DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide, emideltide) is a nine-amino-acid peptide found in 1977 in sleeping rabbits. Human evidence is a handful of small intravenous studies from 1981 to 1998. The best-controlled insomnia trial (16 patients, 1992) found "at best some weak effects". On 24 July 2026 FDA's compounding advisers voted 7-6, with one abstention, against listing it, the only no among seven peptides. It is not FDA-approved and cannot be lawfully compounded. Of 26 Kovera Labs reports on DSIP vials from January to May 2026, one found no DSIP at all.
Research notes
DSIP is the one peptide FDA's compounding advisers voted against in July 2026. The panel backed six other peptides and turned down emideltide, DSIP's drug name, by 7 votes to 6 with one abstention on 24 July 2026 (Reuters, Fierce Pharma). The human evidence is thin: a handful of small intravenous studies, the last one in 1998.
This page rests on three tables. The evidence table grades each claim by its best study. The vote section gives the record. The testing table covers 26 Kovera Labs reports, one of which found no DSIP in the vial.
What is DSIP peptide?
DSIP is a nonapeptide: Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu, molecular weight about 849, CAS 62568-57-4. Researchers in Basel isolated it from the blood of rabbits whose sleep they had induced by stimulating the thalamus. In 1977 they reported that the synthetic peptide, infused into rabbit brain ventricles, increased delta and spindle EEG activity, the signature of deep sleep (PNAS, 1977). That result gave it its name.
Fifty years later, nobody has found a DSIP receptor or a gene that codes for it. FDA's July 2026 briefing lists proposed links to GABA, NMDA and opioid signalling, all from animal work, and an 8-minute half-life in human plasma (FDA briefing). Research vendors sell it as "DSIP" in 5 and 10 mg vials. FDA reviewed it as two substances, emideltide free base and emideltide acetate, because the nomination did not say which one it meant.
Does DSIP work for sleep?
The sleep claim rests on six small human studies, all intravenous. Each row gives the best evidence behind a claim, with FDA's reading where it reviewed the study.
| Claimed benefit | Best evidence | What the study found |
|---|---|---|
| Better sleep in chronic insomnia | Human, small RCT, negative | 16 patients, double-blind, three nights of 25 nmol/kg IV or placebo. Sleep efficiency and latency differed slightly, possibly from a change in the placebo group; subjective sleep did not improve. Authors: DSIP "is not likely to be of major therapeutic benefit" (Bes 1992). |
| Better sleep in chronic insomnia | Human, small crossover, negative | 6 patients with severe insomnia; no significant change against placebo, effects "of little clinical significance" (Monti 1987, per FDA briefing p. 29). |
| Better sleep in chronic insomnia | Human, small, weak design | 14 patients over seven nights compared with an outside healthy group, not a true placebo arm (Schneider-Helmert 1987). Positive series from the same group (1981, 1983) involved 2 to 6 people each. |
| Daytime sleepiness in healthy people | Human pilot | 6 healthy adults; 59% more sleep in the 130 minutes after a morning IV dose, no loss of alertness (Schneider-Helmert 1981, per FDA). |
| Narcolepsy | Single case | One 35-year-old man, three study weeks (Schneider-Helmert 1984). FDA: "limits interpretation". |
| Opioid and alcohol withdrawal | Human, uncontrolled | 107 patients in Geneva, open label, no comparison group (Dick 1984); 7 patients, open label, 2 completed (Backmund 1998). Both author groups said controlled trials were needed. |
| Stress, pain, longevity, cancer | Animal or none | No controlled human study. |
FDA's conclusion, after reading all of them: the insomnia data are "inconclusive and at best preliminary", and there is no study at all for the subcutaneous route that research vials imply (FDA briefing). The withdrawal results look better on paper because the studies had no control group to compare against.
Why did FDA's advisers vote against DSIP?
