Are SARMs Legal in the UK? 2026 Guide: MHRA, FSA, UKAD

Are SARMs legal in the UK? No UK statute names selective androgen receptor modulators and bans them outright, but three sets of rules decide what can lawfully be done with them: medicines law, food law and the anti-doping code. This 2026 guide quotes the primary sources, explains how the MHRA and Trading Standards enforce, and sets out what "research use only" means at Free Muscle. It is general information, not legal advice.

Key takeaways

• No SARM is named in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971; YK-11 has a steroidal structure, and Part III also controls some steroids by a structural definition, on which we make no statement.
• No SARM holds a UK marketing authorisation, and selling or supplying an unauthorised medicinal product is an offence under regulation 46 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
• SARMs cannot be sold as food supplements; UKAD records that the Food Standards Agency treats them as unauthorised novel foods.
• In sport, SARMs are prohibited at all times under section S1.2 of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List.
• Free Muscle supplies research compounds to adults aged 18 or over for laboratory research only; they are not medicines, not food supplements and not for human consumption. This is general information, not legal advice.

The short answer

SARMs are not named in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, the list of controlled drugs, so none is controlled by name under that Act; YK-11 has a steroidal structure, and Part III also controls some steroids by a structural definition, on which we make no statement. No SARM holds a UK marketing authorisation. A product presented for people to take can fall within the legal definition of a medicinal product, and selling or supplying an unauthorised medicinal product is an offence under regulation 46 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. SARMs cannot be sold as food supplements, and UKAD records that the Food Standards Agency treats them as unauthorised novel foods. In sport they are prohibited at all times under section S1.2 of the WADA Prohibited List.

In 2026, then, no SARM is a controlled drug by name under the Misuse of Drugs Act, while selling, labelling or advertising one for human use engages medicines law, and selling one as a food or supplement engages food law.

Human Medicines Regulations 2012

What makes a product a medicine

Regulation 2 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 defines a medicinal product in two limbs. Presentation: "any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties of preventing or treating disease in human beings". Function: any substance "that may be used by or administered to human beings with a view to restoring, correcting or modifying a physiological function by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or making a medical diagnosis".

The MHRA's guidance Borderline products: how to tell if your product is a medicine (last updated 2 July 2026) says the agency looks at "the claims about what the product does (explicit and implicit)" and at presentation through "labelling, packaging, promotional literature, advertisements, websites, social media and customer reviews".

Supply and advertising for human use

Regulation 46(1) states: "A person may not sell or supply, or offer to sell or supply, an unauthorised medicinal product." Under regulation 47 a breach is punishable on summary conviction by a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or on indictment by a fine, imprisonment of up to two years, or both. Regulation 279 prohibits publishing an advertisement in Great Britain for a medicinal product unless a UK marketing authorisation, or one of the registrations it lists, is in force for that product, and the MHRA's Advertise your medicines guidance states: "You can't advertise any medicine that is not licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)".

The Food Standards Agency position

The FSA's food supplements guidance defines a supplement as "any food the purpose of which is to supplement the normal diet" and states that supplements "are not medicinal products and as such cannot exert a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action". Under the FSA's novel foods guidance, a food "not used for human consumption to a significant degree" before 15 May 1997 is a novel food, and "Novel foods need to be authorised before they can be placed on the market in Great Britain (GB)" under assimilated Regulation (EU) 2015/2283; no SARM is authorised. UK Anti-Doping's SARMs ingredient warning states the consequence: "The Food Standards Agency (FSA) consider SARMs to be 'unauthorised novel foods' meaning that they are illegal to sell or advertise as food or within dietary supplements in the UK." We did not locate an FSA page of its own naming SARMs, so that statement is cited to UKAD.

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971

Part III of Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 lists the Class C drugs. It names anabolic steroids such as nandrolone, oxandrolone, stanozolol, testosterone and trenbolone, extends to compounds structurally derived from them in specified ways, and separately lists somatotropin, somatrem, somatropin, chorionic gonadotrophin, clenbuterol, zeranol and zilpaterol. The words "SARM", "selective androgen receptor modulator" and "peptide" appear nowhere in Part III, and no SARM is named there.

UK Anti-Doping and WADA

The WADA Prohibited List for 2026 places SARMs in section S1.2, "Other anabolic agents", with the examples "andarine, enobosarm (ostarine), LGD-4033 (ligandrol), RAD140, S-23 and YK-11". Section S1 substances are prohibited at all times.

UKAD's SARMs page, last updated 29 April 2026, gives the status as "Prohibited (S1. Anabolic agents)" and lists the common names, including Vosilasarm (RAD-140, Testolone) and YK-11 (Myostine). It says SARMs "are experimental drugs that have not been approved for human use by any official medicines or healthcare product regulatory agency in the world", and records 863 adverse analytical findings for SARMs worldwide between 2011 and 2024. UKAD's Prohibited List page adds that athletes are strictly liable for anything found in their system.

