LGD-4033 (Ligandrol)
1 product from 1 brand · free UK delivery · EU 3–7 days
LGD-4033, also known as ligandrol, anabolicum, VK5211 and LGD4033, is a non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals and later licensed to Viking Therapeutics. It is one of the few SARMs with a published placebo-controlled study in healthy men, which makes its evidence base unusually easy to describe. This page lists every brand of LGD-4033 stocked at Free Muscle, compared on strength per capsule, capsules per pack and batch testing, and summarises the research and its limits.
What is LGD-4033?
LGD-4033 is a pyrrolidinyl-benzonitrile compound that binds the androgen receptor (AR) with high affinity and selectivity. Like other SARMs it is not a steroid: it does not share the four-ring skeleton of testosterone and is not a substrate for aromatase or 5-alpha-reductase, so it is not converted to oestrogen or dihydrotestosterone. The design goal was to produce anabolic signalling in skeletal muscle and bone with much weaker activity in the prostate, which is the reason SARMs were pursued as candidates for age-related muscle loss and hip-fracture recovery.
Ligand Pharmaceuticals took LGD-4033 through phase 1 work in healthy volunteers around 2010. Viking Therapeutics later licensed it as VK5211 and studied it in older patients recovering from hip fracture; we could not find a full peer-reviewed report of that study on PubMed. Development has not progressed to a licensing application. LGD-4033 has never been approved as a medicine by the MHRA, EMA, FDA or any other regulator, and it is not available on prescription anywhere.
What the published research reports
Placebo-controlled study in healthy young men (2013). Basaria and colleagues randomised 76 healthy men aged 21 to 50 to placebo or one of three ascending dose levels of LGD-4033 for three weeks, with follow-up for five weeks afterwards. Lean body mass increased dose-dependently, while fat mass did not change significantly. The compound was associated with dose-dependent suppression of total testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, with follicle-stimulating hormone and free testosterone significantly suppressed at the highest dose. Haemoglobin, prostate-specific antigen, liver enzymes and QT intervals did not change significantly. Hormone and lipid values returned to baseline after the compound was stopped. The authors called for longer trials before any conclusion about efficacy or health outcomes.
Liver injury case report (2020). Barbara and colleagues described a 32-year-old man who developed severe drug-induced liver injury after using a product sold as Ligandrol. Liver biopsy confirmed cholestatic hepatitis with mild portal, periportal and perisinusoidal fibrosis. The report notes that the compound is sold over the counter and online without any approval.
Analysis of products sold online as SARMs (2017). Van Wagoner and colleagues purchased 44 products marketed online as SARMs and analysed them using anti-doping laboratory methods. Only 23 (52 per cent) contained a SARM at all (ostarine, LGD-4033 or andarine); 17 contained a different unapproved drug; 4 contained no active compound; and in only 18 of 44 did the measured amount match the label. Products bought from unverified sources therefore cannot be assumed to be LGD-4033, or to contain the stated quantity.
These findings describe study participants, a single patient and products bought from other suppliers. None of them is a claim about the products listed on this page.
Brands of LGD-4033 we stock
- iMuscle Ligandrol LGD-4033, 8mg, 60 capsules. Capsule form, 480mg of compound per pack. A certificate of analysis is shown on the listing only where iMuscle has supplied one for the batch we hold; if none is shown, none is available for that batch. View the iMuscle LGD-4033 listing.
Free Muscle does not currently produce its own LGD-4033, so there is no Janoshik-assayed batch on this page at present. Should a Free Muscle-brand line be added, it will carry batch-level Janoshik testing like the rest of our range.
How to compare them
The method is the same whether there is one listing or five. Multiply strength per capsule by capsules per pack to get total milligrams (8mg by 60 gives 480mg). Divide the pack price by total milligrams for cost per milligram, which lets an 8mg product be compared fairly against a 5mg or 10mg one from another supplier. Then weigh the certificate. A batch-specific COA from an independent laboratory turns a label claim into a measurement; without one, the 2017 market analysis above shows how often the label is wrong. Our guide to price per milligram covers the arithmetic.
Batch testing and certificates of analysis
A certificate of analysis (COA) answers the two questions that matter about an LGD-4033 capsule: is the compound what the label says, and how much is present. A genuine batch certificate is issued by an independent laboratory, names the lot number, and reports identity (by HPLC or mass spectrometry against a reference standard) and assayed purity or content.
Every Free Muscle-brand batch is assayed by Janoshik Analytical, an independent laboratory, and the certificate for the batch you receive is sent on request by email. For other brands we show a COA only where the manufacturer has supplied one for the batch we hold. A generic PDF with no batch number, or one dated long before the product was made, is not a batch certificate and tells you nothing about the capsules in your hand. Our lab tests page explains how to read a Janoshik certificate and match it to your batch.
