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Levocarnitine

  • Prescription medicine
  • Prescription only
  • Identity checked
  • Sources last checked 2026-09-04

This page shows what was measured, who it was measured in, and what that does not settle.

What Levocarnitine does in the body

Acute and chronic treatment of patients with an inborn error of metabolism which results in a secondary carnitine deficiency

From the FDA-approved label: Levocarnitine is a naturally occurring substance required in mammalian energy metabolism. It has been shown to facilitate long-chain fatty acid entry into cellular mitochondria, thereby delivering a substrate for oxidation and subsequent energy production. Fatty acids are utilized as an energy substrate in all tissues except the brain. In skeletal and cardiac muscle, fatty acids are the main substrate for energy production. Primary systemic carnitine deficiency is characterized by low concentrations of levocarnitine in plasma, RBC, and/or tissues.

What happened in people

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

A fixed RNAWiki sentence

Where this came from

Wording RNAWiki always uses, not a finding about this substance.

No reviewed claim names a result for any goal on this record.

No source is stored against this line.

The limit that matters most

Not recorded.

Where it acts
Not recorded.
Kind of result
No result is published, so no kind of result applies yet
Supervision
RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · 0G389FZZ9M · read 2026-08-29

Where each sentence above came from

No recorded sentence describes the change this makes in a way that stands on its own. The page opens with what it is taken for instead, and the recorded explanation follows below.

Shown as the opening line on this page.

No statement of the main limit is recorded.

The four opening statements run to 115 words.

Words this page uses

Four words worth knowing first

Chosen from what this page shows, with each one explained before the word it depends on.

Biomarker

A biomarker is a number from a test that stands in for something about health.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A biomarker is like a fuel gauge.

Where that stops being true. A gauge is wired to the tank. Many biomarkers are only loosely tied to health.

What people get wrong. A better number is read as a better life. Several medicines improved a number and helped nobody.

A measurable indicator used as a substitute for a clinical outcome of interest.

Stand-in result

A stand-in result is a number measured because the real result takes too long.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

It is like judging a journey by the speedometer rather than by arriving.

Where that stops being true. Speed does predict arrival. Many stand-in results do not predict the real one.

What people get wrong. A stand-in result is often reported as the result itself.

A surrogate endpoint substituted for a clinical endpoint, valid only where the substitution has been shown to hold.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What was measured, goal by goal

One row for each goal a registered study measured something for. One column for each kind of thing that could be measured.

Registered studies list 40 outcome measures that RNAWiki could read. A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. 0 of the matched studies tested this substance, and 0 posted a result.

There is no single score. A strong test result and a weak life result are different facts.

Goals down the side, kinds of measurement across the top. Each cell says what kind of thing was registered, not what was found.
GoalLife outcomeWhat a body can doHow a person feelsA test resultA step in the bodyHarmsHow longWho was studied
Blood sugarNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved2 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Body weightNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved3 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
CholesterolNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved1 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
EnergyNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Waiting for a reviewer2 registered symptom measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
MuscleNothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Only a number moved2 registered test measure.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Healthy ageingWaiting for a reviewer1 registered study measure of this kind. No reviewed result yet.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a performance measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a symptom measure for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a test result for this goal.Nothing in the sources checkedNo registered study lists a body-step measure for this goal.Not recordedHarms were not a registered measure for this goal.Not recordedNo finished study window is recorded.Waiting for a reviewerWho was studied is listed further down the page.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Blood sugar
whole body insulin sensitivity; circulating diabetes biomarkers; oral glucose tolerance test
Body weight
body fat; body weight; rate of weight gain
Cholesterol
lipid profile; intrahepatic triglyceride content
Energy
fatigue severity scale; fatigue
Muscle
skeletal muscle mass; lean body mass
Healthy ageing
mortality

Sorted by fixed word lists, version v1. A name the rules do not recognise stays unsorted rather than moving to the nearest column.

What each mark on this table means
Nothing in the sources checked
No registered study lists a life outcome for this goal.
Only a number moved
2 registered test measure.
Not recorded
Harms were not a registered measure for this goal.
Waiting for a reviewer
Who was studied is listed further down the page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What happened in people

Each card is one study: the exact question it asked, who was in it, and whether it showed what it set out to show.

Primary outcome measures include - Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score at Year 4 - CAD risk factors, Framingham Risk Score (FRS), and health behaviors at Year 4 - Adverse cardiac outcomes during follow-up

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00927693
How many people
2137
Study design
Not applicable
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Change from baseline in Left ventricular ejection fraction

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT05673239
How many people
1008
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Change in Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale-cognitive subscale (ADAS-Cog) score from baseline to end-of-treatment

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT07062198
How many people
845
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Interference score using K-CWST(Korean-Color Word Stroop Test)

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT04346862
How many people
636
Study design
Phase 4
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Morbidity

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00001082
How many people
505
Study design
Phase 3
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

A Study on Amprenavir in Combination With Other Anti-HIV Drugs in HIV-Positive Patients

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT00000912
How many people
475
Study design
Phase 2
Compared against
Not recorded for this study
Kind of result
A number that stands in for health
What was found
Result not recorded on this page
Repeated elsewhere
Unreplicated

What this does not prove. A study that did not show an effect does not show that no effect exists anywhere.

The limits of this study, and where it came from

Main limit. No limitation is recorded for this study.

How far it carries. This study is recorded from the curated record, not from the registry match.

Form and route. Oral

Interval reported. Not recorded in this summary

Written into the record, not signed off as a reviewed claim.

  • openFDA Drugs@FDA · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA NDC Directory · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • openFDA SPL label · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
  • PubChem PUG-REST · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot
What we know
RNAWiki holds 6 written-up human studies for this substance, each with the question it asked.
How we know it
Each card names the study, the number of people and what the study set out to measure.
What this does not prove
These summaries were written by a person and have not been signed off as reviewed claims.
Why it matters
A study that failed is as informative as one that worked, and both are here.
What we still do not know
No reviewed claim exists, so no exact population, effect size or interval is published yet.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How close this is to real life

The top step is something a person would feel or care about. The bottom is a guess from software. Filled steps are where evidence exists for this substance.

  1. Living longer, or avoiding a major event Evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.1 registered measure of this kind. No reviewed result.
  2. What a body can do day to day Evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.2 registered measures of this kind.
  3. Measured performance Evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.2 registered measures of this kind.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life Evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.3 registered measures of this kind.
  5. A number that stands in for health Evidence recorded. Cholesterol, blood sugar, bone density. A stand-in, not the thing itself.12 registered measures of this kind.
  6. A step measured inside a person Evidence recorded. Something measured in human tissue or human cells.A human record sits on the stored organism ladder.
  7. Animals No evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.No animal record is stored.
  8. Cells in a dish No evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.No cell or bench record is stored.
  9. A guess from software No evidence recorded. Nobody measured it. RNAWiki never publishes one as a finding.RNAWiki stores no prediction for this record. Software can suggest a link. RNAWiki does not publish one as a finding.

Higher on these steps means closer to something a person would feel. It does not mean better done.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Felt, measured, or meaningful

Three different things that get called the same word. Registered studies measured all three, and mixing them is how a blood test becomes a health claim.

Felt

Things a person could notice without a test.

  • fatigue severity scale
  • fatigue
  • alcohol craving

Measured

Things only a test, a scale or a device shows.

  • serum carnitine concentration
  • whole body insulin sensitivity
  • skeletal muscle mass
  • body fat
  • lean body mass
  • body weight
  • intrahepatic triglyceride content
  • plasma carnitine concentration
  • muscle carnitine concentration using uplc ms/ms
  • rate of weight gain

and 2 more.

Meaningful

Things that change how a life goes, not only a number.

  • efficacy measured through motor function assessments
  • gait speed
  • mortality

A registered study says what someone planned to measure. It does not say what they found. A number moving is not the same as a life going better. The two are shown apart here.

Felt, but not shown to help. A person notices a change. No study showed it leads anywhere good.

Measured, but not felt. A number moves. The person notices nothing. Both can be true.

Measured, but not shown to matter. A number moves in the good direction. Nobody showed that lives went better.

Matters, but takes years. The result that counts may take longer than anyone would keep watching.

Names that fit none of the three (22)
  • morbidity
  • safety labs
  • modified hammersmith change from baseline to 6 months
  • peak walking time at day 180
  • incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation
  • lipid profile
  • tnf alpha
  • improvement in liver stiffness
  • ovulation induction
  • glomerular filtration rate
  • carotid total plaque volume
  • metabolic flexibility
  • pregnancy rate
  • response
  • clinical pregnancy rate
  • circulating microbiome metabolites
  • circulating carnitine metabolites
  • circulating diabetes biomarkers
  • cardiotoxicity
  • pulmonary function test

These are harms, study-process measures, or names the rules did not recognise. They are shown rather than dropped.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Were people like you studied?

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it, and where the result stops carrying.

Who was studied

People similar to this profile were included.

  • Levocarnitine Oral Solution USP is indicated in the treatment of primary systemic carnitine deficiency. In the reported cases, the clinical presentation consisted of recurrent episodes of Reye-like encephalopathy, hypoketotic hypoglycemia, and/or cardiomyopathy. Associated symptoms included hypotonia, muscle weakness and failure to thrive.

Who is missing from the studies

  • Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What the label states about particular groups

  • On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Reproductive studies have been performed in rats and rabbits at doses up to 3.8 times the human dose on the basis of surface area and have revealed no evidence of impaired fertility or harm to the fetus due to levocarnitine.”

    US prescribing information · 75b43fb1-4486-48a0-b571-7754dce350a3 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are breastfeeding, the label states: “Levocarnitine supplementation in nursing mothers has not been specifically studied.”

    US prescribing information · 75b43fb1-4486-48a0-b571-7754dce350a3 · read 2026-08-30

Where the result stopped carrying

  • This is a scope explorer, not a diagnosis engine.
  • It shows who was studied so you can see whether people similar to you were included.

RNAWiki cannot tell whether a study fits you. It can show who was in it.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Why it might seem to do nothing

A real effect and a noticed effect are different things. These are the recorded reasons the two come apart.

It was studied for a different goal

The studies measured something else entirely.

On this record: Some registered studies measured things that match no goal on this page.

It was studied in different people

The people in the studies were not much like the reader.

On this record: Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

The evidence may simply be wrong

Small early studies often do not hold up.

On this record: RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Other reasons RNAWiki checked and found nothing for (10)
A different form was studied
The studied form is not the form on the shelf. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
There was nothing to correct
Where a level is already normal, topping it up may change nothing. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else had to happen too
In the studies it was paired with training, a diet or another treatment. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The change is too small to feel
A real change can still sit below what a person notices. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Day-to-day swing hides it
Sleep, food, stress and time of day move most numbers more than this would. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Not enough time yet
The studies ran longer than the person has waited. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
It was not taken as studied
Missed days change the result, and studies count them. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
Something else changed at the same time
Two changes at once cannot be told apart afterwards. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
The product may not be what it says
Contents of a sold product are not always what the label states. Nothing in this record points to this reason.
No recorded reason
RNAWiki has nothing stored that would explain it. Nothing in this record points to this reason.

None of these is a reason to take more. Taking more is not a step this page ever suggests.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What taking it involves

The recorded facts about getting hold of it and using it. Nothing here is a suggestion about what you should do.

How it is supplied

Prescription only

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

Read from the recorded approval status.

No source is stored against this line.

Form and route

Oral

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form and route recorded on this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

Who oversees it

RNAWiki has not recorded a supervision or regulatory status for this substance.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

Copied from a source RNAWiki stored, with the source named.

No register row and no identity class settled the question.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold as solution, injectable, tablet, injection, solution, given by the oral, injection, intravenous route.

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

Recorded notes on how this is sold and what that means for what is in the pack.

No source is stored against this line.

Where it is registered

Regulatory records are listed in the technical disclosure at the foot of this page.

Counted from records

Where this came from

A count of rows RNAWiki holds. It describes our records, not your body.

Register entries are stored per jurisdiction and shown with their dates.

No source is stored against this line.

Why people stop

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

No record of why people stopped taking it is stored for this substance.

No source is stored against this line.

What it would be like to takeNothing found in the sources checked

What can go wrong

Sorted by where each line came from. A regulator's label and a report somebody sent in are not the same kind of fact.

Nothing found in the sources checked

No harm is recorded against this substance in the sources RNAWiki checked. Finding nothing is not the same as showing there is nothing.

The sources listed were searched and held nothing. That is not the same as nothing existing.

Reports sent to a regulator

  • These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction.
  • Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing.
  • The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete.
  • News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report.
  • A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Levocarnitine appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 68 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • parenteral nutrition associated liver disease — 27 reaction mentions
  • encephalopathy — 7 reaction mentions
  • hypophosphataemia — 6 reaction mentions
  • rhabdomyolysis — 6 reaction mentions
  • status epilepticus — 5 reaction mentions
  • hepatic encephalopathy — 4 reaction mentions
  • rebound effect — 4 reaction mentions
  • food craving — 3 reaction mentions
  • hyperammonaemia — 3 reaction mentions
  • hyperammonaemic encephalopathy — 3 reaction mentions
  • open-targets-adr · recorded 2026-06-24 · a recorded source, not a stored snapshot

Over a long time. No completed tested study window is recorded, so long-term effects are not established by the registry record.

Groups the studies covered thinly. Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded for this substance. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, children, older adults, and people with liver or kidney conditions are commonly excluded from trials; nothing here says whether they were.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Does the exact form matter?

Evidence belongs to the exact thing that was tested. A different salt, a different mixture or a different preparation is a different question.

The form that was studied

Oral

Source-linked record

Where this came from

A person wrote this into the record with the study named beside it. No reviewer has signed it off.

The form used in the studies cited on this page.

No source is stored against this line.

What is sold

Not recorded.

Nothing recorded

Where this came from

RNAWiki holds nothing here and says so rather than guessing.

Nothing further is recorded about which forms are sold.

No source is stored against this line.

What is recorded as being sold

  • 40 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. 28 of them contain it and nothing else.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 71656-016 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as injection, injection, solution, liquid, powder, solution and spray, taken intravenous and oral.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 71656-016 · read 2026-08-29

  • The regulator's established pharmacologic class for it is carnitine analog [epc] and carnitine [cs].

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 71656-016 · read 2026-08-29

  • 26 published labels name it as an active ingredient. 14 of them describe this substance alone, which is where its own label text on this page comes from.

    US prescribing information · 2c252ba6-f147-4c22-b432-cd603a9623ac · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels are classed as human otc drug and human prescription drug.

    US prescribing information · 2c252ba6-f147-4c22-b432-cd603a9623ac · read 2026-08-29

  • 1661 marketed supplement labels list this ingredient, classed as amino acid/protein and other combinations.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 219367 · read 2026-08-29

  • Those labels carry all other, nutrient and structure/function claims. A claim of that kind is written by the manufacturer and is not assessed by any regulator, so its presence says nothing about whether it is true.

    NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database · 219367 · read 2026-08-29

  • Levocarnitine is oral at HOW SUPPLIED Levocarnitine oral solution, USP is a clear colorless to slight yellow solution with cherry flavor, supplied in HDPE bottles with child-resistant caps and as 5 mL and 10 mL unit-dose cups with peelable HDPE…, recorded as fda label in effect 2025-03-18 in the United States.

    US prescribing information · 75b43fb1-4486-48a0-b571-7754dce350a3 · read 2026-08-30

  • Recorded price in US: 0.13868 USD per one millilitre, across 3 priced products whose strengths and pack forms differ, as of 2026-08-26, paid by retail pharmacies buying the product, as surveyed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is not a list price, an insurance price, or what anyone pays at a counter..

    Recorded source · 2026-08-26 · read 2026-08-28

  • Recorded price in US: 0.66119 USD per one unit as the pricing file counts it — a tablet, capsule, patch or single item, across 2 priced products whose strengths and pack forms differ, as of 2026-08-26, paid by retail pharmacies buying the product, as surveyed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It is not a list price, an insurance price, or what anyone pays at a counter..

    Recorded source · 2026-08-26 · read 2026-08-28

Evidence carries across two names for one substance. It does not carry across a salt, a mirror form or a mixture.

What it would be like to takeRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What you could measure

This one is decided with a clinician, so this section holds questions to ask rather than a plan to run.

RNAWiki could not confidently classify this substance, so no self-experiment plan is offered.

Questions worth asking

  • Which of the trials of Levocarnitine studied people like me?
  • What was measured, and for how long?
  • Was the result a laboratory value or a health outcome?
  • What would we watch for, and when would we stop?

Tracking can show whether something changed for you. It cannot show what caused it.

RNAWiki records evidence. It does not say whether this substance is right for you.

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What nobody knows yet

Open questions, each with why it is open and what would close it.

Missing populations

Which groups were under-represented in the studies has not been recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing long-term data

No completed tested study window is recorded.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

No reviewed conclusion

RNAWiki has not yet published a reviewed conclusion for this use.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Missing interaction studies

No interaction was found in the registers checked. Not finding one is not the same as showing there is none.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Formulation uncertainty

Several salts, forms or products of Levocarnitine are recorded. Results from one form may not transfer to another.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

Mechanism not reviewed

No reviewed mechanism story exists for this substance.