On 24 July 2026, day two of a two-day meeting, FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted on whether to add emideltide free base and emideltide acetate to the 503A Bulks List, the list of substances pharmacies may compound. Both votes went 7 no, 6 yes, 1 abstention, according to Reuters and Fierce Pharma. The same panel recommended BPC-157, KPV, TB-500 and MOTS-c on 23 July, and Epitalon and Semax on 24 July.
FDA's meeting page still posted no minutes or vote summary when we checked on 10 October 2026, so the tally comes from press reports, which agree.
FDA's own reviewers had recommended against all seven peptides. For emideltide, the day-2 slides gave four reasons:
- it is "not well characterized from a physical and chemical perspective";
- there is insufficient safety data for human use, plus an immunogenicity concern;
- there is no evidence of effectiveness for chronic insomnia, narcolepsy or opioid withdrawal;
- approved treatments exist for all three.
Both original nominations, from Wells Pharmacy Network and LDT Health Solution Inc, had been withdrawn; FDA reviewed the substance "at its discretion". The full seven-peptide breakdown is in our FDA peptide vote explainer.
Is DSIP legal?
| Question | Answer as of 10 October 2026 |
|---|---|
| FDA-approved? | No. FDA's briefing says neither form "is a component of an FDA-approved drug". |
| On the 503A Bulks List? | No, and the July advisory vote went against it. |
| On the Category 2 do-not-compound list? | No longer. FDA removed it, with eleven other substances, on 15 April 2026. Removal does not permit compounding. |
| Can a pharmacy compound it? | Not lawfully. |
| Can a shop sell "research use only" vials? | FDA has treated such listings as unapproved drugs when the marketing points to human use; see our enforcement timeline. |
Will DSIP be part of the reported stopgap?
On 7 October 2026 the Washington Post reported, citing two people familiar with the matter, that the administration is drafting a temporary plan to let pharmacies dispense some restricted peptides. The Post said the list is undecided. Pink Sheet reported on 8 October that FDA drug-center staff oppose the plan.
No report we found names the peptides. DSIP is the only one of the seven that the July committee voted against, so it has the weakest claim to inclusion. That is our inference. It is unconfirmed, and we will update this page if HHS or FDA publishes a list.
Has DSIP shown up in a regulatory case?
Yes, once that we know of. On 8 October 2025 the Ohio Board of Pharmacy summarily suspended the dangerous-drug licence of Ageless Medica LLC, a clinic in Mason, Ohio (case A-2025-0306).
Inspectors found a vial labelled "DSIP 99%+ 5mg" that, the board wrote, "was purchased from Limitless Biotech, an entity located in Florida that is not licensed with the Board". The action was against the clinic. Our Limitless Life audit covers the shop's side.
How pure is the DSIP being sold?
Our mirror of Kovera Labs holds 26 DSIP reports, analysed 25 January to 29 May 2026. One analysis (lot #X3VB8) was issued three times under three brand names, which leaves 24 distinct analyses.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Kovera reports | 26 |
| Distinct analyses | 24 |
| With a purity figure above zero | 22 |
| Median purity (22) | 99.91% |
| Purity range (22) | 98.55% to 99.98% |
| Median content vs label (22 with a measured quantity) | 109.9% |
| Under label | 1 (98.8%) |
| More than 20% over label | 1 (122.4%) |
| No DSIP detected | 1 |
Twenty-two of the vials held what the label said or more, at high purity. The exception is report KVR-2026-EDE3E9, analysed 20 May 2026 for a private client: a 10 mg vial with 0.000% purity and 0.00 mg of DSIP, identity "Unknown". The vial passed the endotoxin screen. The client is an individual, so we do not name them, and the report names no seller.
