Review · United States
MOTS-c
Reviewed on
Approval and product status
No FDA-approved MOTS-c drug product
A substance name and animal findings do not prove that a marketed product is known, safe, or effective. A recognized substance identity and compelling animal biology do not establish the identity, quality, safety, or efficacy of a marketed injectable product.
What was measured in people?
- Health results · Unclear
- FDA's 2026 review found no published studies administering MOTS-c drug products to humans.
- Body changes · Limited
- Preclinical metabolic and mitochondrial signals are hypothesis-generating.
A change in a hormone or body signal does not by itself prove a health benefit.
Important limits
This tool is not an independent medical review. It does not recommend treatment.
No dosing, injection, sourcing, or performance-use guidance is provided. The absence of human exposure data is a reason for caution, not a blank space to fill with anecdotes.
Still unknown: There is no established human evidence that a MOTS-c drug product causes weight loss, improves exercise, controls glucose, treats osteoporosis, repairs DNA, or slows aging.
This record cannot check a package, seller, batch, or personal treatment. It does not provide sport clearance.
Approval fact checks
“A UNII number means MOTS-c is FDA-approved.”
Misleading. FDA's substance registry explicitly states that UNII availability does not imply regulatory review or approval.
Applies to: Substance identification versus drug-product approval.
Products in this review
These are selected records, not every product or form.
No product label record is included here. That is not a separate approval decision. Read the status and sources above.
What the research shows
FDA's current review describes metabolic and bone-related laboratory and animal research. It found no published study in which a MOTS-c drug product was administered to humans.
Read all MOTS-c fact checksSources used in this review
A source may support some statements, not all of them. Use the links above or this review to see what each source supports.
Show 4 sources
- FDA briefing document for MOTS-c-related bulk drug substances
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · FDA review · 2026
Source accessed
- MOTS-c substance record
U.S. Food and Drug Administration Global Substance Registration System · Reference · 2026
Source accessed
- Bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks
U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Regulatory · 2026
Source accessed
- 2026 Prohibited List
World Anti-Doping Agency · Anti-doping · 2026
Source accessed