Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of GSK-2881078 and Ligandrol (LGD-4033) — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
GSK-2881078 is a nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) of the indole-5-carbonitrile chemotype, developed by GlaxoSmithKline to produce tissue-selective anabolic effects in skeletal muscle with reduced activity in androgen-sensitive tissues. It has been studied in three human clinical trials (Phase I and Phase IIa) but has never been approved for any indication and is not in active further development. SARMs as a pharmacological class are prohibited in sport at all times under WADA category S1.2 (Other Anabolic Agents), though GSK-2881078 is not individually named in reviewed WADA documents.
Ligandrol (LGD-4033) is a nonsteroidal selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) of the substituted pyrrolidinyl-benzonitrile chemotype. It has been tested in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials for muscle wasting and hip-fracture recovery but has no FDA-approved medical use anywhere. LGD-4033 is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under WADA Prohibited List section S1.2, “Other Anabolic Agents” (SARMs class). It is sold online as an unregulated “research chemical” of unverified purity and dose.
GSK-2881078
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
GSK-2881078
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
No pricing data yet.
Check Ligandrol (LGD-4033) prices →COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
GSK-2881078
2
COAs
99.6%
Avg purity
2
Labs
Ligandrol (LGD-4033)
2
COAs
99.4%
Avg purity
1
Labs
Human data are the most extensive of any compound in the SARM class: a Phase I first-in-human study in healthy men and postmenopausal women (Clark 2017) established dose-proportional systemic exposure and a long half-life (>100 hours) supporting once-daily dosing; a Phase I dose-escalation study in adults ≥50 years (Neil 2018) showed dose-dependent lean body mass gains (~3.39 kg in women, ~1.76 kg in men versus placebo at 8 weeks) accompanied by transient ALT elevations and 30–45% HDL-cholesterol reductions at the highest doses, both reversible on stopping treatment; and a Phase IIa randomized controlled trial in 97 COPD patients with muscle weakness (Mohan 2023) demonstrated increased lean body mass and leg-press strength (more consistently in men) over 13 weeks, with reversible HDL-C reduction and transient ALT increases as the main treatment-related safety signals. No peer-reviewed animal or in-vitro pharmacology/toxicology data for GSK-2881078 were located via PubMed or PubChem.
Key references
Human data are limited to investigational trials and case reports; no approved medical use exists. A Phase 1 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (Basaria et al. 2013, N=76 healthy men aged 21–50) tested 0.1, 0.3, and 1.0 mg/day for 21 days and found dose-dependent increases in lean body mass, with dose-dependent suppression of testosterone, SHBG, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides that normalized after stopping. A Phase 2 trial (VK5211, N=108 hip-fracture-recovery patients, 0.5–2.0 mg/day for 12 weeks) reported via press release placebo-adjusted lean-mass increases of 4.8–9.1% with no drug-related serious adverse events; this result has not been peer-reviewed. Published case reports document severe cholestatic hepatitis (total bilirubin 35.0 mg/dL) in a 32-year-old male after ∼10 mg/day for ∼2 weeks—a dose 10–100× higher than trial doses—and marked testosterone suppression (−62.3%), elevated liver enzymes (ALT +205%, AST +96%), and adverse lipid changes in a 25-year-old male using 10 mg/day for 5 weeks; both cases involved unsupervised gray-market product. In ovariectomized rats (osteoporosis model), oral LGD-4033 at 0.04–4 mg/kg/day for 5 weeks increased muscle capillary density at all doses, elevated oxidative enzymes at intermediate doses, and increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area at the highest dose, but also increased intramuscular fat and uterine weight at 4 mg/kg, indicating loss of tissue selectivity at high exposure.
GSK-2881078 and Ligandrol (LGD-4033) are both in the Performance category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs