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Gut & neuroendocrine · Growth hormone axis

Octreotide

The foundational somatostatin analogue, used for acromegaly and symptom control in certain neuroendocrine tumours.

L5Practice-changingApproved — narrow indicationApprovedHigh confidenceLast reviewed 2026-08-23
SC injectionIVIM

Also known as: Sandostatin, octreotide acetate

Evidence passport

Last reviewed 2026-08-23

Evidence level
L5Practice-changing
Confidence
High confidence
Human efficacy
85/100
Human safety
82/100
Regulatory status
Approved — narrow indication
Development
Approved
Routes
SC injectionIVIM
Evidence base
Includes human data
Furthest stage
Approved
Source curation
Sources fully curated
Clinical maturity
Long-approved medicine, multiple formulations

Overview

Human evidence85/100
Preclinical evidence80/100
Human safety evidence82/100

Clinical maturity: Long-approved medicine, multiple formulations

Routes & formulations

Studied / approved routes

SC injectionIVIM

Immediate-release octreotide is given subcutaneously or intravenously; the long-acting depot (Sandostatin LAR) is an intramuscular injection on a monthly schedule. Formulation and route are defined per label.

Route availability is not evidence of efficacy, and evidence from one route does not transfer to another. The Registry never provides dosing or sourcing information.

Peptide lifecycle

  1. Discovery

  2. Preclinical

  3. Phase I

  4. Phase II

  5. Phase III

  6. Approved

Approved

What it is

A synthetic octapeptide that mimics somatostatin, the body's broad inhibitory hormone, with a much longer duration of action.

What people claim

  • Controls growth-hormone excess in acromegaly
  • Controls hormone-driven symptoms of certain neuroendocrine tumours

What the evidence actually says

Supported by the controlled trials behind its approvals and decades of specialist use. A reminder that peptide therapeutics were clinically important long before the current hype cycle.

Human evidence

  • Controlled trials and long clinical experience across its approved indications.

Preclinical evidence

  • Somatostatin receptor pharmacology.

Animal and cell findings are Level 1–2 evidence.

Mechanism and pathways

  • SSTR agonism suppresses secretion of growth hormone and multiple gut neuroendocrine hormones.

Safety and unknowns

  • Labelled effects include gallbladder abnormalities with long-term use, gastrointestinal effects and glucose-regulation changes.

Cancer relevance

No concern identified

Used to control symptoms of hormone-secreting neuroendocrine tumours — a therapeutic oncology context, not a cancer-risk signal.

Regulatory status

FDA-approved for acromegaly and for symptom control associated with certain neuroendocrine tumours (e.g. carcinoid and VIP-secreting tumours), depending on product and label. Approvals are indication-specific.

Evidence grade

L5Practice-changingHigh confidence

Replicated large randomised trials, pivotal Phase 3 programmes, or a major regulatory decision.

What would change our rating?

  • Not applicable at this evidence tier.

References and sources

Sources fully curated

Source hierarchy: regulatory documents and trial registries first, peer-reviewed work next, sponsor material flagged as non-independent. We never use supplier or clinic marketing as evidence, and where a verified source has not yet been curated we say so rather than inventing one.

Evidence change history

No recorded changes yet. Baseline position set on 2026-08-23.