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Prasterone

  • Prescription medicine
  • Withdrawn
  • 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 Prasterone does in the body

Moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of vulvar and vaginal atrophy, due to menopause

From the FDA-approved label: Mechanism of Action Prasterone is an inactive endogenous steroid and is converted into active androgens and/or estrogens. The mechanism of action of INTRAROSA in postmenopausal women with vulvar and vaginal atrophy is not fully established. 2 ng·h/mL, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in the group treated with placebo ( Table 1 ).

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
Professional supervision is normally required. A regulator classifies this substance in a way that restricts how it is supplied.

What the registries record it as

  • The substance registry classes this as chemical.

    FDA substance registry · 459AG36T1B · read 2026-08-29

  • Its recorded molecular formula is C19H28O2, weighing 288.424 g/mol.

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · read 2026-08-30

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 86 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.

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.

Enzyme

An enzyme is a protein that speeds up one chemical change.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

An enzyme is like a machine on a production line doing one cut.

Where that stops being true. A machine is switched on and off by a person. Enzymes are controlled by the cell.

What people get wrong. Enzymes are thought to be used up. They are not; they work again and again.

A catalytic protein that lowers the activation energy of a specific reaction.

Receptor

A receptor is a part of a cell that a signal fits into.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A receptor is like a lock waiting for one key.

Where that stops being true. A lock either opens or does not. A receptor can be half-triggered, or worn out.

What people get wrong. Fitting a receptor is read as causing a benefit. It causes a step, and nothing more.

A protein that binds a specific ligand and converts that binding into a cellular response.

Pathway

A pathway is a chain of steps inside a cell, each one setting off the next.

A picture of it, and where the picture fails

A pathway is like a row of dominoes.

Where that stops being true. Dominoes fall one way. Pathways loop back and can switch themselves off.

What people get wrong. Changing one step is read as changing the outcome. Other steps often absorb it.

An ordered series of molecular interactions producing a defined cellular change.

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 26 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
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 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.
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 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 reviewer1 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.
Fertility and sexual healthNothing 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.
Which registered measures put each goal on this table
Body weight
body composition
Blood sugar
glucose and insulin metabolism
Energy
fatigue
Fertility and sexual health
sperm concentration

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
1 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.

Biological age as assessed by DNA methylation levels, to calculate the Epigenetic age.

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT03353597
How many people
2120
Study design
Phase 1/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. Vaginal

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 sexual health

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT06590337
How many people
1202
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. Vaginal

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

Live birth rate

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT01573858
How many people
1000
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. Vaginal

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

Live-birth rate

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT01116167
How many people
660
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. Vaginal

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

Sexual desire

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT03287232
How many people
653
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. Vaginal

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 sexual health

The study did not show it

Who was studied
NCT06891547
How many people
600
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. Vaginal

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 No evidence recorded. Death, a heart attack, a stroke, a hospital stay.No registered study measures this.
  2. What a body can do day to day No evidence recorded. Walking, dressing, breathing, recovering.No registered study measures this.
  3. Measured performance No evidence recorded. How much was lifted, how far was run, how fast.No registered study measures this.
  4. Symptoms and quality of life Evidence recorded. Pain, tiredness, mood, sleep, as the person rated it.2 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.5 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 Evidence recorded. Mice, rats, dogs. Useful for ideas, not proof about people.Stored records in Mouse, Rat, Dog, Non-human primate. A result in animals says what to test next. It does not say what happens in people.
  8. Cells in a dish Evidence recorded. Cells or chemistry on a bench, far from a whole body.Stored mechanism abstracts describe steps measured in cells or tissue.
  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.

  • quality of life
  • fatigue

Measured

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

  • bone mineral density
  • body composition
  • glucose and insulin metabolism
  • level of catecholamines in blood from baseline
  • sperm concentration

Meaningful

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

No registered study measured anything of this kind.

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 (19)
  • satisfaction
  • areal bone density by dxa
  • muscle protein synthesis
  • dose limiting toxicity
  • oocytes retrieved
  • live birth
  • tumor proliferation
  • clinical and ongoing pregnancy
  • clinical benefit rate
  • clinical pregnancy
  • ongoing pregnancy rates
  • live birth rate
  • oocytes
  • ongoing pregnancy rate
  • progression free rate
  • ongoing pregnancy
  • implantation rate
  • estradiol
  • number and maturity of oocytes retrieved

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.

  • INTRAROSA ® is a steroid indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of vulvar and vaginal atrophy, due to menopause. INTRAROSA ® is a steroid indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe dyspareunia, a symptom of vulvar and vaginal atrophy, due to menopause. ( 1 )

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 pediatric, the label states: “Safety and effectiveness have not been established in pediatric patients.”

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · read 2026-08-30

  • On older people, the label states: “Of the 1522 prasterone-treated postmenopausal women enrolled in the four placebo-controlled 12-week and one open-label 52-week clinical trial, 19 and 11 percent, respectively, were 65 years of age or older.”

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people who are pregnant, the label states: “Risk Summary INTRAROSA is indicated only in postmenopausal women.”

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people with reduced liver function, the label states: “The effect of hepatic impairment on the pharmacokinetics of prasterone has not been studied.”

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · read 2026-08-30

  • On people with reduced kidney function, the label states: “The effect of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of prasterone has not been studied.”

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · 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

Withdrawn

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

Vaginal

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

Professional supervision is normally required. A regulator classifies this substance in a way that restricts how it is supplied.

Quoted from a source

Where this came from

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

Suppression classes recorded: S8.

No source is stored against this line.

What is in the pack

Sold as insert, liquid, cream, tablet, given by the vaginal, oral, transdermal 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.

Prasterone appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 228 reaction mentions were counted. One report can name several reactions.

The recorded terms (10)
  • headache — 30 reaction mentions
  • rash — 26 reaction mentions
  • feeling hot — 24 reaction mentions
  • swelling face — 24 reaction mentions
  • butterfly rash — 21 reaction mentions
  • cellulitis — 21 reaction mentions
  • periorbital oedema — 21 reaction mentions
  • photosensitivity reaction — 21 reaction mentions
  • tinnitus — 21 reaction mentions
  • head discomfort — 19 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

Vaginal

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

  • 44 products list this as an active ingredient in the United States drug directory. 19 of them contain it and nothing else.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 64025-0015 · read 2026-08-29

  • They are sold as cream, crystal, gel, insert, liquid and powder, taken oral, sublingual, topical and transdermal.

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 64025-0015 · read 2026-08-29

  • 27 published labels name it as an active ingredient. 2 of them describe this substance alone, which is where its own label text on this page comes from.

    US prescribing information · b5ba575a-e8ea-406b-b379-1c4439da01f1 · read 2026-08-29

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

    US prescribing information · b5ba575a-e8ea-406b-b379-1c4439da01f1 · read 2026-08-29

  • Intrarosa is vaginal at 3 DOSAGE FORMS AND STRENGTHS Vaginal insert: 6.5 mg of prasterone, smooth, white to off-white solid fat bullet-shaped, measuring 28 mm in length, 9 mm in width at its wider end, and weighing 1.2 gram., recorded as fda label in effect 2026-07-17 in the United States.

    US prescribing information · ada639d4-bac0-2ad0-e053-2a95a90afce7 · read 2026-08-30

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.

Self-experiment planning is not offered for a prescription or clinician-supervised medicine, withdrawn medicine. The questions below are for a clinician or pharmacist.

Questions worth asking

  • Which of the trials of Prasterone 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 Prasterone 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.

Where else this substance is registered

FDA substance identifier (UNII)
459AG36T1B
RxNorm concept
1927688

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How this medicine reached us

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What the approval register records

  • 1 approved application covers products containing this substance. The earliest was NDA208470, approved 20161116 to MILLICENT.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA208470 · read 2026-08-29

  • Marketing status on the register: prescription.

    Drugs@FDA application register · NDA208470 · read 2026-08-29

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

    FDA National Drug Code directory · 64025-0015 · read 2026-08-29

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6 questions this page could not answer

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Recorded evidence blocks (13)

What did Prasterone's largest trial (558 people) and its longest (10 years) measure?


