
An oral ghrelin agonist approved in Japan for cancer wasting, and turned down in the US.
- Dose
- Set by prescription where approved
- How often
- Daily
The seven-amino-acid member of the family, studied early and then left behind.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Named on the WADA banned list, and almost undocumented anywhere else.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Four amino acids, sold to labs, and never studied in people.
- Dose
- Research only
- How often
- Not established
Guides for this compound
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
No primary source has been traced for this compound yet. Treat everything on this page as unverified until one is. How we grade evidence
Beyond these, 195 records are indexed. Browse the records