Evidence review: Open Peptide Project (verified against primary PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov & FDA records) · Last checked 2026-10-27. ← Back to Evidence Library

RAD-140 (testolone): what the evidence says

Name: RAD-140 (testolone)
Published: 2026-10-27

At a glance

What it is: Caution Not a peptide. RAD-140 (testolone) is an oral non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM), a small molecule, not an amino-acid chain. It is listed here only because it is sold alongside research peptides. ^{R1, R2}

What the evidence says: Human the only human trial is a phase 1 dose-finding study in 22 women with advanced breast cancer: one partial response, and liver-enzyme rises were the most common side effect. ^R2 No human trial has tested it for muscle, strength or body composition.

Biggest risks: liver injury: published case reports describe jaundice and cholestatic liver injury in people using RAD-140 products, and FDA warns SARMs are linked to liver injury and to heart attack and stroke risk. Banned in sport. ^{R3, R4, R5, R6}

Rating


Human Human evidence	Very limited: one uncontrolled phase 1, n = 22 ^R2
Animal Animal / lab evidence	Breast-cancer cell and mouse models ^R7
Regulatory	Not FDA-approved · not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page ^{R8, R9, R10} · named on WADA S1.2 ^R6
Established human dose	No (trial amounts only; see Study details)

Evidence verdict: Breast cancer: Very limited (one 22-person phase 1 with no control group) · Muscle, strength or body composition: No human data · Liver injury: reported in published case reports

This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.

Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source

About the evidence: the only human study enrolled women with advanced cancer, had no placebo group and was not designed to test muscle effects. The rest of the human record is case reports of harm, which cannot show how often harm happens.

What is it?

Related pages: lgd-4033, enobosarm, andarine-s4, yk-11.

Does it work?

Human Phase 1 in breast cancer (n = 22): clinical benefit rate 18.2% at 24 weeks and median progression-free survival 2.3 months; one partial response. ^{R2, R11}
Animal Lab and mice: slowed growth of androgen-receptor-positive, estrogen-receptor-positive breast tumors. ^R7
Unknown Muscle, strength or body composition: no human trial found (PubMed and CT.gov searched Oct 27, 2026).
Unknown Hormone suppression: no RAD-140 study in men was found. In healthy men, the related SARM LGD-4033 lowered testosterone, SHBG and HDL cholesterol in a dose-dependent way, and reviews describe testosterone suppression across SARMs. ^{R12, R13} UNVERIFIED for RAD-140 specifically.

Is it safe?

Human In the phase 1, raised liver enzymes were the most common side effect (AST in 59%, ALT in 45%); 73% had grade 3 or 4 side effects. ^R2
Human Case reports: cholestatic drug-induced liver injury in people using RAD-140 products, sometimes together with LGD-4033; most improved after stopping, some needed steroid treatment. ^{R3, R14, R15, R4, R16} Reviews describe a bland cholestasis pattern that improves after stopping. ^{R17, R18}
Human A 2023 review of 33 studies counted 15 liver-injury case reports across SARMs, plus tendon rupture and muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) reports. ^R19
Human Mislabeling: in a JAMA analysis of 44 products sold as SARMs, only 52% contained a SARM, 39% contained another unapproved drug, and 59% had amounts that differed from the label. ^R20 A 2026 review reached similar conclusions. ^R21
FDA warns SARMs are linked to liver injury, heart attack and stroke risk, psychosis, infertility and testicular shrinkage. ^R5

Pipeline status (investigational)

Sponsor: Stemline Therapeutics (phase 1). ^R11
Status: phase 1 completed; no later trial found on CT.gov (searched Oct 27, 2026). UNVERIFIED whether development continues.
Expected readouts: none found.

Gray-market vials: extra risks

A gray-market vial has no quality control and no guarantee of identity, strength or sterility. We test retail vials blind under the Open Peptide Standard; see /tests/. A passing test covers one batch on one date and does not mean the compound is safe.

Is it legal?

US: not FDA-approved; no Drugs@FDA application found (openFDA searched Oct 27, 2026).
FDA: FDA says SARMs cannot be legally marketed as dietary supplements and are unapproved drugs; it has issued warning letters to sellers. ^R5
Compounding: not on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk-substance category lists and not on FDA's compounding safety-risk page. ^{R8, R9, R10}
Sport: WADA 2026 S1.2 names it as a prohibited SARM, banned at all times ^R6.

Study details

These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.

Study	People / model	Route	Amount used	Follow-up	Reported	Citation
LoRusso 2022 (phase 1)	22 postmenopausal women with ER+/HER2− metastatic breast cancer	Oral, daily	50, 100 or 150 mg; maximum tolerated dose 100 mg/day	Until progression	Clinical benefit 18.2% at 24 weeks; liver-enzyme rises common	PMID 34565686
Barbara 2020 (case report)	52-year-old man	Oral	Self-dosed RAD-140 and LGD-4033 products, unverified	—	Cholestatic liver injury; resolved over about 3 months	PMID 33062783

Full reference list (PubMed, CT.gov, FDA and WADA checked Oct 27, 2026)

^R1 PubChem CID 44200882, 2-Chloro-4-(((1R,2S)-1-(5-(4-cyanophenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-yl)-2-hydroxypropyl)amino)-3-methylbenzonitrile (synonyms Testolone, RAD140), checked Oct 27, 2026. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/44200882
^R2 LoRusso P, et al. Clin Breast Cancer. 2022. PMID 34565686
^R3 Barbara M, et al. ACG Case Rep J. 2020. PMID 33062783
^R4 Perananthan V, et al. Aust Prescr. 2024. PMID 38444893
^R5 FDA. FDA Warns of Use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators (SARMs) Among Teens, Young Adults (consumer update). Content current as of Apr 26, 2023. https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/fda-warns-use-selective-androgen-receptor-modulators-sarms-among-teens-young-adults
^R6 WADA. The 2026 Prohibited List, S1.2 Other anabolic agents (SARMs named, including andarine and RAD140). https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf
^R7 Yu Z, et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2017. PMID 28974548
^R8 FDA, 503A bulk drug substances categories list (updated May 14, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download
^R9 FDA, 503B bulk drug substances categories list (updated Mar 21, 2025). https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download
^R10 FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (content current Apr 22, 2026). https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks
^R11 ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03088527, phase 1 of RAD140 in postmenopausal women with ER+/HER2− metastatic breast cancer, Stemline Therapeutics, completed, 20 enrolled per registry (the paper reports 22) (CT.gov API v2, checked Oct 27, 2026). https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03088527
^R12 Basaria S, et al. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013. PMID 22459616
^R13 Vasireddi N, et al. Am J Sports Med. 2025. PMID 39755947
^R14 Leung K, et al. Ochsner J. 2022. PMID 36561105
^R15 Ladna M, et al. J Med Case Rep. 2023. PMID 36978171
^R16 Niazi B, et al. ACG Case Rep J. 2025. PMID 40761329
^R17 Mohideen H, et al. J Clin Transl Hepatol. 2023. PMID 36479151
^R18 Leciejewska N, et al. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2024. PMID 38059982
^R19 Vignali JD, et al. J Xenobiot. 2023. PMID 37218811
^R20 Van Wagoner RM, et al. JAMA. 2017. PMID 29183075
^R21 Adolf J, et al. Drug Test Anal. 2026. PMID 42919612

Disclaimer

This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use RAD-140 (testolone). This compound is not FDA-approved. FDA warns that SARMs sold online are unapproved drugs linked to serious harms, and products are often mislabeled. Report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).