Is RAD-140 legal in the UK? What UKAD, WADA and the regulations say

Is RAD-140 legal in the UK? According to UKAD, no SARM has been approved by any medicines or food regulator for human use and any sale of these products for human consumption is illegal, and RAD-140 is on the WADA Prohibited List at all times (S1.2); whether a particular sale breaks UK law turns on what the compound is sold as and to whom. This guide sets out what UKAD and the WADA Prohibited List say about RAD-140 (testolone) and other selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs), what general UK rules on medicinal products and novel foods provide, what "research use only" means, how to read a Certificate of Analysis, and how ordering and record-keeping for laboratory materials work at Free Muscle. It is general information and is not medical advice or legal advice.

Key takeaways

• RAD-140 is also called testolone. The UK Anti-Doping body (UKAD) lists it under the name vosilasarm, together with the labels EP0062 and Radarine.
• According to UKAD, no SARM has been approved by any medicines or food regulator for human use, and any sale of these products for human consumption is illegal.
• RAD-140 is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List at all times, under S1.2, and is non-Specified.
• UKAD notes that sellers often add "for research purposes only" wording to circumvent restrictions, so a label alone tells you nothing about quality.
• The only RAD140 study found in a ClinicalTrials.gov search for this article is a phase 1 study in women with breast cancer; the paper reports 22 participants (LoRusso et al., 2022) and the registry lists 20.
• A useful Certificate of Analysis (COA) names the laboratory, the batch number and the method, and it matches the batch number printed on the label.
• Free Muscle sells RAD-140 Testolone 10mg, 60 capsules only as a research compound for laboratory use, to customers aged 18 or over. It is not a medicine or food supplement and is not for human consumption.

Is RAD-140 legal in the UK?

There is no single sentence that answers this for every purpose, so it helps to separate the verified statements from inference. This is general information, not legal advice. If you need a ruling for a specific situation, ask a solicitor.

What UKAD says about SARMs

UKAD states that no SARM has been approved by any medicines or food regulator for human use, and that any sale of these products for human consumption is illegal. It also says sellers often add wording such as "for research purposes only" or "not for human consumption" to circumvent restrictions (UKAD, About SARMs). UKAD is an anti-doping body, not a medicines regulator, so its page is a statement of position rather than a court ruling.

In a separate ingredient warning, last updated on 29 April 2026, UKAD says the Food Standards Agency considers SARMs to be unauthorised novel foods, which it describes as illegal to sell or advertise as food or within dietary supplements in the UK (UKAD, SARMs ingredient warning). This is UKAD relaying the FSA position; the FSA page itself was not part of the verified material for this article.

What the legislation says in general terms

The following provisions of UK legislation are general rules about medicinal products and novel foods. None of them names RAD-140, so how they apply to any substance is for regulators and the courts, and this article offers no view.

• Under regulation 2(1) of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, a "medicinal product" includes 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.
• Under regulation 46, a person may not sell or supply, or offer to sell or supply, an unauthorised medicinal product.
• Under Article 6 of the retained novel foods Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, only novel foods authorised by the appropriate authority may be placed on the market in Great Britain as such or used in or on foods.

The anti-doping position on RAD-140 in the UK is clearer

The WADA Prohibited List names SARMs in section S1.2, "Other anabolic agents", with RAD140 listed explicitly among the examples. The S1 class is prohibited at all times, and all substances in it are non-Specified (WADA Prohibited List). UKAD adds that athletes are strictly liable for anything found in their system, and that it is not a defence that a prohibited substance was missing from a product label (UKAD, What is banned in sport).

The wider picture of what SARMs are and how they differ from peptides is covered in the Free Muscle SARMs research guide. This section is a summary of sources, not a substitute for professional advice.

The position for the other compounds we stock, side by side: Are SARMs legal in the UK? 2026 guide

What "research use only" means, and what it does not

"Research use only" is a wording used by sellers. According to UKAD, sellers often add "for research purposes only" or "not for human consumption" wording to circumvent restrictions (UKAD, About SARMs).

What the label does tell you

• The seller is stating that the material is not a medicine or food supplement.
• The seller is stating that it is not intended for human consumption.
• The seller states that the material is sold to customers aged 18 or over.