Why it matters. Recorded by the evidence model as a gap on this record.

What would answer it

A study that measures it, and a reviewer to sign it off.

Last checked 2026-09-04. Searched: The sources listed in the receipts at the foot of this page.

What happened in peopleRead from sources, not yet reviewed

Check any of this yourself

Every line above traced back to the study it came from. This is the technical layer, and the vocabulary changes here.

How many documents were read

  • 14 documents were read for this substance.

    RNAWiki source record

  • 12 of them state the same tMax, and they agree.

    RNAWiki source record

Where else this substance is registered

FDA substance identifier (UNII)
0G389FZZ9M
RxNorm concept
206345

Checks this page had to pass

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  • Not passed

    Trial roles classified for highlighted evidence

    No registered study is classified as testing this substance.

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  • Not passed

    Safety mode resolved

    No register row and no identity class settled the question.

  • Passed

    Canonical metadata present

    slug and display name present

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

How this medicine reached us

Kept near the foot of the page. A historical event moves up only when it changes something about this substance today.

What the approval register records

  • 14 approved applications cover products containing this substance. The earliest was NDA018948, approved 19851227 to LEADIANT BIOSCI INC.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA018948 · read 2026-08-29

  • Marketing status on the register: discontinued and prescription.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA018948 · read 2026-08-29

  • The earliest marketing start date recorded for a listed product is 19840815.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 71656-016 · read 2026-08-29

What is missing or unclearRead from sources, not yet reviewed

What to learn next

Ordered by what would most change how you read this page, starting with what is easiest to misunderstand.

This order is fixed in code and does not count clicks or time on the page.

What is not here

6 questions this page could not answer

These sections were prepared and left out because there was nothing to put in them. They are listed rather than hidden, so the gaps in this record are visible.

  • The path through the body — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • How long anything takes — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • What it may clash with — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • Other ways to the same goal — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • Claims that go past the evidence — found nothing in the sources checked.
  • What changed on this page — found nothing in the sources checked.

The record as stored

The full record, for auditing

Everything above is built from what is below. This layer keeps the technical vocabulary, record identifiers and every stored row, so a reader who wants to check the page can.

Recorded evidence blocks (12)

What did Levocarnitine's largest trial (1008 people) and its longest (9 years) measure?


1008 people in Levocarnitine's largest registered study, 9 years in its longest registered window, measuring Mortality. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

36 phase2, 31 na, 22 phase3, 15 phase4, 5 early phase1, 4 phase1; NCT01783041; 2021-12-28; no ageing endpoint recorded. Last human test completed 2026, NCT05251207.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Levocarnitine was a comparison treatment, a background treatment or an exposure in an observational study, and the longest window may be a planned end date. Trial roles have not yet been classified for this record.

Show the evidence
  • phase2
    36
  • na
    31
  • phase3
    22
  • phase4
    15
  • early phase1
    5
  • phase1
    4
1 more recorded row
  • Last recorded human test NCT05251207
    2026-08-13

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Levocarnitine was tested only in human — what did it show?


human: lifespan (107): the rungs where Levocarnitine has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Interpretation Mortality — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast C. elegans Drosophila Mouse Rat Dog Non-human primate Human lifespan
Show the evidence
  • human NCT03953248
    lifespan; Mortality; 107

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

10 of Levocarnitine's trials stopped: accrual/recruitment, other?


accrual/recruitment (4) and other (6): Levocarnitine's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"Insufficient recruitment"; 10 of 107 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00247975
    terminated; "Insufficient recruitment"
  • NCT00516516
    terminated; "Low interest in study, slow recruitment"
  • NCT00572429
    withdrawn; "no subjects enrolled,study never started"
  • NCT01193777
    terminated; "Study stopped to open expanded phase II study"
  • NCT01330823
    suspended; "after interims analysis standard errors for inflammatory and nutritional markers varied widely, that the power calculation required unattainable goals"
  • NCT01786824
    terminated; "Patient pathway has become infeasible due to pressure for shorter hospital stays. Not enough inclusions."
4 further recorded trials
  • NCT02645942
    withdrawn; "Study stopped due to organization reasons."
  • NCT02722902
    terminated; "No effect of carnitine on lipid induced insulin resistance after n=8 (p=1.00)"
  • NCT03564678
    terminated; "PI Request. Slow accrual and lack of clinical interest"
  • NCT03630367
    withdrawn; "Unavailability of the medication"

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Human studies of Levocarnitine used L-Carnitine 1G/5mL Injection — over how long?


Human studies of Levocarnitine used "L-Carnitine 1G/5mL Injection". ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

9 recorded entries; human; also "L-Carnitine 500Mg Oral Tablet", "L-carnitine 1000 Mg", "Hydroxycarbamide 500 Mg Oral Capsule+L-Carnitine"

Show the evidence

human

  • NCT03630367
    L-Carnitine 1G/5mL Injection
  • NCT04434404
    L-Carnitine 500Mg Oral Tablet
  • NCT04672720
    L-carnitine 1000 Mg
  • NCT05081349
    Hydroxycarbamide 500 Mg Oral Capsule+L-Carnitine
  • NCT05081349
    L-Carnitine, 250 Mg Oral Capsule
  • NCT07035444
    L-Carnitine 4g
3 more recorded rows
  • human NCT07298564
    Levocarnitine 1000 mg
  • human NCT07492446
    Participants will consume 3 g/day of L-carnitine for 21 days.
  • human NCT07492446
    Placebo participants will be given 3g/d of L-carnitine-like powdered sugar for 21 days.

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Could one person measure Levocarnitine's effect on morbidity?


Morbidity: measured in Levocarnitine's trials.

Interpretation morbidity is the recorded endpoint.

Show the evidence

biomarkers

  • morbidity; 2026-09-01
  • safety labs; 2026-09-01
  • efficacy measured through motor function assessments; 2026-09-01
  • modified hammersmith change from baseline to 6 months; 2026-09-01
  • peak walking time at day 180; 2026-09-01
  • incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation; 2026-09-01
14 more recorded rows
  • biomarkers
    lipid profile; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    tnf alpha; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    fatigue severity scale; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    improvement in liver stiffness; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    ovulation induction; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    glomerular filtration rate; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    serum carnitine concentration; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    carotid total plaque volume; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    whole body insulin sensitivity; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    metabolic flexibility; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    skeletal muscle mass; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    pregnancy rate; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    gait speed; 2026-09-01
  • biomarkers
    fatigue; 2026-09-01
  • human trials at or under30
    29
  • Not recorded for this substance
    a recorded half-life
  • smallest human trial
    0; NCT00572429; NA; the smallest recorded human enrolment at or below 30; the registry states no direction of its result; WITHDRAWN

Which of alcohol craving, body fat and body weight did Levocarnitine's trials measure?


alcohol craving, body fat and body weight lead 40 outcome terms across Levocarnitine's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

modified hammersmith change from baseline to 6 months, peak walking time at day 180, incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation, lipid profile, tnf alpha and fatigue severity scale follow.

Show the evidence
  • morbidity
    1
  • safety labs
    1
  • efficacy measured through motor function assessments
    1
  • modified hammersmith change from baseline to 6 months
    1
  • peak walking time at day 180
    1
  • incidence of postoperative atrial fibrillation
    1
14 more recorded rows
  • lipid profile
    1
  • tnf alpha
    1
  • fatigue severity scale
    1
  • improvement in liver stiffness
    1
  • ovulation induction
    1
  • glomerular filtration rate
    1
  • serum carnitine concentration
    1
  • carotid total plaque volume
    1
  • whole body insulin sensitivity
    1
  • metabolic flexibility
    1
  • skeletal muscle mass
    1
  • pregnancy rate
    1
  • gait speed
    1
  • fatigue
    1

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of Levocarnitine's 16 ongoing trials reports first?


