Andarine

updated

Andarine (S-4, GTx-007) is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) sold for cutting and strength retention. It has two well-characterized rat efficacy studies and a rat pharmacokinetic profile, but no controlled human study exists: a PubMed search on 9 October 2026 returned 41 records, none a clinical trial. Reports of yellow-tinted vision are user reports with no published record behind them, and the literature also contains no safety study that would have detected them.

Non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (arylpropionamide)

  • Andarine, S-4 and GTx-007 are the same arylpropionamide molecule (PubChem CID 9824562, C19H18F3N3O6, molecular weight 441.4).
  • In castrated male rats, S-4 restored soleus and levator ani muscle to intact levels while returning prostate and seminal vesicle weights to only 16% and 17% of control at 3 mg/kg.
  • A PubMed search on 9 October 2026 for andarine returned 41 records, and filtering to clinical trial and randomized controlled trial types returned 0.
  • Published pharmacokinetics are from rats: half-life 2.6 to 5.3 hours across the dose range. No human pharmacokinetic study was located.
  • A 5-year surveillance study of 324 samples in 13 countries found andarine among the top five molecules and concluded most samples contained active doses and some were overdosed.
  • The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names andarine explicitly as an example under S1.2, prohibited at all times.

What is andarine, and what is its regulatory status?

Andarine (S-4, GTx-007) is an arylpropionamide selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM). It has no FDA match or label, and the WADA 2026 list names it explicitly as prohibited at all times.

Andarine is PubChem CID 9824562, C19H18F3N3O6, molecular weight 441.4, CAS 401900-40-1, chemically (2S)-3-(4-acetamidophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-[4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]propanamide. PubChem lists GTX-007 and S-4 cpd among its synonyms, so andarine, S-4 and GTx-007 are the same molecule.

An openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for andarine returned no matches on 9 October 2026, and DailyMed returned no label. A full-text search of the current eCFR for andarine returned 0 sections, so andarine is not itself named in the DEA schedules. A peer-reviewed systematic review states that SARMs are not FDA approved and that obtaining them for personal use is illegal. Legal status outside the United States is not covered here.

The WADA 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026, names andarine explicitly as an example under S1.2, other anabolic agents, prohibited at all times in and out of competition.

PubChem: andarine identity

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 9824562, andarine.

Andarine is PubChem CID 9824562, C19H18F3N3O6, molecular weight 441.4, CAS 401900-40-1, chemically (2S)-3-(4-acetamidophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-[4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]propanamide. Listed synonyms include GTX-007 and S-4 cpd, so andarine, S-4 and GTx-007 are the same arylpropionamide molecule.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity record only. It says nothing about activity or safety in people.

Read the original source
WADA 2026 list names andarine; no FDA match

Regulatory record

World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026. US status from an openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query, a DailyMed search and a full-text search of the current eCFR, all run on 9 October 2026.

An openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for andarine returned no matches on 9 October 2026 and DailyMed returned no label. A full-text search of the current eCFR for andarine returned 0 sections, so andarine is not itself named in the DEA schedules. The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names andarine explicitly as an example under S1.2, other anabolic agents, prohibited at all times in and out of competition. A peer-reviewed systematic review states that SARMs are not FDA approved and that obtaining them for personal use is illegal.

Participants / model
Regulatory and anti-doping records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
List in effect 1 January 2026
Study design
Official anti-doping record plus peer-reviewed statement
Funding
not stated in the source

Legal status outside the United States is not covered.

Read the original source

What did the rat studies find?

In castrated male rats, S-4 restored muscle mass and strength and lean body mass, with far smaller prostate and seminal vesicle effects than dihydrotestosterone. In ovariectomized female rats it maintained bone density and decreased body fat. All of it is in rats.

In castrated male rats, treatment began 12 weeks after castration and ran for 8 weeks. S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored the castration-induced loss of lean body mass. Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH. The abstract does not state the route.

In 120 ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats randomized to 12 groups immediately after ovariectomy, 120 days of S-4 maintained whole body and trabecular bone mineral density and cortical content, increased bone strength, and decreased body fat. This is fat mass in ovariectomized rats over 4 months, not a cutting phase in a person.