Legal status in the UK
LGD-4033 is not a licensed medicine in the United Kingdom. It has never been granted a marketing authorisation by the MHRA, and it is not an authorised food supplement or a permitted novel food ingredient. It cannot legally be sold or labelled for human consumption. Free Muscle sells LGD-4033 to adults aged 18 or over for laboratory and research purposes only, and every listing states this. LGD-4033 is named on the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List under S1.2, Other Anabolic Agents, and is prohibited at all times; it has featured in a number of publicised anti-doping cases. Anyone subject to anti-doping rules should treat any product in this class as prohibited at all times, in and out of competition. For a fuller overview of the class, see our research guide to SARMs.
Storage and handling
Keep LGD-4033 capsules in the original sealed container in a cool, dry place away from light and heat. Do not decant into unlabelled containers, and record the batch number so that a COA request can be matched to the exact material. Keep out of reach of children and pets, and follow standard laboratory good practice: gloves when handling, no eating or drinking in the work area, and disposal in line with local rules for research chemicals.
Delivery and returns
Free Muscle is based in Scunthorpe (FreeMuscle LTD) and posts every order with free tracked UK delivery in plain packaging. Weekday orders received before 2pm are processed that working day. Delivery to EU addresses takes 3 to 7 working days. Unopened items can be returned within 30 days, and all customers must be 18 or over. Full terms are on our shipping page and guarantee page.
Related reading
- What are SARMs? The 2026 research guide
- SARMs explained: how selective androgen receptor modulators work
- How to read a certificate of analysis
- Price per milligram: the only honest way to compare SARMs and peptides
- Muscle Market: five brands, one basket, one parcel
Related collections: RAD-140 (Testolone), Ostarine (MK-2866), iMuscle, all SARMs.
LGD-4033 is sold strictly for laboratory research use only. It is not a licensed medicine, has not been evaluated or approved by the MHRA, EMA or FDA, is not a food supplement and is not for human consumption. Buyers must be 18 or over. Nothing on this page is medical advice, dosing advice or a recommendation to use this compound in any way; the published findings summarised above describe study participants and laboratory models, not the products listed.
Research guides
Frequently asked questions
Is LGD-4033 legal in the UK?
LGD-4033 is not a controlled substance under UK drugs law. What it lacks is any marketing authorisation from the MHRA and any authorisation as a food supplement, which is why it cannot be sold, labelled or promoted for human consumption. Free Muscle therefore supplies it solely to adults for laboratory research, and every buyer must be 18 or over.
Is LGD-4033 a SARM or a steroid?
LGD-4033 is a non-steroidal selective androgen receptor modulator. It acts on the androgen receptor but does not have a steroid skeleton and is not converted to oestrogen or dihydrotestosterone. WADA nonetheless classes it as an anabolic agent, and it has never been approved as a medicine by any regulator.
What is the difference between LGD-4033 and ostarine?
Both are non-steroidal SARMs, but they come from different chemical families and different companies. Ostarine (enobosarm) is an aryl-propionamide developed by GTx and reached phase 3 trials in cancer cachexia. LGD-4033 is a pyrrolidinyl-benzonitrile from Ligand Pharmaceuticals with one published placebo-controlled study in healthy men. Neither has been approved anywhere.
Has LGD-4033 been tested in humans?
Yes. A 2013 placebo-controlled study in 76 healthy young men reported dose-dependent increases in lean mass over three weeks alongside suppression of testosterone, SHBG, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, which reversed after stopping. A later phase 2 hip-fracture study was reported by the licensee but not fully published. There are no long-term human data.
How do I verify the batch I received?
The only LGD-4033 on this page is from iMuscle, so batch verification depends on the manufacturer. Where iMuscle has supplied a certificate of analysis for the batch we hold, it appears on the product listing; where none appears, none exists for that batch and we will not substitute a generic document. Check that the lot number quoted on any certificate matches your container before relying on it. Our lab tests page walks through each section of a COA.
Is LGD-4033 detectable in sports drug testing?
Yes. LGD-4033 is named on the WADA Prohibited List under S1.2, Other Anabolic Agents, and is banned at all times. Anti-doping laboratories have validated methods for the parent compound and its metabolites, and several high-profile sanctions have involved it. Anyone subject to anti-doping rules should treat it as prohibited.
Which strength of LGD-4033 should I choose?
We do not advise on strength, quantity or use, because LGD-4033 is sold for laboratory research only and the appropriate material is a matter for the research protocol. The single listing on this page is 8mg per capsule, 60 capsules, 480mg in total, which allows cost per milligram to be compared with other compounds. Nothing on this site is dosing or medical advice.
How is LGD-4033 shipped, and can I return it?
There is no delivery charge within the UK, and every parcel is tracked and sent in plain packaging. Weekday orders placed before 2pm are processed that same working day. For EU customers, transit usually takes 3 to 7 working days. Unopened LGD-4033 can be returned within 30 days under our guarantee; once a seal is broken a return is not possible. All customers must be 18 or over.