LGD-4033 (Ligandrol): The Most Clinically Progressed Full-Agonist SARM
LGD-4033, also known as Ligandrol or VK5211, is a non-steroidal, full agonist at the androgen receptor developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals and subsequently licensed to Viking Therapeutics. Among full-agonist SARMs, it has the most human Phase 1 and Phase 2 data available — making it a critical reference compound for any researcher working on anabolic signaling, muscle-wasting diseases, or osteoporosis.
Human Phase 1 Trial Data
A foundational Phase 1 trial by Basaria et al. (2013) in 76 healthy men demonstrated that LGD-4033 at doses of 0.1–1.0 mg/day over 21 days produced dose-dependent lean body mass gains (up to ~1.21 kg at 1 mg/day) with no significant changes in prostate-specific antigen, hematocrit, or liver enzymes. [PMID: 22459616] Testosterone and SHBG suppression were observed but recovered to baseline within weeks of cessation. This dataset provides researchers with validated human pharmacokinetics and dose-response data that most other SARMs lack entirely.
Viking Therapeutics Phase 2 (VK5211)
Under the name VK5211, LGD-4033 was evaluated in hip fracture patients in a Phase 2 trial. Results showed significant improvements in lean body mass and physical function scores at both 0.5 mg/day and 1.0 mg/day, with a favorable safety profile. This positions LGD-4033 as one of the few SARMs with proof-of-concept efficacy data in a clinically relevant patient population.
Comparison to Other SARMs
In the full-agonist category, RAD-140 has a higher anabolic-to-androgenic ratio (>90:1 vs approximately 10:1 for LGD-4033) but less human data. Ostarine is a partial agonist with the most extensive overall human dataset but lower intrinsic activity. For dual-mechanism studies, LGD-4033 is commonly combined with MK-677 to probe simultaneous AR and GH/IGF-1 pathway activation.
Chemyo LGD-4033 Product
- LGD-4033 Solution (10mg/ml – 50ml) — >99% purity, induction sealed, third-party tested.
See also: RAD-140 vs LGD-4033 comparison. For laboratory research use only.
