A natural off-switch too fleeting to prescribe, redrawn until it lasts long enough for a clinic to use.
Identity
- Class
- Somatostatin analog (cyclic octapeptide)
- Source
- Synthetic analog of somatostatin
- Receptor
- Somatostatin receptors (SSTR2 and SSTR5 preferential)
Key properties
Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.
Mechanism
Octreotide reproduces somatostatin's inhibitory action but with a far longer half-life than the native peptide's ~2 minutes. By preferentially engaging SSTR2/SSTR5 it suppresses growth hormone and several gut hormones, which is why it is used in acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors.
Reference notes
- Native somatostatin is too short-lived to be a practical drug; octreotide solves the half-life problem.
- It is receptor-subtype-selective (SSTR2/5), unlike native somatostatin's broad SSTR coverage.
- Long-acting (LAR) depot formulations act over roughly a month.
Regulatory status
United States · reviewed September 2026- Basis
- Sandostatin (1988) and its LAR depot approved for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours.
Status describes the molecule as a drug substance under US law and is an editorial reading of the public record — approvals, trial registrations, and the FDA 503A bulk-substances list. It is not legal advice and it changes; the review date above is the last time the table was checked. Other jurisdictions are noted only where they differ materially.
Common questions
- What is Octreotide?
- A long-acting somatostatin analog used to suppress GH and other hormones. Structurally it is Somatostatin analog (cyclic octapeptide).
- How does Octreotide work?
- Octreotide reproduces somatostatin's inhibitory action but with a far longer half-life than the native peptide's ~2 minutes. By preferentially engaging SSTR2/SSTR5 it suppresses growth hormone and several gut hormones, which is why it is used in acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors.
- How strong is the evidence for Octreotide?
- PeptideHormone grades Octreotide at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an engineered analog built on an endogenous hormone, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
- What is the half-life of Octreotide?
- The reported circulating half-life of Octreotide is ~1.5 h (subcutaneous; LAR depot ~monthly).
- Is Octreotide FDA-approved?
- Yes — as of September 2026, Octreotide is an approved prescription medicine in the United States. Sandostatin (1988) and its LAR depot approved for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumours. Status is US-centric and can change; check the FDA record for the current position.
- Is Octreotide the same as Sandostatin?
- Sandostatin is a brand name of Octreotide — the same molecule in different approved presentations. This page is the molecule reference, not a prescribing guide.
In the literature
Live registry counts · retrieved- Ph 140
- Ph 292
- Ph 365
- Ph 442
Searched as Octreotide, Sandostatin. Counts are search hits from the primary registries, not a curated set and not a grade – a measure of how much work exists on Octreotide, not how it turned out.
Selected literature
Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.
- 1.Octreotide and Octreotide-derived delivery systems · Journal of drug targeting, 2023 · PMID 37211679
- 2.Somatostatin Analogs in Clinical Practice: a Review · International journal of molecular sciences, 2020 · PMID 32121432
External references
Octreotide in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.