16 registered trials of Levocarnitine are open; earliest completion 2025-08-31. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Incidence of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia > 3 mg/dL during induction therapy; Blood TMAO level measured by LC-MS/MS; latest 2029-03-30

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT05602194
    "Studying the Effect of Levocarnitine in Protecting the Liver From Chemotherapy for Leukemia or Lymphoma"; n 440; "Incidence of conjugated hyperbilirubinemia > 3 mg/dL during induction therapy"; 2028-12-30
  • NCT05980884
    "Using Gut Microbial Gbu Gene Testing to Estimate Host TMAO Production Capacity"; n 230; "Blood TMAO level measured by LC-MS/MS"; 2026-07-30
  • NCT06564909
    "Effect of L-Carnitine on Biomarkers of Myocardial Reperfusion Injury in Patients With STEMI"; n 76; "Evaluation of the marker nitrotyrosine"; 2026-12
  • NCT06845046
    "A Study to Improve Skeletal Muscle in Veterans With HIV"; n 70; "Myosteatosis"; 2029-03-30
  • NCT06901323
    "Effect of L-carnitine Supplementation on Phenylalanine and Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels in Infants and Children With Phenylketonuria"; n 176; "improve brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels"; 2026-08-01
  • NCT07016867
    "Medical Treatment Alone Versus Varicocelectomy Versus Varicocelectomy and Medical Treatment"; n 126; "Number of participants with Treatment of Teratozoospermia"; 2025-08-31
10 further recorded trials
  • NCT07035444
    "Enteral Nutrition With L-Carnitine for Cachexia in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer"; n 126; "Total Skeletal Muscle Mass"; 2026-12-31
  • NCT07108777
    "L-Carnitine Protective Effect in Nephrotoxicity"; n 46; "change in serum creatinine and creatinine clearance"; 2026-11-01
  • NCT07160452
    "Levocarnitine for Reducing ESA Requirements in Hemodialysis Patients With Renal Anemia"; n 94; "Weekly ESA dose at Month 6 (units/week)"; 2026-03-15
  • NCT07201714
    "Oral Carnitine in Heart Failure Patients"; n 20; "Recruitment Rate"; 2026-12-31
  • NCT07216001
    "Role of Omega-DEK in Childhood Apraxia of Speech"; n 34; "Percent of Participants Retained in Study"; 2027-12
  • NCT07298564
    "Effect of Magnesium and Levocarnitine on Metabolic and Clinical Outcomes in Women With Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)"; n 84; "Change from Baseline of FBS"; 2026-11-30
  • NCT07402759
    "Impact of tdrd9 Gene Mutations in the Therapeutic Response to L-carnitine in Oligoasthenozoospermic Men"; n 50; "Change in total motile sperm count (TMSC) from baseline to 3 months"; 2026-08
  • NCT07437391
    "Effect of L-Carnitine Supplementation in Preterm Neonates"; n 160; "Mortality"; 2026-06-30
  • NCT07642076
    "Evaluation of the Clinical Impact of Adjunctive L-carnitine Therapy in Critically Ill Hepatic Patients Admitted to Intensive Care Unit"; n 58; "laboratory value: serum creatinine(SCr)"; 2027-03
  • NCT07768228
    "The Effect of L-Carnitine on Wound Healing in Patients With Diabetic Foot Ulcer."; n 50; "Change in Diabetic Foot Ulcer area"; 2027-08-01

recorded 2026-09-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which running trial of Levocarnitine could settle lifespan?


NCT07437391 measures Mortality, reading out 2026-06-30.

1 open trial; n 160; "Effect of L-Carnitine Supplementation in Preterm Neonates"

Show the evidence
  • Trial NCT07437391
    "Effect of L-Carnitine Supplementation in Preterm Neonates"; n 160; "Mortality"; 2026-06-30

Which 39 trials of Levocarnitine posted no result?


Posted no result
39 of 39 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00000892, NCT00001082, NCT00000912, NCT00001087, NCT00000885 and NCT00034450, and 33 more
Completion dates
oldest 1999-08; newest 2024-06-30
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00000892
    1999-08
  • NCT00001082
    1999-08
  • NCT00000912
    2000-05
  • NCT00001087
    2000-07
  • NCT00000885
    2003-06
  • NCT00034450
    2004-08
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT00079599
    2007-03
  • NCT00386971
    2009-12
  • NCT00322322
    2010-06
  • NCT01278693
    2010-09
  • NCT00481013
    2010-11
  • NCT01580553
    2012-03
  • NCT00851838
    2012-12
  • NCT01231828
    2012-12
  • NCT01232907
    2013-04
  • NCT01769157
    2013-06
  • NCT01149525
    2013-07
  • NCT02226419
    2014-08
  • NCT02635594
    2016-06
  • NCT01893892
    2017-03-15

At the median, Levocarnitine's trials enrolled 54.5 people — anything larger?


Median enrolment
54.5
Largest enrolment
1008
Registered trials counted
106

What do 68 spontaneous reports say about Levocarnitine — and not say?


