SS-31 (Elamipretide)_
Also known as elamipretide, Forzinity, MTP-131, Bendavia
A mitochondrial peptide, approved in 2025 for the rare genetic disease Barth syndrome.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is SS-31 (Elamipretide)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
SS-31 (elamipretide) is a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide that binds and stabilizes cardiolipin, a fat in the inner wall of your cells' power plants. In plain terms: it helps damaged mitochondria make energy again and cut harmful byproducts, and it is in real clinical trials for mitochondrial and heart disease.
What it's used for
A shot that targets your cells' energy factories to fight fatigue and support aging muscle, heart, and eyes. It is in real clinical trials for mitochondrial disease.
How does SS-31 (Elamipretide) work?
What it does in the body, and where.SS-31 targets one specific molecule inside your mitochondria: cardiolipin, a fat that makes up part of the inner wall where energy is actually produced.
- 01It concentrates inside mitochondriaThe peptide is built to accumulate there rather than spread through the cell, which is unusual and is the reason it works at low doses.
- 02It binds and stabilises cardiolipinWhen cardiolipin is damaged, the energy-producing machinery attached to it stops working properly. Stabilising it restores the structure.
- 03Approved for one rare diseaseIt was approved in 2025 as Forzinity for Barth syndrome, a rare genetic mitochondrial condition. Broader anti-aging use is not what it was approved for.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
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.
- Improving muscle strength in Barth syndrome, a rare inherited disease. This is its approved useFDA-approved
- Other mitochondrial diseasesInvestigational
- Age-related muscle decline and eye conditionsInvestigational
- Energy and fatigue generally, which is why most people seek it outEarly research
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.40 mg per day, daily. Not cycledFDA label
Taken continuously for as long as it is working. Neither the label nor clinical practice describes an on/off schedule.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
Your draw
160 / 100 unitsHow do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized SS-31 (Elamipretide) keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.22 July 2026Granted FDA accelerated approval on 19 September 2025 as Forzinity, for Barth syndrome in patients weighing at least 30 kg. This followed a rejection in May 2025. Accelerated approval means confirmatory data is still required.
Who should avoid it
- No formal contraindications were established at approval
- Pregnancy, where it has not been studied
Stop and get help
- Signs of a serious allergic reaction such as trouble breathing, swelling, or a severe rash, which has required permanent discontinuation in rare cases
Common effects
- Injection-site reactions, which are the most common effect
- Otherwise generally well tolerated in trials
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is SS-31 (Elamipretide) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Yes. FDA-approved.
Granted FDA accelerated approval on 19 September 2025 as Forzinity, for Barth syndrome in patients weighing at least 30 kg. This followed a rejection in May 2025. Accelerated approval means confirmatory data is still required.
- DoseFrom the drug label. The manufacturer tested this range and a regulator reviewed it.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed22 July 2026
What else is like SS-31 (Elamipretide)?
Others in Longevity and energy, side by side.If you're weighing SS-31 (Elamipretide), it's worth reading MOTS-c, Epitalon, and NAD+ in the same class.
A mitochondrial peptide, approved in 2025 for the rare genetic disease Barth syndrome.
- Dose
- 40 mg per day
- How often
- Daily
A shot people use for energy, metabolism, and healthy aging.
- Dose
- 5 up to 10 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 1-3x per week
A longevity peptide taken in short courses for sleep and anti-aging.
- Dose
- 5 up to 10 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 10-20 day courses
A cellular fuel taken for energy, focus, and anti-aging.
- Dose
- 50 up to 100 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 2-3x/week
10What these words mean
Show glossary +
What these words mean
- Titrate
- Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
- Subcutaneous
- An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
- Intramuscular (IM)
- An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
- Reconstitution
- Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
- Bacteriostatic water
- Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
- Concentration
- How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
- Units (on the syringe)
- The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.
- mcg and mg
- Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
- GLP-1
- A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
- Growth hormone secretagogue
- A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
- Half-life
- How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
- Peptide vs small molecule
- A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
- Research only
- No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
- Investigational
- Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
- Banned in drug-tested sport
- Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.
Sources
- FDA review documents, Forzinity(2025)FDA integrated review supporting accelerated approval for Barth syndrome.
Last reviewed 22 July 2026