LGD-4033 (Ligandrol) Capsules UK

1 product from 1 brand · free UK delivery · EU 3–7 days
iMuscle iMuscle Ligandrol LGD-4033 8mg, 60 capsules

Ligandrol LGD-4033 — 60 caps, 8mg

 8mg · 60 caps
£35.99£0.075/mg

Last reviewed · prices and listings checked by Free Muscle

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 ran a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial in 108 patients aged 65 or over recovering from acute hip fracture, completed in December 2017 (NCT02578095). Summary results are posted on the trial registry, but no peer-reviewed report of the trial was indexed in PubMed when we searched on 2 October 2026. 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.

Identity, as recorded in PubChem:

  • CAS number: 1165910-22-4
  • Molecular formula: C14H12F6N2O
  • Molecular weight: 338.25
  • PubChem CID: 44137686
  • Development code: VK5211

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. Elimination was slow, with a long half-life, and with repeated administration the compound accumulated in proportion to the dose. 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 reports (2020 to 2024). 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, and the authors noted that the compound is sold over the counter and online. Koller and colleagues reported two young men who had used ligandrol, ostarine or both and then other substances. Both developed jaundice with a mainly cholestatic injury after stopping the SARMs and both had recovered roughly three months later; the authors suggested that the other substances may have contributed. Labban and colleagues described a 52-year-old man with itching, jaundice, weight loss and raised liver enzymes after LGD-4033 use, with other causes excluded. LiverTox, the drug-induced liver injury reference on the NCBI Bookshelf, has an entry on selective androgen receptor modulators.

Bone in a rat model of osteoporosis (2023). Hoffmann and colleagues gave ligandrol for five weeks, at three dose levels, to ovariectomised rats, a model of postmenopausal bone loss. Only the highest dose subtly improved some structural bone measures, with no change in biomechanical properties, and it also increased uterus and heart weights; the lower doses had no effect on bone. The authors concluded that, given these side effects, further study of ligandrol for postmenopausal osteoporosis should be reconsidered.

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, individual patients, laboratory animals 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.

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

The only LGD-4033 on this page is made by iMuscle, so any certificate shown is the manufacturer's, displayed only where iMuscle has supplied one for the batch we hold. When reading a certificate, check that the identity result is consistent with ligandrol's formula, C14H12F6N2O, and molecular weight, 338.25, and that the content is reported per capsule against the 8mg on the label. Both checks matter here: a 2017 analysis of 44 internet products marketed as SARMs found that just 23 contained a SARM of any kind and just 18 held the labelled amount.

A certificate that gives no batch number, laboratory name or test date cannot be tied to the capsules in a particular pack. Our lab tests page explains how to read a certificate and match it to a batch.

Where to buy LGD-4033 in the UK: how to check a supplier

Whichever shop you buy LGD-4033 from, check these five points before you order:

  1. A batch number and a certificate for that batch. The pack should carry a batch number, and the seller should be able to show a certificate of analysis for that same batch from a named laboratory, with the test date. For iMuscle, a certificate is shown where the brand supplies one for the batch we hold.
  2. The strength per capsule and the capsule count. With both figures you can work out the total milligrams in the pack and the price per milligram. If a listing does not state one of them, ask the seller before you order.
  3. Research-use labelling and an age check. A research compound should be sold for laboratory research use only, not for human consumption, to adults aged 18 or over, with no dosing or usage advice. That is how every listing here is sold.
  4. Prices in pounds sterling and tracked UK dispatch. UK delivery from us is free and tracked on every order, with no minimum spend, and usually arrives 2-3 working days after dispatch; orders placed before 2pm Monday to Friday are processed the same working day.
  5. A clear returns policy. Unopened items can be returned to us within 30 days.

Brand on this page: iMuscle. The UK supplier checklist and how we test go into more detail.

Legal status in the UK

LGD-4033 is not listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Without an MHRA marketing authorisation it cannot lawfully be marketed as a medicine for people, and the Food Standards Agency, as UK Anti-Doping records, classes SARMs as unauthorised novel foods, which excludes them from food and dietary supplements. Free Muscle offers it for laboratory research only, and only to buyers who are at least 18.

The 2026 WADA Prohibited List names LGD-4033 (ligandrol) in S1.2, other anabolic agents, prohibited in and out of competition; SARMs as a class have been banned since 2008, and ligandrol was first named on the list in 2018. UK Anti-Doping lists it as ligandrol (Anabolicum, LGD-4033, VK-5211). Anti-doping laboratories screen for it: a Polish laboratory has described ligandrol metabolites in routine athlete urine samples and noted that dietary supplements may contain the compound as a listed ingredient or as a contaminant (Kwiatkowska 2023). More on the class is in our research guide to SARMs.

Storage and handling

Keep the iMuscle pack sealed in its original container, so the batch number stays with the capsules, in a cool, dry place away from light. Store it out of reach of children and pets, follow ordinary laboratory good practice, wearing gloves and keeping food and drink away from the bench, and dispose of unused material in line with local rules for research chemicals.

Delivery and returns

Free Muscle, whose UK operations are in Scunthorpe, 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

Related collections: RAD-140 (Testolone), Ostarine (MK-2866), iMuscle, all SARMs.