What the label does not tell you

• It does not prove identity or purity. Only independent analytical testing of the specific batch does that.
• It does not settle any legal question. UKAD notes that such wording is often used to circumvent restrictions; this article does not offer a view on its legal effect.
• It does not make any claim about human effects. No such claim is made by this article.

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.

What researchers and anti-doping bodies say

This section is the "what others say" part of the guide: published research and official bodies, not anecdotes. Anecdotal reports from forums and social media are not evidence, and none are used here. Every finding below is described as what happened in the named study population, in the named design. Nothing here is a statement about the product or advice to anyone. Free Muscle also publishes RAD-140 (Testolone): what the research says and its UK status.

The first human trial: a cancer study

The first-in-human phase 1 study of RAD140 enrolled 22 postmenopausal women with ER+/HER2- metastatic breast cancer, 21 of them AR-positive, all heavily pretreated (LoRusso et al., 2022). The authors tested several dose levels in a dose-escalation design; the dose levels are given in the paper. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were raised AST in 59.1% of patients, raised ALT in 45.5% and raised total bilirubin in 27.3%, along with vomiting, dehydration and decreased appetite and weight at 27.3% each. Grade 3 or 4 adverse events occurred in 16 patients (72.7%). In that trial, the half-life was 44.7 hours; the clinical benefit rate at 24 weeks was 18.2% and median progression-free survival was 2.3 months; SHBG decreased in 18 of 18 patients measured and PSA increased in 16 of 20.

The authors concluded that the compound had an acceptable safety profile in that setting and showed preliminary evidence of target engagement. That conclusion concerns women with advanced breast cancer enrolled in a clinical study, not healthy people. The trial registry entry for the same programme (NCT03088527, sponsor Stemline Therapeutics) lists the study as completed with 20 participants enrolled, while the paper reports 22; the difference is not explained in the sources used here.

Laboratory and animal studies

• The compound's discovery was reported in 2011 as an orally bioavailable, nonsteroidal SARM characterised in several preclinical models (Miller et al., 2011).
• In in vitro assays, RAD140 bound the androgen receptor with high affinity and specificity; in patient-derived xenograft models of AR/ER-positive breast cancer, oral RAD140 substantially inhibited growth, alone and combined with palbociclib (Yu et al., 2017). A later study in AR+/ER+ breast cancer models reported that the response to RAD140 depended on the ratio of androgen to oestrogen receptors (Wei et al., 2023).
• In cultured rat hippocampal neurons, RAD140 reduced cell death as effectively as testosterone, and in gonadectomised male rats it largely spared the prostate (Jayaraman et al., 2014).
• In young healthy male rats, 10 per group, muscle weight increased in the RAD140 overloaded group but was not statistically different from the vehicle overloaded group, while fibre cross-sectional area was significantly higher in the non-overloaded RAD140 group than in the non-overloaded vehicle group. The study found no effect on bone structure after 14 days (Puskas et al., 2025).
• In a 10-week study in young and adult female mice, RAD140 increased frailty status and mortality risk (p ≤ 0.042), and did not improve strength. The authors suggested it might be more detrimental than beneficial in that model (Brown et al., 2023).
• In a 6-week placebo-controlled study of older male and female mice, frailty did not differ between RAD140-treated and control mice; RAD140-treated male mice had preserved lean mass (p = 0.024), bone mineral density (p = 0.004) and lower serum interleukin-6 (p = 0.043) versus controls, whereas these were not seen in females, and grip strength and fat mass were unchanged in both sexes (Heinze et al., 2025).

These animal findings point in different directions, and none can be assumed to carry over to oral capsules in humans.

Safety reports and reviews

Case reports describe liver injury in patients who had taken RAD-140 products: a 24-year-old with cholestatic injury that resolved after he stopped (Leung et al., 2022), a 26-year-old with jaundice whose liver panel normalised by two months (Ladna et al., 2023), and a prolonged cholestasis case managed with corticosteroids (Niazi et al., 2025). Others report myopericarditis in a 16-year-old (Schwartzman et al., 2024) and a possible acute myocarditis (Padappayil et al., 2022). A report of gynaecomastia and hypogonadism described supplements that the authors reported were found to contain RAD-140, MK-677 and cardarine, and in vitro analysis also detected undisclosed hormones (Chong et al., 2024). Case reports cannot show how common any event is.