These are reports people sent to a regulator. They do not show the medicine caused the reaction. Nobody counted how many people took the medicine and reported nothing. The same event can be reported more than once, and many reports are incomplete. News coverage, lawsuits and new warnings change how often people report. A count is not a rate and not a risk.

Levocarnitine appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 68 reaction mentions were counted: parenteral nutrition associated liver disease 27; encephalopathy 7; hypophosphataemia 6; rhabdomyolysis 6. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL1149 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • parenteral nutrition associated liver disease
    27
  • encephalopathy
    7
  • hypophosphataemia
    6
  • rhabdomyolysis
    6
  • status epilepticus
    5
  • hepatic encephalopathy
    4
4 more recorded rows
  • rebound effect
    4
  • food craving
    3
  • hyperammonaemia
    3
  • hyperammonaemic encephalopathy
    3

recorded 2026-06-24 · last checked 2026-09-04

Was Levocarnitine studied with exercise?


exercise is named in Levocarnitine's label sentences: "Randomized controlled trials in HD were reviewed for mind-body interventions (dance therapy, music therapy, and exercise), alternative systems (traditional Chinese medicine [TCM]), and nutraceuticals/diet (aminooxyacetic acid [AOAA], coenzyme q10, creatine, cannabinoids, alpha-tocopherol,…" openfda-label+europepmc · 2019-08-26

1 recorded statement; exercise

Show the evidence
  • exercise
    Randomized controlled trials in HD were reviewed for mind-body interventions (dance therapy, music therapy, and exercise), alternative systems (traditional Chinese medicine [TCM]), and nutraceuticals/diet (aminooxyacetic acid [AOAA], coenzyme q10, creatine, cannabinoids, alpha-tocopherol, eicosapentaenoic acid, idebenone, levocarnitine, and triheptanoin).

recorded 2019-08-26 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL1149
PubChem CID
10917
CAS number
541-15-1
RxCUI
42955
InChIKey
PHIQHXFUZVPYII-ZCFIWIBFSA-N
Trade name
Carnitor, Carnitor sf, Carnitor / Carnitor Sf
Also called
Levocarnitina, carnitine, l-carnitine, (L-3-CARBOXY-2-HYDROXYPROPYL)TRIMETHYLAMMONIUM HYDROXIDE, INNER SALT, 1-PROPANAMINIUM, 3-CARBOXY-2-HYDROXY-N,N,N-TRIMETHYL-, HYDROXIDE, INNER SALT, (R)-, CARNITINE [MI], L-CARNITINE [FCC], L-CARNITINE [VANDF], LEVOCARNITINE [EP MONOGRAPH], LEVOCARNITINE [HSDB], LEVOCARNITINE [JAN], LEVOCARNITINE [MART.]
Development code
NSC-759132
Salt form
LEVOCARNITINE ORAL
Sources (8)

Sources

  • ClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov ·
  • ClinicalTrials.gov ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 snapshot 2026-09-01T09:00:05 ·
  • this record's own fields 2,3,5 ·
  • Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov organism ladder ·
  • open-targets-adr CHEMBL1149 ·
  • openfda-label 1f38ab0d-ef89-4e92-990f-9da190057e17 ·
2 more sources
  • openfda-label+europepmc K1:0G389FZZ9M ·
  • national registers US, CA ·

ChEMBL ATC CC BY-SA · ClinicalTrials.gov — US Government work · Europe PMC — metadata only, under the recorded legal gate · Open Targets 26.06 — CC0 · derived from this page's own recorded fields; no external licence · mixed register set; per-register licences in docs/specs/corpus-20k-sources.md · openFDA / DailyMed — US Government work

How these records are assembled · Which registers were checked

Index-quality checks
  • identity passed: no open identity hold
  • required summary fields resolved: 5 required field(s) not terminal: Why people use it, Best-supported result, Most important common problem, Biggest unanswered question, Human evidence
  • public claims reviewed: 0 reviewed claim(s); drafts are never rendered
  • source coverage passed: 8 source rows
  • no critical contamination: no quarantine open
  • canonical metadata passed: slug and display name present
  • no raw internal fields: enforced by the copy-contract test over the rendered page

This is a record of evidence. It is not medical advice, and it does not say this substance suits you. Nothing here says any substance on RNAWiki is appropriate for a child.