All 26 Kovera reports
| Seller on report | Label | Measured | Purity | Report | Lot | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| not shown | 10 mg | not reported | not reported | 570419 | none | 2026-01-25 |
| Mile High Compounds | 10 mg | 12.24 mg | 99.72% | B79C85 | DSI-010-MH-03 | 2026-02-26 |
| Bio Elevate | 10 mg | 11.84 mg | 99.96% | 49D864 | DSP0001933 | 2026-02-27 |
| VN Biolabs | 15 mg | 16.14 mg | 99.94% | 1762E2 | VN-0326-01 | 2026-03-04 |
| Ascend Amino | 5 mg | 5.31 mg | 99.92% | AA881E | DS0002 | 2026-03-07 |
| Fixion Fuel | 10 mg | 10.87 mg | 99.94% | 8B593 | FF-DS10-1231 | 2026-03-07 |
| Axion Research | 10 mg | 11.77 mg | 99.92% | B68A06 | AR-326DP10 | 2026-03-10 |
| Instant Peptides | 5 mg | 5.74 mg | 99.97% | 839B02 | 2026-0261-A | 2026-03-18 |
| Peak Chain / Genetix Chain | 15 mg | 16.32 mg | 99.95% | 1B9420 | 1111-0936 | 2026-03-29 |
| Modern Aminos | 5 mg | 5.71 mg | 99.96% | 112718 | BX-P-D3Z3 | 2026-03-31 |
| Ion Peptide | 10 mg | 11.53 mg | 99.94% | 2687E2 | DSIP10-04022026 | 2026-04-03 |
| RCHQ | 5 mg | 5.41 mg | 99.98% | 30899D | #X3VB8 | 2026-04-07 |
| Optimum Formula (same analysis) | 5 mg | 5.39 mg | 99.97% | 30899D-S37 | #X3VB8 | 2026-04-07 |
| WWPeptides (same analysis) | 5 mg | 5.39 mg | 99.97% | 30899D-S38 | #X3VB8 | 2026-04-07 |
| BioEdge Research Labs | 10 mg | 11.43 mg | 99.83% | 1B49BD | 03312026DSIP10 | 2026-04-13 |
| Zenergy | 10 mg | 10.11 mg | 99.93% | 58AC9D | ZENO41526 | 2026-04-26 |
| Peptide Partners | 5 mg | 5.31 mg | 99.85% | 02D521 | DS202605 | 2026-05-07 |
| Upgrade | 5 mg | 5.53 mg | 99.86% | 28888C | 70-202604-12 | 2026-05-11 |
| Zenergy | 5 mg | 5.47 mg | 99.90% | 94CFE9 | ZEN5426 | 2026-05-17 |
| Fixion Fuel (company email) | 10 mg | 10.77 mg | 99.36% | 800A43 | FF-DS10-0518 | 2026-05-20 |
| Mile High Compounds | 10 mg | 10.89 mg | 98.55% | D33018 | DSI-010-MH-04 | 2026-05-20 |
| private client | 10 mg | 0.00 mg | 0.00%, identity failed | EDE3E9 | none | 2026-05-20 |
| TriVial BioWorks | 5 mg | 5.96 mg | 98.85% | A7D5D5 | DS05-0508 | 2026-05-21 |
| Inno Amino LLC | 10 mg | 11.38 mg | 99.87% | 9BD905 | DISJES-0415-26 | 2026-05-22 |
| Glacier Aminos | 10 mg | 11.03 mg | 99.17% | D59632 | DS10GA-01 | 2026-05-25 |
| EvoLabs (company email) | 10 mg | 9.88 mg | 99.43% | B29B2E | EVO5212026 | 2026-05-29 |
Values are single-vial figures as held in our mirror after the 1 August 2026 re-fetch. Kovera revises some certificates in place (what changed), so its verifier may show slightly different figures.
Two DSIP results from another lab, Vanguard Laboratory, fit the same pattern: Core Peptides' July 2026 lot C74122 at 99.14% purity and 4.94 mg in a 5 mg vial, and Hello Stacks' at 99.22% and 9.34 mg of 10 mg. Vanguard's identity check is an HPLC match, not mass spectrometry, and its accreditation does not cover peptide tests (our Vanguard explainer).
A certificate covers the batch that was tested, not the vial in your hand. Match the lot on the vial to the lot on the report, and check a Kovera code yourself with the six verification steps.
What DSIP doses did studies use?