References

  • Basaria S, et al. The safety, pharmacokinetics, and effects of LGD-4033, a novel nonsteroidal oral, selective androgen receptor modulator, in healthy young men. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013;68(1):87-95. PMID: 22459616.
  • Barbara M, et al. Ligandrol (LGD-4033)-Induced Liver Injury. ACG Case Rep J. 2020;7(6):e00370. PMID: 32637435.
  • Koller T, et al. Liver injury associated with the use of selective androgen receptor modulators and post-cycle therapy: Two case reports and literature review. World J Clin Cases. 2021;9(16):4062-4071. PMID: 34141767.
  • Labban H, et al. LGD-4033 and a Case of Drug-Induced Liver Injury: Exploring the Clinical Implications of Off-Label Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator Use in Healthy Adults. Cureus. 2024;16(9):e69601. PMID: 39421081.
  • Hoffmann DB, et al. Effects of ligandrol as a selective androgen receptor modulator in a rat model for osteoporosis. J Bone Miner Metab. 2023;41(6):741-751. PMID: 37407738.
  • Van Wagoner RM, et al. Chemical Composition and Labeling of Substances Marketed as Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators and Sold via the Internet. JAMA. 2017;318(20):2004-2010. PMID: 29183075.
  • Kwiatkowska D, et al. Variation of Sequential Ligandrol (LGD-4033) Metabolite Levels in Routine Anti-Doping Urine Samples Detected with or without Other Xenobiotics. Molecules. 2023;28(18):6486. PMID: 37764261.
  • Kintz P, Gheddar L. Drug transfer during intimate moments can produce an adverse analytical finding during a doping control: A case report with ligandrol. J Anal Toxicol. 2025;49(8):615-619. PMID: 40338642.
  • ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02578095: Acute Hip Fracture Study in Patients 65 Years or Greater. Completed 17 December 2017.
  • LiverTox (NCBI Bookshelf). Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators. NBK619971.
  • UK Anti-Doping. SARMs (supplement ingredient warning). Last updated 29 April 2026.

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. Nothing on this page is medical or dosing advice. Summaries of published research describe study findings and are not claims about any product.

Research guides

Frequently asked questions

Is LGD-4033 legal in the UK?

LGD-4033 is not listed in the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. What it lacks is an MHRA marketing authorisation, without which it may not be sold or promoted as a medicine for human use, and SARMs count as unauthorised novel foods for the Food Standards Agency, which rules out sale as a food or supplement. 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, a long elimination half-life, and suppression of testosterone, SHBG, HDL cholesterol and triglycerides that reversed after stopping. A randomised phase 2 trial in 108 patients aged 65 or over with hip fracture was completed in 2017 (NCT02578095), but no peer-reviewed report of it is indexed in PubMed. There are no long-term human data.

Is there a published half-life figure for LGD-4033?

Not in hours. The 2013 study in 76 healthy young men described the elimination half-life as long and reported dose-proportional accumulation with repeated administration, but its published abstract gives no number, and we do not repeat figures we cannot trace to a source. Half-life is also not the same as detection time, which depends on metabolites and on how sensitive the test is. These data are not a basis for any usage guidance, and we give none.

Has LGD-4033 been linked to liver injury?

Published case reports describe it. They include a 32-year-old man with biopsy-confirmed cholestatic hepatitis and mild fibrosis (2020), two young men with cholestatic injury after using ligandrol, ostarine or both followed by other substances (2021), and a 52-year-old man with jaundice and itching after LGD-4033 use (2024). In the 2013 trial, liver enzymes did not change significantly over three weeks. Case reports cannot show how common this is, and we describe no research compound as free of risk.

Does LGD-4033 cause hair loss?

The published evidence does not settle it either way. When we searched PubMed in October 2026, no study of hair loss with LGD-4033 came up; the records that combine ligandrol and hair concern hair as a sample for doping tests. The abstract of the 2013 trial in healthy men does not report hair loss. Online accounts are anecdotes about products of unknown content, not evidence, and nothing here is medical advice.

How can I verify the LGD-4033 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. S1.2 of the 2026 WADA Prohibited List names LGD-4033 (ligandrol), so it is banned at all times, and anti-doping laboratories detect ligandrol and its metabolites in routine urine samples. Testing is sensitive: in a 2025 case, a picogram-level finding in a female athlete was attributed to exposure through her husband, who was taking the substance, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport lifted her provisional ban. Athletes bound by anti-doping rules should regard it as banned.

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. All customers must be 18 or over.

Where can I buy LGD-4033 in the UK?

On this page you can compare every LGD-4033 listing we stock (at present from iMuscle). Every UK order ships free with tracking, with no minimum spend, and usually arrives 2-3 working days after dispatch. Everything here is supplied for laboratory research use only, not for human consumption, to adults aged 18 or over.

Do you deliver to Romania and the rest of the EU?

Yes. Orders to Romania and other EU countries travel by our paid, tracked international service and usually arrive 3-7 working days after dispatch; delivery to the rest of the world usually takes 5-14 working days. Prices are in pounds sterling (GBP). Rules differ in other countries, so check local law before ordering for delivery abroad.