Pharmacokinetics are published for rats only. In 35 male rats given intravenous or oral S-4, clearance ranged 1.0 to 2.1 mL/min/kg and varied with dose, volume of distribution was about 0.448 L/kg, oral bioavailability was dose-dependent and complete at the lower doses, and half-life across the dose range was 2.6 to 5.3 hours.

Castrated rats, 8 weeks of S-4 versus DHT

Animal study

Gao W et al. Endocrinology. 2005;146(11):4887-97. PMID 16099859.

Twelve weeks after castration, rats received S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg, dihydrotestosterone at 3 mg/kg, or vehicle for 8 weeks. Both S-4 doses restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored castration-induced loss of lean body mass. DHT at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH.

Participants / model
Castrated male rats
Treatment
S-4, 3 or 10 mg/kg, versus dihydrotestosterone 3 mg/kg or vehicle; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
8 weeks of treatment, starting 12 weeks after castration
Study design
Controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

Core efficacy evidence for andarine. Castrated male rats only; no human data.

Read the original source
120 ovariectomized rats, 120 days

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Pharm Res. 2007;24(2):328-35. PMID 17063395.

In 120 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged to 23 weeks and randomized to 12 groups immediately after ovariectomy, 120 days of S-4 maintained whole body and trabecular bone mineral density and cortical content, increased bone strength, and decreased body fat.

Participants / model
120 ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats
Treatment
S-4; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
120 days
Study design
Randomized controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

This is fat mass in ovariectomized rats over 4 months, not a cutting phase in a person.

Read the original source
35 male rats, intravenous and oral PK

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Xenobiotica. 2004;34(3):273-80. PMID 15204699.

Thirty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g received intravenous doses of 0.5, 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg or oral doses of 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg. Clearance ranged 1.0 to 2.1 mL/min/kg and varied with dose, volume of distribution was about 0.448 L/kg, oral bioavailability was dose-dependent and complete at the lower doses, and half-life across the dose range was 2.6 to 5.3 hours.

Participants / model
35 male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g
Treatment
Intravenous and oral S-4
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacokinetic study
Funding
not stated in the source

Rat values only. No human pharmacokinetic study of andarine was located.

Read the original source

Has andarine ever been tested in people?

No clinical trial of andarine in people has been published. A PubMed search on 9 October 2026 for andarine returned 41 records, and filtering to clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types returned 0. A ClinicalTrials.gov query the same day returned no studies.

The 41 records are preclinical pharmacology in rats and mice, cancer cell line work, equine studies, and a large majority of analytical and doping-control method papers. No human dose, human pharmacokinetic parameter or human efficacy result appears anywhere in the indexed literature.

Human use of SARMs is described only at class level, in case reports and prevalence estimates covered under safety below. No case is attributed to andarine alone.

PubMed: 41 records, 0 clinical trials

PubMed search record

PubMed search for andarine, run 9 October 2026, then filtered to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine, run the same day.

A PubMed search for andarine returned 41 records. Filtering those to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types returned 0 records. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine on the same date returned no studies. The 41 records are preclinical pharmacology in rats and mice, cancer cell line work, equine studies, and a large majority of analytical and doping-control method papers. No human dose, human pharmacokinetic parameter or human efficacy result appears anywhere in the indexed literature.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source
72 articles: prevalence 1 to 3% and 15 case-report patients

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Vasireddi N et al. Am J Sports Med. 2025;53(4):999-1009. PMID 39755947.

A systematic review of 72 articles from 2003 to 2022 estimated SARM use prevalence among athletes at 1 to 3% and identified 13 case reports describing 15 cases of SARM use. All described patients were men with a median age of 32 years (range 19 to 52), more than half were identified as athletes, and all took SARMs orally for a mean course of 8 weeks. Five of the 15 explicitly denied illicit drug use. The review reports SARM use associated with hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, tendon damage, prostate enlargement and serum testosterone suppression, and notes that athletes consumed doses much higher than those clinically studied.

Participants / model
Athletes and case-report patients, all men
Treatment
Oral SARMs
Follow-up
Mean course of 8 weeks in the case reports
Study design
Systematic review
Funding
not stated in the source

Class-level review. Andarine is named as one of the popular agents, but no case is attributed to it alone.