558 people in Prasterone's largest registered study, 10 years in its longest registered window, measuring The pharmacokinetics of vaginal suppositories at four different DHEA concentrations. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

25 phase3, 16 phase2, 13 na, 7 phase4, 6 phase1, 3 early phase1, 1 na or unstated; NCT01662466; 2022-12-31. Last human test completed 2026, NCT07771153.

Interpretation These counts include studies where Prasterone 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
  • phase3
    25
  • phase2
    16
  • na
    13
  • phase4
    7
  • phase1
    6
  • early phase1
    3
2 more recorded rows
  • na or unstated
    1
  • Last recorded human test NCT07771153
    2026-06-30

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

From mouse to human: where has Prasterone shown lifespan?


NHP: lifespan, mouse: lifespan, rat: lifespan, dog: biomarker and human: biomarker (64): the rungs where Prasterone has a recorded finding. Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov · organism ladder · 2026-09-01

Interpretation The pharmacokinetics of vaginal suppositories at four different DHEA concentrations. — the recorded outcome words.

Yeast C. elegans Drosophila Mouse lifespanRat lifespanDog biomarkerNon-human primate lifespanHuman biomarker
Show the evidence
  • NHP
    lifespan
  • mouse
    lifespan
  • rat
    lifespan
  • dog
    biomarker
  • human NCT00429806
    biomarker; The pharmacokinetics of vaginal suppositories at four different DHEA concentrations.; 64

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

11 of Prasterone's trials stopped: accrual/recruitment, funding/business, other?


accrual/recruitment (4), funding/business (1) and other (6): Prasterone's stop wording, clustered. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

"Study was terminated due to lack of accrual"; 11 of 64 registered studies

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00516542
    terminated; "Study was terminated due to lack of accrual"
  • NCT00650754
    terminated; "Failure to recruit designed nuimebrt of subjects"
  • NCT00948857
    terminated; "Lack of recruitment."
  • NCT01129947
    withdrawn; "very poor patient recruitement"
  • NCT02000375
    terminated; "Due to slow recruitment and recent new published data"
  • NCT02357472
    terminated; "Many patients couldn't wait for DHEA treatment for three months."
5 further recorded trials
  • NCT02683148
    terminated; "The trial did not show any positive effects."
  • NCT03491007
    terminated; "PI obtained outside employment that was not compatible with this award"
  • NCT03740945
    withdrawn; "Business decision to not perform this study."
  • NCT03854396
    withdrawn; "due to termination of ISR by PI with agreement by grant sponsor"
  • NCT04493333
    terminated; "Low recruitment/enrollment"

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

Human studies of Prasterone used DHEA (0.25%) — over how long?


studies of Prasterone used the recorded amount. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

4 recorded entries; human; also "DHEA (0.25%)", "DHEA (0.5%)", "DHEA (1.0%)"

Show the evidence

human

  • NCT01846442
    DHEA (0.25%)
  • NCT01846442
    DHEA (0.5%)
  • NCT01846442
    DHEA (1.0%)
  • NCT04898556
    Prasterone 6.5 MG

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

Did Prasterone move Horvath, and by how much?


Horvath: "We analyzed the relationship between estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and the Free Androgen Index with DNAmAA estimators from 6 epigenetic clocks (Horvath's, Hannum's, 7-CpG clock, PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPACE) in 1 404 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II, mean age at baseline 68.7 ±…" Europe PMC · epigenetic clock search · 2025-06-01

4 recorded sentences; 2025, 2024, 2021; biomarker

Show the evidence

Horvath

  • PMID 40342106
    2025; "We analyzed the relationship between estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and the Free Androgen Index with DNAmAA estimators from 6 epigenetic clocks (Horvath's, Hannum's, 7-CpG clock, PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPACE) in 1 404 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II, mean age at baseline 68.7 ± 3.7 years, 48% women)."
  • 2024; "We analysed the relationship between estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and the Free Androgen Index (FAI) with DNAmAA estimators from six epigenetic clocks (Horvath’s, Hannum’s, 7-CpG clock, PhenoAge, GrimAge, DunedinPACE) in 1,404 participants of the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II, mean age at baseline 68.7 ±3.7 years, 48% women)."
  • epigenetic clock PMID 38233512
    2024; "To help address these gaps, we explored associations between social adversity and biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin-1β [IL-1β], IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha [TNF-α], and salivary cytokine hierarchical "clusters" based on the three interleukins), neuroendocrine function (cortisol, cortisone, dehydroepiandrosterone, testosterone, and progesterone), neuromodulation…"
  • epigenetic age PMID 33663025
    2021; "Treatment of healthy men with a combination of GH, dehydroepiandrosterone, and metformin was reported to restore thymus function and reduce epigenetic age."

recorded 2025-06-01 · last checked 2026-09-04

More Prasterone was worse in human: at what point?