MHRA and Trading Standards enforcement

The MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit investigates breaches of the Human Medicines Regulations. Its borderline guidance describes the sequence: complaints are prioritised by risk, the agency normally seeks "voluntary compliance", such as amending claims or formulations, and unresolved cases can be escalated to "a position of potential prosecution".

In May 2021 a London personal trainer was sentenced to 31 months for selling unlicensed and prescription medicines and anabolic steroids online. In May 2026 the unit seized around 12,000 doses of unlicensed weight loss medicines near Northampton, including retatrutide and tirzepatide "as well as peptide products", and two men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Regulations. None of the gov.uk releases we read names SARMs, so we describe the powers rather than claim a SARM prosecution.

Consumer law runs alongside. Section 225(1) of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 states that "Unfair commercial practices are prohibited", and section 226 defines a misleading action as including false or misleading information or a presentation likely to deceive the average consumer. Under section 231 every local weights and measures authority in Great Britain, the council Trading Standards service, has a duty to enforce that prohibition, and "The CMA may also enforce the provisions of this Chapter".

What "research use only" means at Free Muscle

Free Muscle supplies research compounds in capsule form to adults aged 18 or over for laboratory research only. Each product page and this article say the same thing: they are not medicines, not food supplements and not for human consumption, and no claim is made about what they do in a person. Presentation is only one limb of the regulation 2 definition, and the MHRA's borderline guidance looks at every claim made, explicit or implicit, which is why Free Muscle gives no information about use.

UK delivery is free and tracked, taking 2 to 3 working days after dispatch, with a faster tracked option at £6.00 taking 1 to 2 working days; EU delivery takes 3 to 7 working days and the rest of the world 5 to 14 working days.

Research compounds sold by Free Muscle are supplied for laboratory research use only and are not for human consumption. They are not authorised as medicines by the MHRA, EMA or FDA, are not food supplements, and are sold only to adults aged 18 or over.

Importing and customs

Because SARMs are not named as controlled drugs, they are not listed by name in the "controlled drugs" category on the government's banned and restricted goods list. Medicines law still applies at the border: regulation 17 requires a manufacturer's licence to import a medicinal product into Great Britain from a country other than Northern Ireland or an approved country for import, and the MHRA's Import a human medicine guidance sets out the licences and notifications a business needs. The bringing goods into the UK guidance states that goods "may be seized if you break the rules". Customers outside the UK should check the rules of their own country before ordering.

Compound by compound

"Not named" under the Misuse of Drugs Act means the substance does not appear by name in Schedule 2. WADA references are to the 2026 List.

Frequently asked questions

Are SARMs illegal to possess in the UK?

No SARM is named in Schedule 2 to the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, so none is controlled by name under that Act. YK-11 has a steroidal structure, and Part III also controls some steroids by a structural definition; we make no statement on whether that definition covers it. The restrictions fall on selling, supplying and advertising them for human use, and on selling them as food or supplements.

Is it legal to sell SARMs in the UK?

The law does not name them, so the answer turns on presentation and purpose. Selling or offering an unauthorised medicinal product is an offence under regulation 46 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, and a product presented for people to take can meet the regulation 2 definition. Free Muscle supplies research compounds for laboratory research only and presents them that way.

Can SARMs be sold as food supplements?

No. FSA guidance states that food supplements cannot exert a pharmacological action, and SARMs would need novel food authorisation, which none has. UK Anti-Doping records that the FSA treats SARMs as unauthorised novel foods.

Are SARMs banned in sport?

Yes, at all times. The 2026 WADA Prohibited List places them in section S1.2, Other anabolic agents, naming andarine, ostarine, LGD-4033, RAD140, S-23 and YK-11 as examples. UK Anti-Doping applies the same list under strict liability.

Can I import SARMs into the UK?

They are not named as controlled drugs, so they are not on the banned goods list as such. Medicines law still applies: regulation 17 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 requires a manufacturer's licence to import a medicinal product into Great Britain from outside the approved countries, and goods that break import rules may be seized.

What does "research use only" mean legally?

It means the product is supplied for laboratory research and is not presented, labelled or sold for human use. The MHRA also looks at function and at every claim made, explicit or implicit, so no information about use is given.

Sources

1. Human Medicines Regulations 2012, regulations 2, 17, 46, 47, 279.
2. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, Schedule 2, Part III.
3. Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, Part 4, Chapter 1.
4. MHRA: Borderline products; Advertise your medicines; Import a human medicine.
5. MHRA press releases: 28 May 2021; 29 May 2026.
6. Food Standards Agency: Food supplements guidance; Novel foods authorisation guidance.
7. HM Government: Bringing goods into the UK; Banned and restricted goods.
8. UK Anti-Doping: SARMs ingredient warning; The Prohibited List.
9. World Anti-Doping Agency: The Prohibited List (2026).

All sources were read on 9 October 2026.