Read the original source

Does andarine help with cutting or strength retention?

Not shown in people. Fat loss and lean mass retention appeared in rats, both castrated males and ovariectomized females. Cutting, strength retention and a drier, harder look in a person have never been tested, and the drier, harder look has no measurable endpoint in any species.

Suppliers market andarine for cutting, strength retention and a drier, harder look at the end of a cycle. The rat studies measured muscle, bone and fat in animals with removed gonads, over 8 weeks and 120 days. No study measured any of these outcomes in a person, and no clinical trial exists.

The rat signal is real and is the whole basis of the claim. It does not describe a human cutting phase.

Castrated rats, 8 weeks of S-4 versus DHT

Animal study

Gao W et al. Endocrinology. 2005;146(11):4887-97. PMID 16099859.

Twelve weeks after castration, rats received S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg, dihydrotestosterone at 3 mg/kg, or vehicle for 8 weeks. Both S-4 doses restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored castration-induced loss of lean body mass. DHT at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH.

Participants / model
Castrated male rats
Treatment
S-4, 3 or 10 mg/kg, versus dihydrotestosterone 3 mg/kg or vehicle; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
8 weeks of treatment, starting 12 weeks after castration
Study design
Controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

Core efficacy evidence for andarine. Castrated male rats only; no human data.

Read the original source
120 ovariectomized rats, 120 days

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Pharm Res. 2007;24(2):328-35. PMID 17063395.

In 120 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged to 23 weeks and randomized to 12 groups immediately after ovariectomy, 120 days of S-4 maintained whole body and trabecular bone mineral density and cortical content, increased bone strength, and decreased body fat.

Participants / model
120 ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats
Treatment
S-4; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
120 days
Study design
Randomized controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

This is fat mass in ovariectomized rats over 4 months, not a cutting phase in a person.

Read the original source
PubMed: 41 records, 0 clinical trials

PubMed search record

PubMed search for andarine, run 9 October 2026, then filtered to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine, run the same day.

A PubMed search for andarine returned 41 records. Filtering those to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types returned 0 records. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine on the same date returned no studies. The 41 records are preclinical pharmacology in rats and mice, cancer cell line work, equine studies, and a large majority of analytical and doping-control method papers. No human dose, human pharmacokinetic parameter or human efficacy result appears anywhere in the indexed literature.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source

What have laboratories found in products containing andarine?

Oily liquids declared as green tea extract and face moisturizer contained S-4, and a 5-year study of 324 samples across 13 countries concluded that most samples contained active doses and some were overdosed.

Oily liquids sold and supplied over the internet, declared as green tea extract and face moisturizer, were assayed and found to contain S-4 at approximately 150 mg/mL. An impurity from poor purification accounted for approximately 10% of the S-4 content and was identified as 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenylamino)-propionamide. The paper describes the first documented case of S-4 reaching consumers. The 150 mg/mL figure is the content of those products and is not a typical or expected concentration.

A 5-year market surveillance study by 14 official medicines control laboratories in 13 countries, under the GEON network, covered 324 samples and 354 results, mostly from illegal distribution. Sixty-five percent of seized products were presented as medicines and 24% as dietary supplements. Andarine was among the top five molecules found, alongside ibutamoren, ligandrol, ostarine and cardarine. From the limited quantitative data reported, the authors concluded that most samples contained active doses and some were overdosed, so health risks to consumers cannot be neglected.

Seized oily liquids: about 150 mg/mL S-4 and a 10% impurity

Chemical identity record

Thevis M et al. Drug Test Anal. 2009;1(8):387-92. PMID 20355219.

Oily liquids sold and supplied over the internet, declared as green tea extract and face moisturizer, were assayed and found to contain S-4 at approximately 150 mg/mL. An impurity from poor purification accounted for approximately 10% of the S-4 content and was identified as 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenylamino)-propionamide. The paper also records that SARMs were added to the WADA Prohibited List in 2008.

Participants / model
Seized black-market products, not a population
Treatment
Oily liquids for oral or unstated use
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Analytical study of seized products
Funding
not stated in the source

The first documented case of S-4 reaching consumers. The 150 mg/mL figure is the content of those products, not a typical or expected concentration.

Read the original source
14 laboratories, 13 countries, 324 samples

Regulatory record

Barrios MM et al. Drug Test Anal. 2025;17(10):2078-2085. PMID 40551438.

A 5-year market surveillance study by 14 official medicines control laboratories in 13 countries, under the GEON network, covered 324 samples and 354 results, mostly from illegal distribution. Sixty-five percent of seized products were presented as medicines and 24% as dietary supplements. Andarine was in the top five molecules found, alongside ibutamoren, ligandrol, ostarine and cardarine. From the limited quantitative data reported, the authors concluded that most samples contained active doses and some were overdosed, so health risks to consumers cannot be neglected.

Participants / model
Seized and surveilled products across 13 countries
Treatment
Capsules, liquids and other consumer formats
Follow-up
5 years
Study design
Official medicines control laboratory network study
Funding
not stated in the source

Product content, not a human outcome study. Andarine is one of several molecules covered.

Read the original source

How does andarine act, and what does the body do with it in rats?

In castrated rats S-4 restored muscle and lean mass while moving prostate and seminal vesicle weights far less than DHT, and it lowered LH and FSH. Pharmacokinetics are known only from rats.

S-4 is an arylpropionamide SARM. In castrated rats the muscle response was complete, while prostate and seminal vesicle weights rose to only 16% and 17% of control at 3 mg/kg, against more than twice intact levels with DHT at 3 mg/kg. S-4 also dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH in these rats; no human hormone measurement has been published.

In rats, oral bioavailability was dose-dependent and complete at the lower doses, and half-life ranged from 2.6 to 5.3 hours across the dose range. These are rat values. No human pharmacokinetic study of andarine was located.

Castrated rats, 8 weeks of S-4 versus DHT

Animal study

Gao W et al. Endocrinology. 2005;146(11):4887-97. PMID 16099859.

Twelve weeks after castration, rats received S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg, dihydrotestosterone at 3 mg/kg, or vehicle for 8 weeks. Both S-4 doses restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored castration-induced loss of lean body mass. DHT at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH.

Participants / model
Castrated male rats
Treatment
S-4, 3 or 10 mg/kg, versus dihydrotestosterone 3 mg/kg or vehicle; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
8 weeks of treatment, starting 12 weeks after castration
Study design
Controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

Core efficacy evidence for andarine. Castrated male rats only; no human data.

Read the original source
35 male rats, intravenous and oral PK

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Xenobiotica. 2004;34(3):273-80. PMID 15204699.

Thirty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g received intravenous doses of 0.5, 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg or oral doses of 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg. Clearance ranged 1.0 to 2.1 mL/min/kg and varied with dose, volume of distribution was about 0.448 L/kg, oral bioavailability was dose-dependent and complete at the lower doses, and half-life across the dose range was 2.6 to 5.3 hours.

Participants / model
35 male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g
Treatment
Intravenous and oral S-4
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacokinetic study
Funding
not stated in the source

Rat values only. No human pharmacokinetic study of andarine was located.

Read the original source

Do published records support the reports of yellow-tinted vision on andarine?

No published record documents it, and none rules it out. A PubMed search on 9 October 2026 for andarine with vision terms returned 0 records. The reports are user reports, and the literature contains no safety study that would have detected such an effect.

The widely repeated reports of yellow-tinted vision and night-vision disturbance on andarine have no published case report, trial or pharmacovigilance record behind them. A PubMed search on 9 October 2026 for andarine combined with vision, visual, retina, ocular or chromatopsia returned 0 records. A broader search for selective androgen receptor modulator or SARM with vision, visual disturbance, chromatopsia or retina returned 4 records, none of which were about SARMs and vision.

The literature neither confirms nor refutes the reports. The effect is not documented, and no published study was designed in a way that would have detected it either, so the reports are neither supported nor ruled out.

PubMed: 0 records on andarine and vision

PubMed search record

PubMed search for andarine combined with vision, visual, retina, ocular or chromatopsia, run 9 October 2026.