U-shaped in human: "While P5, DHEA, 17-OHP4 and AD concentrations exhibited inverted U-shaped dose responses, T2, T3 and T4 concentrations exhibited inverse linear dose responses, which are further confirmed by their relationships with hair hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) concentrations." Europe PMC · dose-response search · 2023-08-04

5 recorded sentences naming Prasterone; U-shaped, dose-response, Dose response, dose response

Show the evidence
  • U-shaped PMID 36116566
    "While P5, DHEA, 17-OHP4 and AD concentrations exhibited inverted U-shaped dose responses, T2, T3 and T4 concentrations exhibited inverse linear dose responses, which are further confirmed by their relationships with hair hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) concentrations."
  • dose-response PMID 36811237
    "A restricted cubic spline was also used to model the association of serum dehydroepiandrosterone level with the risk of diabetic retinopathy and to describe the overall dose-response correlation."
  • Dose response PMID 37543737
    "Dose response was noted with vaginal DHEA and testosterone."
  • dose-response PMID 32502234
    "Pre- and post-ACTH stimulated DHEA levels also did not differ by frailty status, though the dose-response curves suggested divergence after stimulation, with a more rapid DHEA response with increasing frailty."
  • dose response PMID 34880833
    "<i>In utero</i> chlordecone exposure was associated with elevated levels of selected thyroid (TSH) and sex-steroid (DHEA, TT, and DHT) hormones at seven years in a non-monotonic dose response (inverted U) relationship."

recorded 2023-08-04 · last checked 2026-09-04

Which of areal bone density by dxa, body composition and bone mineral density did Prasterone's trials measure?


areal bone density by dxa, body composition and bone mineral density lead 26 outcome terms across Prasterone's trials. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Interpretation areal bone density by dxa, quality of life, glucose and insulin metabolism, muscle protein synthesis, dose limiting toxicity and fatigue follow.

Show the evidence
  • bone mineral density
    1
  • body composition
    1
  • satisfaction
    1
  • areal bone density by dxa
    1
  • quality of life
    1
  • glucose and insulin metabolism
    1
14 more recorded rows
  • muscle protein synthesis
    1
  • dose limiting toxicity
    1
  • fatigue
    1
  • oocytes retrieved
    1
  • level of catecholamines in blood from baseline
    1
  • live birth
    1
  • tumor proliferation
    1
  • clinical and ongoing pregnancy
    1
  • clinical benefit rate
    1
  • clinical pregnancy
    1
  • ongoing pregnancy rates
    1
  • live birth rate
    1
  • oocytes
    1
  • ongoing pregnancy rate
    1

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

Which of Prasterone's 4 ongoing trials reports first?


4 registered trials of Prasterone are open; earliest completion 2026-12-15. ClinicalTrials.gov · 2026-09-01

Change in the level of catecholamines in plasma; Pain Numerical Rating Scale (0-10) Change; latest 2029-12-31

Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT03228732
    "The Effects of Fluoxetine and/or DHEA"; n 60; "Change in the level of catecholamines in plasma"; 2026-12-15
  • NCT05935761
    "Investigating Novel Interventions for Low Back Pain in US Military Veterans: A Randomized Controlled Adaptive Phase II Trial"; n 108; "Pain Numerical Rating Scale (0-10) Change"; 2029-12-31
  • NCT06611514
    "Effect of Intravaginal Prasterone on Symptoms of Genitourinary Syndrome of Menopause (GSM) in Women in Menopause With Previous Breast Cancer"; n 95; "Establish subjective improvement in genitourinary symptomatology at intervals marked by the study"; 2027-01-01
  • NCT07407647
    "Vaginal DHEA to Improve Vaginal Health After Radiation for Women With Gynecologic, Anal or Rectal Cancer"; n 25; "Incidence of grade 2 or higher adverse events"; 2026-12-31

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

Which 25 trials of Prasterone posted no result?