A systematic review of 33 studies of SARMs as a class (not RAD-140 alone) in generally healthy individuals found 15 case reports of drug-induced liver injury, and recommended that recreational use be strongly discouraged (Vignali et al., 2023). A review of 20 reports since 2020 noted limited data on the dosages and purity of SARM supplements (Leciejewska et al., 2024). In nine Australian hospitals, 23 cases of drug-induced liver injury involved anabolic steroids, SARMs (as a class) and bodybuilding supplements, with a median time to normal liver tests of 175 days and one liver transplant; there were no deaths, and the authors concluded that the prognosis was good although liver transplantation may rarely be required (Nash et al., 2024). UKAD also says clinical trials and case reports have linked SARMs to liver injury, an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, and thrombosis, and that long-term effects are not adequately studied (UKAD, About SARMs).

Because supplement contents can differ from the label, a Certificate of Analysis addresses only what is in one batch; it says nothing about safety.

Anti-doping science

Analytical chemists have characterised RAD140 for sports drug testing (Thevis et al., 2013) and mapped its urinary metabolites in micro-dose excretion studies with five adult male volunteers each (Wagener et al., 2022). A review notes SARMs joined the WADA list in 2008 and that none has full clinical approval (Thevis and Schanzer, 2018). In Swedish healthcare urine samples, 20 of 542 male samples (4%) were positive for SARMs, with RAD140 the second most common after LGD-4033 (Bohlin et al., 2024). UKAD reports 863 adverse analytical findings for SARMs worldwide from 2011 to 2024, 473 of them between 2020 and 2024 (UKAD, About SARMs).

How to judge quality: the Certificate of Analysis explained

A Certificate of Analysis is a report from an analytical laboratory describing what it measured in a specific batch of material. It is the document a buyer of laboratory materials would look to when checking a claim of identity and purity. The following is general background rather than a finding from the literature cited in this article. In general terms, HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography) is a separation method that is commonly used to report a purity figure, and mass spectrometry is a method commonly used to help confirm identity. For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to read a Certificate of Analysis.

These are general checks, not a description of any particular company's report; what a particular COA contains depends on the laboratory. They are not a guarantee of authenticity. A COA is evidence about one batch, from one laboratory, at one point in time. It does not describe other batches and it says nothing about how a material behaves in biological systems.

One practical point is the match between the listing and the report. The Free Muscle listing discussed here is described as 10mg per capsule and 60 capsules, and RAD-140 and testolone refer to the same compound (UKAD also lists vosilasarm, EP0062 and Radarine). The name and the batch number on the Certificate of Analysis should be consistent with the product name and the label you hold; if they are not, query it with the seller.

How batch testing works at Free Muscle

Every Free Muscle batch of research compounds is assayed for identity and purity by Janoshik Analytical, an independent laboratory. The Certificate of Analysis for a batch is sent on request: email the batch number printed on the label together with the product name. The process is described on the Free Muscle lab tests page, and the laboratory is introduced in what is Janoshik Analytical.

Once you have the document, run the checks in the table above. Confirm that the batch number on the report matches your label, that the laboratory is named, and that both an identity result and a purity result are shown. If anything does not match, contact Free Muscle.

No Certificate of Analysis was reviewed in preparing this article, so nothing here states what any particular batch contains. The point of the process is that you can check the batch you hold rather than rely on a description.

How to order from Free Muscle, step by step

The steps below describe how ordering RAD-140 in the UK works at Free Muscle, from choosing the listing to keeping the batch records.

1. Choose the listing. The RAD-140 listing is RAD-140 Testolone 10mg, 60 capsules. The wider range sits in the SARMs collection. Read the product page in full first.
2. Age requirement. Research compounds are sold only to customers aged 18 or over.
3. Delivery. UK delivery is free and tracked, in plain packaging. Standard UK delivery takes 2 to 5 working days, and orders placed before 2pm UK time Monday to Friday are processed the same working day. Details are on the shipping page.
4. Check the label. When the parcel arrives, find the batch number on the label and keep a note of it with the product name.
5. Request the COA. Email the batch number and product name to receive the Certificate of Analysis for that batch.
6. Returns. Unopened items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days; see the 30-day guarantee. Apparel returns follow the refund policy.