A PubMed search for andarine combined with vision, visual, retina, ocular or chromatopsia returned 0 records. A broader search for selective androgen receptor modulator or SARM combined with vision, visual disturbance, chromatopsia or retina returned 4 records, none of which were about SARMs and vision.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature search
Funding
not stated in the source

Absence of published evidence for or against the visual effect. The literature also contains no safety study that would have detected it.

Read the original source

What is known about the safety of andarine?

No human safety study of andarine exists. A systematic review of SARM use associated the class with hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, tendon damage, prostate enlargement and testosterone suppression, with no case attributed to andarine alone.

A systematic review of 72 articles from 2003 to 2022 estimated SARM use prevalence among athletes at 1 to 3% and identified 13 case reports describing 15 cases of SARM use. All described patients were men with a median age of 32 years (range 19 to 52), more than half were identified as athletes, and all took SARMs orally for a mean course of 8 weeks. Five of the 15 explicitly denied illicit drug use. The review reports SARM use associated with hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, tendon damage, prostate enlargement and serum testosterone suppression, and notes that athletes consumed doses much higher than those clinically studied. Andarine is named as one of the popular agents, but no case is attributed to it alone.

For andarine itself, the only hormone data are from castrated rats, where S-4 dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH. No human hormone, liver or heart measurement has been published. Product content adds a separate concern: see the laboratory findings above.

72 articles: prevalence 1 to 3% and 15 case-report patients

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Vasireddi N et al. Am J Sports Med. 2025;53(4):999-1009. PMID 39755947.

A systematic review of 72 articles from 2003 to 2022 estimated SARM use prevalence among athletes at 1 to 3% and identified 13 case reports describing 15 cases of SARM use. All described patients were men with a median age of 32 years (range 19 to 52), more than half were identified as athletes, and all took SARMs orally for a mean course of 8 weeks. Five of the 15 explicitly denied illicit drug use. The review reports SARM use associated with hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, tendon damage, prostate enlargement and serum testosterone suppression, and notes that athletes consumed doses much higher than those clinically studied.

Participants / model
Athletes and case-report patients, all men
Treatment
Oral SARMs
Follow-up
Mean course of 8 weeks in the case reports
Study design
Systematic review
Funding
not stated in the source

Class-level review. Andarine is named as one of the popular agents, but no case is attributed to it alone.

Read the original source
Castrated rats, 8 weeks of S-4 versus DHT

Animal study

Gao W et al. Endocrinology. 2005;146(11):4887-97. PMID 16099859.

Twelve weeks after castration, rats received S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg, dihydrotestosterone at 3 mg/kg, or vehicle for 8 weeks. Both S-4 doses restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored castration-induced loss of lean body mass. DHT at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH.

Participants / model
Castrated male rats
Treatment
S-4, 3 or 10 mg/kg, versus dihydrotestosterone 3 mg/kg or vehicle; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
8 weeks of treatment, starting 12 weeks after castration
Study design
Controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

Core efficacy evidence for andarine. Castrated male rats only; no human data.

Read the original source

Why does andarine sit in D tier?

Andarine has solid rat efficacy and pharmacokinetic data but no published human trial, and it circulates in products of uncertain content. No case of human harm is attributed to andarine alone.

Andarine has more preclinical substance than AC-262536 or ACP-105: two rat efficacy studies covering muscle, bone and fat, and a full rat pharmacokinetic profile. The development program never produced a published human trial, and the indexed literature still contains none.

The compound is in the consumer market at active and sometimes excessive doses, in products labeled as something else and carrying a 10% synthesis impurity in the one characterized sample. The serious human harms on record are class-level SARM findings, with no case attributed to andarine alone, so D reflects an evidence gap rather than a documented compound-specific harm.

Castrated rats, 8 weeks of S-4 versus DHT

Animal study

Gao W et al. Endocrinology. 2005;146(11):4887-97. PMID 16099859.

Twelve weeks after castration, rats received S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg, dihydrotestosterone at 3 mg/kg, or vehicle for 8 weeks. Both S-4 doses restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored castration-induced loss of lean body mass. DHT at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH.