Posted no result
25 of 25 completed trials
Registrations
NCT00065104, NCT00099697, NCT00111930, NCT00082511, NCT00205686 and NCT00664053, and 19 more
Completion dates
oldest 2003-04; newest 2024-06-30
Show the evidence

Trial

  • NCT00065104
    2003-04
  • NCT00099697
    2004-02
  • NCT00111930
    2005-03
  • NCT00082511
    2005-08
  • NCT00205686
    2005-09
  • NCT00664053
    2006-10
14 further recorded trials
  • NCT00006219
    2006-12
  • NCT00434915
    2007-04
  • NCT00429806
    2007-07
  • NCT00202163
    2007-09
  • NCT00317148
    2007-12
  • NCT00289926
    2008-04
  • NCT02132559
    2013-07
  • NCT01915186
    2013-09
  • NCT02151006
    2015-05
  • NCT02866253
    2016-02
  • NCT02268032
    2016-08-31
  • NCT00607646
    2018-10-09
  • NCT03418363
    2019-12-11
  • NCT03568604
    2020-01-28

At the median, Prasterone's trials enrolled 62 people — anything larger?


Median enrolment
62
Largest enrolment
558
Registered trials counted
62

What do 228 spontaneous reports say about Prasterone — 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.

Prasterone appears in spontaneous reports to regulators. Across the 10 most-reported reaction terms, 228 reaction mentions were counted: headache 30; rash 26; feeling hot 24; swelling face 24. open-targets-adr · CHEMBL90593 · 2026-06-24

Show the evidence
  • headache
    30
  • rash
    26
  • feeling hot
    24
  • swelling face
    24
  • butterfly rash
    21
  • cellulitis
    21
4 more recorded rows
  • periorbital oedema
    21
  • photosensitivity reaction
    21
  • tinnitus
    21
  • head discomfort
    19

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

Was Prasterone studied with exercise?


exercise is named in Prasterone's label sentences: "For the overall effect of exercise vs. control, meta-analysis of 12 studies (<i>n</i> = 563 participants) showed no significant effect on Total Testosterone, DHEA-S (5 studies, <i>n</i> = 231 participants), or SHBG (10 studies, <i>n</i> = 422 participants)." openfda-label+europepmc · 2026-01-08

1 recorded statement; exercise

Show the evidence
  • exercise
    For the overall effect of exercise vs. control, meta-analysis of 12 studies (<i>n</i> = 563 participants) showed no significant effect on Total Testosterone, DHEA-S (5 studies, <i>n</i> = 231 participants), or SHBG (10 studies, <i>n</i> = 422 participants).

recorded 2026-01-08 · last checked 2026-09-04

What is recorded about Prasterone and mTOR?


"PCOS was induced via subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone (6 mg/100 g), and mTOR inhibition was achieved with KU-0063794 (1 mg/100 g)." — where Prasterone and mTOR appear together. Europe PMC · pathway abstract search · 2026-04-16

mTOR, AMPK, sirtuin, IGF-1, autophagy; PMID 41989659, 38453773, 41241089, 41320873

