MOTS-c
MOTS-c is a peptide your own mitochondria make. Synthetic versions are promoted for metabolism, exercise and longevity. As of 2026, no completed study had given the drug itself to people.
- Legal lane: compounded on prescription under the October 2026 interim policy. Not FDA-approved.
- Evidence grade: D
- Form covered by the policy: MOTS-c acetate as an injection under the skin or into muscle
- Established human dose: none
What it is
MOTS-c is a short peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA, first described in 2015. Levels in the body rise with exercise and appear to fall with age. A manufactured MOTS-c product is not the same thing as the peptide your body makes: dose, purity and route all change how the body responds.
What the evidence shows
In cells and mice, MOTS-c changed how glucose is used and reduced fat gain. In people, the FDA's 2026 review found no completed studies in which anyone received a MOTS-c drug.
The closest human data comes from a related but different molecule, CB4211, tested in a small early study of people with obesity and fatty liver disease. That program was discontinued. A first controlled trial of MOTS-c itself, in people with prediabetes, is reported to be recruiting.
The July 2026 advisory committee considered MOTS-c for obesity and osteoporosis and recommended it. FDA scientists had recommended against, noting that no studies had examined how effects change with dose.
Legal status
MOTS-c left the FDA's restricted category in April 2026 and is covered by the HHS interim policy published October 30, 2026, which allows state-licensed pharmacies to compound it on an individual prescription. The policy is not approval and can be revised.
Reported dosing
No dose has been established in human trials. MOTS-c has no standardized clinical dose.
Protocols shared online use different amounts, schedules and cycle lengths, usually without saying what they are based on. We have not found one that traces to a human study of MOTS-c, so we are not repeating a figure. The related compound CB4211 was given daily for four weeks in its early study, but it is a different molecule and that regimen is not a guide for MOTS-c.
Safety
- Human safety data is the largest gap. Long-term effects are unknown.
- Reviewers have raised concerns about impurities, clumping of the peptide and unwanted immune reactions in compounded products.
What it costs
One listing we saw put cash prices at compounding pharmacies at $200 to $500 a month. That figure predates the October policy.
Sources
- Public Citizen testimony to the FDA advisory committee, July 2026
- Rite Aid: MOTS-c status, FDA review and the recruiting trial
- HealingMaps: uses under review and cost
- GoodRx: FDA developments on peptides (policy forms and routes; committee votes)
This compound appears in widely promoted weight-loss stacks alongside the others. No trial has tested those combinations; see blends and stacks.