Participants / model
Castrated male rats
Treatment
S-4, 3 or 10 mg/kg, versus dihydrotestosterone 3 mg/kg or vehicle; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
8 weeks of treatment, starting 12 weeks after castration
Study design
Controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

Core efficacy evidence for andarine. Castrated male rats only; no human data.

Read the original source
120 ovariectomized rats, 120 days

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Pharm Res. 2007;24(2):328-35. PMID 17063395.

In 120 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged to 23 weeks and randomized to 12 groups immediately after ovariectomy, 120 days of S-4 maintained whole body and trabecular bone mineral density and cortical content, increased bone strength, and decreased body fat.

Participants / model
120 ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats
Treatment
S-4; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
120 days
Study design
Randomized controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

This is fat mass in ovariectomized rats over 4 months, not a cutting phase in a person.

Read the original source
35 male rats, intravenous and oral PK

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Xenobiotica. 2004;34(3):273-80. PMID 15204699.

Thirty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g received intravenous doses of 0.5, 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg or oral doses of 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg. Clearance ranged 1.0 to 2.1 mL/min/kg and varied with dose, volume of distribution was about 0.448 L/kg, oral bioavailability was dose-dependent and complete at the lower doses, and half-life across the dose range was 2.6 to 5.3 hours.

Participants / model
35 male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g
Treatment
Intravenous and oral S-4
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacokinetic study
Funding
not stated in the source

Rat values only. No human pharmacokinetic study of andarine was located.

Read the original source
PubMed: 41 records, 0 clinical trials

PubMed search record

PubMed search for andarine, run 9 October 2026, then filtered to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine, run the same day.

A PubMed search for andarine returned 41 records. Filtering those to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types returned 0 records. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine on the same date returned no studies. The 41 records are preclinical pharmacology in rats and mice, cancer cell line work, equine studies, and a large majority of analytical and doping-control method papers. No human dose, human pharmacokinetic parameter or human efficacy result appears anywhere in the indexed literature.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

Read the original source
72 articles: prevalence 1 to 3% and 15 case-report patients

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Vasireddi N et al. Am J Sports Med. 2025;53(4):999-1009. PMID 39755947.

A systematic review of 72 articles from 2003 to 2022 estimated SARM use prevalence among athletes at 1 to 3% and identified 13 case reports describing 15 cases of SARM use. All described patients were men with a median age of 32 years (range 19 to 52), more than half were identified as athletes, and all took SARMs orally for a mean course of 8 weeks. Five of the 15 explicitly denied illicit drug use. The review reports SARM use associated with hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, tendon damage, prostate enlargement and serum testosterone suppression, and notes that athletes consumed doses much higher than those clinically studied.

Participants / model
Athletes and case-report patients, all men
Treatment
Oral SARMs
Follow-up
Mean course of 8 weeks in the case reports
Study design
Systematic review
Funding
not stated in the source

Class-level review. Andarine is named as one of the popular agents, but no case is attributed to it alone.

Read the original source
14 laboratories, 13 countries, 324 samples

Regulatory record

Barrios MM et al. Drug Test Anal. 2025;17(10):2078-2085. PMID 40551438.

A 5-year market surveillance study by 14 official medicines control laboratories in 13 countries, under the GEON network, covered 324 samples and 354 results, mostly from illegal distribution. Sixty-five percent of seized products were presented as medicines and 24% as dietary supplements. Andarine was in the top five molecules found, alongside ibutamoren, ligandrol, ostarine and cardarine. From the limited quantitative data reported, the authors concluded that most samples contained active doses and some were overdosed, so health risks to consumers cannot be neglected.

Participants / model
Seized and surveilled products across 13 countries
Treatment
Capsules, liquids and other consumer formats
Follow-up
5 years
Study design
Official medicines control laboratory network study
Funding
not stated in the source

Product content, not a human outcome study. Andarine is one of several molecules covered.

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Studies and sources

PubChem: andarine identity

Chemical identity record

PubChem, National Library of Medicine. Compound summary for CID 9824562, andarine.

Andarine is PubChem CID 9824562, C19H18F3N3O6, molecular weight 441.4, CAS 401900-40-1, chemically (2S)-3-(4-acetamidophenoxy)-2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-[4-nitro-3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]propanamide. Listed synonyms include GTX-007 and S-4 cpd, so andarine, S-4 and GTx-007 are the same arylpropionamide molecule.