The checks in this guide apply to any laboratory material, whatever its source.

Storage and records for laboratory materials

This article does not give storage conditions such as temperature or duration. The points below are limited to record-keeping and basic separation.

• Original packaging and label. Keep the material in its original packaging with the label in place, including the batch number.
• Records. Record the batch number and keep the Certificate of Analysis and order confirmation together with it.
• Separated. Keep laboratory materials away from food and from children.

Frequently asked questions

Is RAD-140 legal in the UK?

On the RAD-140 UK legal question, UKAD says no SARM has been approved by any medicines or food regulator for human use, and that sale for human consumption is illegal. UKAD also states the FSA treats SARMs as unauthorised novel foods. Free Muscle sells RAD-140 only as a research compound for laboratory use, to customers aged 18 or over. This is general information, not legal advice.

What is the difference between RAD-140 and testolone?

They are names for the same compound. UKAD lists vosilasarm, EP0062, RAD-140, Radarine and Testolone together.

Is RAD-140 a banned substance in sport?

Yes. RAD140 is named explicitly in section S1.2 of the WADA Prohibited List, which is prohibited at all times, and UKAD says athletes are strictly liable for anything in their system.

What does "research use only" mean?

It means the seller states the material is for laboratory research, not a medicine or food supplement and not for human consumption. It is a label and does not prove quality or legality by itself.

How do I check the purity of a batch?

Request the Certificate of Analysis for your batch and check the laboratory name, batch number and the identity and purity results, and look for a test date and chromatogram where the laboratory provides them, using the table above.

How do I get the Certificate of Analysis from Free Muscle?

Email the batch number printed on the label together with the product name. Every batch is assayed by Janoshik Analytical, and the COA is sent on request. The process is described in the batch testing section above.

Who tests the batches?

Janoshik Analytical, an independent laboratory, assays each batch of research compounds for identity and purity.

How long does UK delivery take?

Free tracked UK delivery in plain packaging takes 2 to 5 working days as standard. Orders placed before 2pm UK time Monday to Friday are processed the same working day.

Can I return an order?

Unopened items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days under the 30-day guarantee, and apparel follows the refund policy; both are linked in the ordering section above.

How should laboratory materials be stored?

Keep the original packaging and label, record the batch number with the Certificate of Analysis, and keep the material away from food and from children. This article does not give storage conditions such as temperature or duration; the points above are limited to record-keeping and basic separation.