Show the evidence

mTOR

  • PMID 41989659
    "PCOS was induced via subcutaneous injection of dehydroepiandrosterone (6 mg/100 g), and mTOR inhibition was achieved with KU-0063794 (1 mg/100 g)."
  • PMID 41989659
    "In the PCOS + INH group, mTOR and p-mTOR immunoreactivity were significantly reduced compared with PCOS (p < 0.001), and DHEA-induced weight gain was attenuated; however, E<sub>2</sub> remained elevated (p < 0.001) and corpora lutea were not restored (p < 0.001). miR-21 expression was significantly upregulated in both PCOS (p < 0.05)-PCOS + INH (p < 0.001) groups, indicating persistent miR-21…"
  • AMPK PMID 38453773
    "This study aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) by modulating the AMPK-SIRT1 signaling and mitophagy in rats."
  • sirtuin PMID 38453773
    "This study aims to investigate the effect and mechanism of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) on diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) by modulating the AMPK-SIRT1 signaling and mitophagy in rats."
  • IGF-1
    "Other therapeutic approaches used with success in women include hormonal and growth factor (GF) modulators, such as growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and the development of patient-tailored combination-based therapies (IGF-1 + VEGF + DHEA) was suggested."
  • sirtuin PMID 41241089
    "Our findings support a potential therapeutic value of DHEA in modulating age-dependent decline in cardiac functions through a possible NFκB/IL-10/Sirt1/Nrf2 pathway."
  • AMPK PMID 41320873
    "C-PC also reduced DHEA-induced phosphorylation of AMPK, while co-treatment with an AMPK activator attenuated its effects on GPX4 and xCT, abolishing its anti-ferroptotic protection against granulosa cells."
  • autophagy PMID 40409529
    "Our findings demonstrate that DHEA-induced autophagy is mediated by estrogen receptor alpha (ER-α) and androgen receptor (AR) activation and protects hepatic cells against palmitate-induced apoptosis, steatosis, and inflammasome activation."
7 more recorded rows
  • IGF-1 PMID 41465398
    "Other therapeutic approaches used with success in women include hormonal and growth factor (GF) modulators, such as growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and the development of patient-tailored combination-based therapies (IGF-1 + VEGF + DHEA) has also been suggested."
  • sirtuin PMID 31947651
    "By using a PCOS mouse model induced by administration of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), we investigated whether MG-dependent glycative stress contributes to ovarian PCOS phenotype and explored changes in the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) functional network regulating mitochondrial functions and cell survival."
  • mTOR PMID 39498504
    "In this study, for the first time, mTORC1 and activation products are presented at protein and mRNA levels after rapamycin treatment in DHEA-induced PCOS mouse ovary."
  • AMPK PMID 36565630
    "Furthermore, DHEA promoted the phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and inhibited the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)."
  • autophagy PMID 34161185
    "This review's main objective is to provide a background of autophagy in the ovary, its possible connection with PCOS and suggested a novel proposal for future studies to aid a better understanding of PCOS pathogenesis.<b>Abbreviations</b>: AE: androgen excess; AF: antral follicle; AKT/PKB: AKT serine/threonine kinase; AMH: anti-Mullerian hormone; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ATG:…"
  • IGF-1 PMID 34161185
    "This review's main objective is to provide a background of autophagy in the ovary, its possible connection with PCOS and suggested a novel proposal for future studies to aid a better understanding of PCOS pathogenesis.<b>Abbreviations</b>: AE: androgen excess; AF: antral follicle; AKT/PKB: AKT serine/threonine kinase; AMH: anti-Mullerian hormone; AMPK: AMP-activated protein kinase; ATG:…"
  • autophagy PMID 39431156
    "Further study reveals that DHEA induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and triggers PERK/eIF2/ATF4/CHOP UPR signaling pathway to activate autophagy followed by apoptosis, which was confirmed by suppression of 4-phenylbutyric acid (an ER stress inhibitor) or knockdown either ATF4 or CHOP."

recorded 2026-04-16 · last checked 2026-09-04

Where it is registered
Identifiers, relations and other names

The exact record

ChEMBL id
CHEMBL90593
PubChem CID
134506
CAS number
2283-82-1
RxCUI
3143
InChIKey
FMGSKLZLMKYGDP-USOAJAOKSA-N
Also called
Androst-5-en-3.alpha.-ol-17-one, Biolaif, Dehydroandrosterone, Dehydroepiandrosterone, Dehydroisoandrosterone, Isoandrostenolone, Prasterona, Vaginorm, gl701, prestara, 5-Androsten-3beta-Ol-17-One, DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE [MI]
Trade name
Dhea, Enzymatic therapy, Intrarosa, Natrol dhea, Intrarosa / Dhea
Development code
EM-760, NSC-9896
Sources (12)

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 dose-response search ·
  • Europe PMC epigenetic clock search ·
  • Europe PMC pathway abstract search ·
6 more sources

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

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  • 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: 12 source rows
  • no critical contamination: no quarantine open
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