Participants / model
Chemical identity, not a clinical population
Treatment
Defined molecule
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Chemical database record
Funding
not stated in the source

Identity record only. It says nothing about activity or safety in people.

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Castrated rats, 8 weeks of S-4 versus DHT

Animal study

Gao W et al. Endocrinology. 2005;146(11):4887-97. PMID 16099859.

Twelve weeks after castration, rats received S-4 at 3 or 10 mg/kg, dihydrotestosterone at 3 mg/kg, or vehicle for 8 weeks. Both S-4 doses restored soleus muscle mass and strength and levator ani mass to intact levels and restored castration-induced loss of lean body mass. DHT at 3 mg/kg stimulated prostate and seminal vesicle weights to more than twice intact-control levels, while S-4 at 3 mg/kg returned those organs to only 16% and 17% of control. S-4 produced a significantly larger increase in total body bone mineral density than DHT, and dose-dependently lowered plasma LH and FSH.

Participants / model
Castrated male rats
Treatment
S-4, 3 or 10 mg/kg, versus dihydrotestosterone 3 mg/kg or vehicle; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
8 weeks of treatment, starting 12 weeks after castration
Study design
Controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

Core efficacy evidence for andarine. Castrated male rats only; no human data.

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120 ovariectomized rats, 120 days

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Pharm Res. 2007;24(2):328-35. PMID 17063395.

In 120 female Sprague-Dawley rats aged to 23 weeks and randomized to 12 groups immediately after ovariectomy, 120 days of S-4 maintained whole body and trabecular bone mineral density and cortical content, increased bone strength, and decreased body fat.

Participants / model
120 ovariectomized female Sprague-Dawley rats
Treatment
S-4; route not stated in the abstract
Follow-up
120 days
Study design
Randomized controlled preclinical study
Funding
not stated in the source

This is fat mass in ovariectomized rats over 4 months, not a cutting phase in a person.

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35 male rats, intravenous and oral PK

Animal study

Kearbey JD et al. Xenobiotica. 2004;34(3):273-80. PMID 15204699.

Thirty-five male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g received intravenous doses of 0.5, 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg or oral doses of 1, 10 or 30 mg/kg. Clearance ranged 1.0 to 2.1 mL/min/kg and varied with dose, volume of distribution was about 0.448 L/kg, oral bioavailability was dose-dependent and complete at the lower doses, and half-life across the dose range was 2.6 to 5.3 hours.

Participants / model
35 male Sprague-Dawley rats of about 250 g
Treatment
Intravenous and oral S-4
Follow-up
not stated in the source
Study design
Preclinical pharmacokinetic study
Funding
not stated in the source

Rat values only. No human pharmacokinetic study of andarine was located.

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Seized oily liquids: about 150 mg/mL S-4 and a 10% impurity

Chemical identity record

Thevis M et al. Drug Test Anal. 2009;1(8):387-92. PMID 20355219.

Oily liquids sold and supplied over the internet, declared as green tea extract and face moisturizer, were assayed and found to contain S-4 at approximately 150 mg/mL. An impurity from poor purification accounted for approximately 10% of the S-4 content and was identified as 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-N-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenyl)-3-(4-nitro-3-trifluoromethyl-phenylamino)-propionamide. The paper also records that SARMs were added to the WADA Prohibited List in 2008.

Participants / model
Seized black-market products, not a population
Treatment
Oily liquids for oral or unstated use
Follow-up
Not applicable
Study design
Analytical study of seized products
Funding
not stated in the source

The first documented case of S-4 reaching consumers. The 150 mg/mL figure is the content of those products, not a typical or expected concentration.

Read the original source
14 laboratories, 13 countries, 324 samples

Regulatory record

Barrios MM et al. Drug Test Anal. 2025;17(10):2078-2085. PMID 40551438.

