What is adipotide?
Adipotide is an experimental peptide designed to destroy fat by cutting off its blood supply. It has two parts: one that homes in on a protein (prohibitin) found on blood vessels in fat tissue, and one that makes those blood vessel cells die.
It was developed at the MD Anderson Cancer Center and is also called FTPP.
What does adipotide do?
By killing the small blood vessels that feed fat, adipotide starves fat cells, which then die and are cleared away. It was first studied as a cancer treatment based on the same idea of cutting off blood supply.
What does the research on adipotide show?
In a 2011 study, obese monkeys lost about 11% of their body weight in 28 days. The same study found dose-related kidney damage, because the kidneys also take up the peptide.
Clinical development was stopped, and there is no safety or effectiveness data in people.
Adipotide side effects and risks
In monkeys, adipotide damaged kidney tubules and raised kidney blood tests; the changes reversed after stopping. Its effects in people are unknown, and the kidney risk is serious enough that doctors warn against using it.
Products sold online aren’t checked for purity, strength or sterility.
Is adipotide legal?
Adipotide is not approved for human use by the FDA or any other regulator.