Sources

1. LoRusso P, Hamilton E, Ma C, et al. A First-in-Human Phase 1 Study of a Novel Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM), RAD140, in ER+/HER2- Metastatic Breast Cancer. Clin Breast Cancer. 2022;22(1):67-77. doi:10.1016/j.clbc.2021.08.003 PMID 34565686
2. Miller CP, Shomali M, Lyttle CR, et al. Design, Synthesis, and Preclinical Characterization of the Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) RAD140. ACS Med Chem Lett. 2011;2(2):124-9. doi:10.1021/ml1002508 PMID 24900290
3. Yu Z, He S, Wang D, et al. Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator RAD140 Inhibits the Growth of Androgen/Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Models with a Distinct Mechanism of Action. Clin Cancer Res. 2017;23(24):7608-7620. doi:10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-17-0670 PMID 28974548
4. Jayaraman A, Christensen A, Moser VA, et al. Selective androgen receptor modulator RAD140 is neuroprotective in cultured neurons and kainate-lesioned male rats. Endocrinology. 2014;155(4):1398-406. doi:10.1210/en.2013-1725 PMID 24428527
5. Puskas J, Guda T, Niccoli S, et al. Preclinical assessment of the selective androgen receptor modulator RAD140 to increase muscle mass and bone mineral density. Physiol Rep. 2025;13(14):e70463. doi:10.14814/phy2.70463 PMID 40680216
6. Brown AM, Ganjayi MS, Baumann CW. RAD140 (Testolone) negatively impacts skeletal muscle adaptation, frailty status and mortality risk in female mice. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2023;50(12):973-983. doi:10.1111/1440-1681.13824 PMID 37758180
7. Heinze SS, Hodgins ML, Howlett SE. The impact of a selective androgen receptor modulator (RAD140) on frailty and underlying mechanisms in older male and female C57Bl/6 mice. Mech Ageing Dev. 2025;225:112054. doi:10.1016/j.mad.2025.112054 PMID 40158703
8. Wei L, Gao H, Yu J, et al. Pharmacological Targeting of Androgen Receptor Elicits Context-Specific Effects in Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer. Cancer Res. 2023;83(3):456-470. doi:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-22-1016 PMID 36469363
9. Leung K, Yaramada P, Goyal P, et al. RAD-140 Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Ochsner J. 2022;22(4):361-365. doi:10.31486/toj.22.0005 PMID 36561105
10. Ladna M, Taylor K, Bhat A, Dideban B. Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury related to use of novel selective androgen receptor modulator RAD140 (Testalone): a case report. J Med Case Rep. 2023;17(1):134. doi:10.1186/s13256-023-03847-8 PMID 36978171
11. Niazi B, Quach B, Fisher K, Peeraphatdit T. Cholestatic Drug-Induced Liver Injury From Rad-140 Successfully Treated With Corticosteroids. ACG Case Rep J. 2025;12(8):e01803. doi:10.14309/crj.0000000000001803 PMID 40761329
12. Schwartzman KH, Kohli U, Chaudhuri NR, Hoda M. Myopericarditis Following Use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modifier "RAD-140". JACC Case Rep. 2024;29(15):102423. doi:10.1016/j.jaccas.2024.102423 PMID 39157568
13. Padappayil RP, Chandini Arjun A, Vivar Acosta J, et al. Acute Myocarditis From the Use of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) RAD-140 (Testolone). Cureus. 2022;14(1):e21663. doi:10.7759/cureus.21663 PMID 35233331
14. Chong S, Woolnough CA, Koyyalamudi SR, Perera NJ. Reversible Gynecomastia and Hypogonadism Due to Usage of Commercial Performance-Enhancing Supplement Use. JCEM Case Rep. 2024;2(8):luae148. doi:10.1210/jcemcr/luae148 PMID 39145153
15. Vignali JD, Pak KC, Beverley HR, et al. Systematic Review of Safety of Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators in Healthy Adults: Implications for Recreational Users. J Xenobiot. 2023;13(2):218-236. doi:10.3390/jox13020017 PMID 37218811
16. Leciejewska N, Jędrejko K, Gómez-Renaud VM, et al. Selective androgen receptor modulator use and related adverse events including drug-induced liver injury: Analysis of suspected cases. Eur J Clin Pharmacol. 2024;80(2):185-202. doi:10.1007/s00228-023-03592-3 PMID 38059982
17. Nash E, Nicoll A, Batt N, et al. Drug-induced liver injury from selective androgen receptor modulators, anabolic-androgenic steroids and bodybuilding supplements in Australia. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2024;59(8):953-961. doi:10.1111/apt.17906 PMID 38372012
18. Wagener F, Euler L, Görgens C, Guddat S, Thevis M. Human In Vivo Metabolism and Elimination Behavior of Micro-Dosed Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator RAD140 for Doping Control Purposes. Metabolites. 2022;12(7). doi:10.3390/metabo12070666 PMID 35888790
19. Thevis M, Piper T, Beuck S, Geyer H, Schänzer W. Expanding sports drug testing assays: mass spectrometric characterization of the selective androgen receptor modulator drug candidates RAD140 and ACP-105. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom. 2013;27(11):1173-82. doi:10.1002/rcm.6558 PMID 23650030
20. Thevis M, Schänzer W. Detection of SARMs in doping control analysis. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2018;464:34-45. doi:10.1016/j.mce.2017.01.040 PMID 28137616
21. Bohlin KP, Pohanka A, Andersson A, Villén T, Ekström L. Detection of anabolic agents including selective androgen receptor modulators in samples outside of sport. Drug Test Anal. 2024;16(8):827-834. doi:10.1002/dta.3600 PMID 37986708
22. UK Anti-Doping. About SARMs; SARMs ingredient warning (last updated 29 April 2026); What is banned in sport.
23. World Anti-Doping Agency. Prohibited List, section S1.2.
24. Human Medicines Regulations 2012, regulation 2 and regulation 46; retained Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, Article 6. legislation.gov.uk.