A 5-year market surveillance study by 14 official medicines control laboratories in 13 countries, under the GEON network, covered 324 samples and 354 results, mostly from illegal distribution. Sixty-five percent of seized products were presented as medicines and 24% as dietary supplements. Andarine was in the top five molecules found, alongside ibutamoren, ligandrol, ostarine and cardarine. From the limited quantitative data reported, the authors concluded that most samples contained active doses and some were overdosed, so health risks to consumers cannot be neglected.

Participants / model
Seized and surveilled products across 13 countries
Treatment
Capsules, liquids and other consumer formats
Follow-up
5 years
Study design
Official medicines control laboratory network study
Funding
not stated in the source

Product content, not a human outcome study. Andarine is one of several molecules covered.

Read the original source
72 articles: prevalence 1 to 3% and 15 case-report patients

Systematic review and meta-analysis

Vasireddi N et al. Am J Sports Med. 2025;53(4):999-1009. PMID 39755947.

A systematic review of 72 articles from 2003 to 2022 estimated SARM use prevalence among athletes at 1 to 3% and identified 13 case reports describing 15 cases of SARM use. All described patients were men with a median age of 32 years (range 19 to 52), more than half were identified as athletes, and all took SARMs orally for a mean course of 8 weeks. Five of the 15 explicitly denied illicit drug use. The review reports SARM use associated with hepatotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, tendon damage, prostate enlargement and serum testosterone suppression, and notes that athletes consumed doses much higher than those clinically studied.

Participants / model
Athletes and case-report patients, all men
Treatment
Oral SARMs
Follow-up
Mean course of 8 weeks in the case reports
Study design
Systematic review
Funding
not stated in the source

Class-level review. Andarine is named as one of the popular agents, but no case is attributed to it alone.

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WADA 2026 list names andarine; no FDA match

Regulatory record

World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, in effect 1 January 2026. US status from an openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query, a DailyMed search and a full-text search of the current eCFR, all run on 9 October 2026.

An openFDA Drugs@FDA substance-name query for andarine returned no matches on 9 October 2026 and DailyMed returned no label. A full-text search of the current eCFR for andarine returned 0 sections, so andarine is not itself named in the DEA schedules. The WADA 2026 Prohibited List names andarine explicitly as an example under S1.2, other anabolic agents, prohibited at all times in and out of competition. A peer-reviewed systematic review states that SARMs are not FDA approved and that obtaining them for personal use is illegal.

Participants / model
Regulatory and anti-doping records, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
List in effect 1 January 2026
Study design
Official anti-doping record plus peer-reviewed statement
Funding
not stated in the source

Legal status outside the United States is not covered.

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PubMed: 41 records, 0 clinical trials

PubMed search record

PubMed search for andarine, run 9 October 2026, then filtered to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types. ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine, run the same day.

A PubMed search for andarine returned 41 records. Filtering those to the clinical trial and randomized controlled trial publication types returned 0 records. A ClinicalTrials.gov query for andarine on the same date returned no studies. The 41 records are preclinical pharmacology in rats and mice, cancer cell line work, equine studies, and a large majority of analytical and doping-control method papers. No human dose, human pharmacokinetic parameter or human efficacy result appears anywhere in the indexed literature.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature and registry search
Funding
not stated in the source

An absence finding as of 9 October 2026, not proof that no unpublished work exists.

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PubMed: 0 records on andarine and vision

PubMed search record

PubMed search for andarine combined with vision, visual, retina, ocular or chromatopsia, run 9 October 2026.

A PubMed search for andarine combined with vision, visual, retina, ocular or chromatopsia returned 0 records. A broader search for selective androgen receptor modulator or SARM combined with vision, visual disturbance, chromatopsia or retina returned 4 records, none of which were about SARMs and vision.

Participants / model
Records reviewed, not a population
Treatment
Not applicable
Follow-up
Search run on 9 October 2026
Study design
Dated literature search
Funding
not stated in the source

Absence of published evidence for or against the visual effect. The literature also contains no safety study that would have detected it.

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Why is Andarine in D tier?

D fits a compound with more preclinical substance than AC-262536 or ACP-105, two rat efficacy studies and a rat pharmacokinetic profile, but no published human trial and a consumer market in products of uncertain content. The serious human harms on record are class-level SARM findings with no case attributed to andarine alone, so the grade reflects a long evidence gap rather than a documented compound-specific harm.