These are research protocols as FDA's briefing and the papers report them. All were intravenous, given under supervision in hospitals or sleep labs.
| Study | Who | What was given |
|---|---|---|
| Schneider-Helmert 1981 | 6 healthy adults | 25 nmol/kg IV over 20 minutes, one morning dose |
| Monti 1987 | 6 adults with severe insomnia | 25 nmol/kg IV over 4 minutes, four nights, crossover with placebo |
| Schneider-Helmert 1987 | 14 adults with insomnia | 30 nmol/kg IV, seven nights |
| Bes 1992 | 16 adults with insomnia | 25 nmol/kg IV or glucose placebo, three afternoons |
| Dick 1984 | 107 patients in alcohol or opioid withdrawal | 25 nmol/kg IV, up to six injections a day for up to six days |
| Backmund 1998 | 7 patients in opioid withdrawal | 35 nmol/kg IV, two to six injections a day for seven days |
No study tested subcutaneous injection or nasal spray. FDA counted 209 people given 25-150 nmol/kg IV across the literature, for 1 to 15 days, and nothing longer.
What are the side effects of DSIP?
The published record is small and old. FDA's briefing summarises it this way:
- Insomnia studies. IV DSIP was "well tolerated and not associated with significant" adverse events.
- Withdrawal study (Dick 1984). Of 107 patients, 95 reported nothing significant. Nine had brief sweating, headache, nausea or vertigo. Three had serious reactions: two had a drop in blood pressure at the first injection, and one had repeated 15-minute episodes of discomfort with sweating and nausea. The authors blamed some reactions on vials that dissolved poorly.
- FDA's adverse-event database. Zero reports for emideltide through 3 March 2024.
- Unknowns FDA flagged. Immunogenicity and aggregation risk, no data for the subcutaneous route, and no long-term data.
For a research vial, the concrete risk is the product itself. One of 24 Kovera analyses found an empty vial, and a certificate only speaks to the batch the lab tested.
What this means
DSIP has a catchy name and a 1977 rabbit result. Its human record is six small IV sleep studies, the best of them negative, and two uncontrolled withdrawal studies. FDA's reviewers and, narrowly, its advisers looked at that record in July 2026 and said no. The vials on the research market are usually what they claim to be, but nothing in that market can supply the controlled human evidence the peptide still lacks.
Related reading
- FDA peptide vote 2026 - all seven July votes, and what the stopgap would and would not change.
- Epitalon - the other sleep peptide on the July agenda, which the panel recommended.
- KPV and Semax - two peptides the same panel backed.
- FDA peptide enforcement 2024-2026 - how FDA treats "research use only" listings.
- Kovera Labs: what 1,828 published COAs show - the corpus behind this page's purity figures.
What it's researched for
- sleep research
- opioid and alcohol withdrawal research
- stress and pain research
Where to source it
ALL 1 VENDORS →1 audited vendor stock DSIP, but the price walk hasn't captured a current listing for it. See all 1 vendors →
Frequently asked about DSIP
What is DSIP peptide?
DSIP, delta sleep-inducing peptide, is a nine-amino-acid peptide (Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu) isolated in 1977 from rabbits put to sleep by brain stimulation. Its drug name is emideltide. No receptor for it has been found. It is not an approved medicine in the US, and FDA's 2026 review found no approved drug that contains it.
Does DSIP work for sleep?
Not convincingly. Six small intravenous studies from 1981 to 1992 gave mixed results. The largest controlled one, Bes 1992, treated 16 insomnia patients for three nights and found weak effects that may have come from a change in the placebo group, with no gain in how patients rated their sleep. FDA called the insomnia data "inconclusive and at best preliminary".
Why did the FDA committee vote against DSIP?
FDA staff told the committee that emideltide is not well characterized chemically, has no safety data for the subcutaneous route nominated, and lacks evidence for insomnia, narcolepsy or opioid withdrawal, all of which have approved treatments. On 24 July 2026 the panel voted 7-6 with one abstention against both the free base and the acetate.
Is DSIP legal?
DSIP is not FDA-approved and is not on the 503A Bulks List, so pharmacies cannot lawfully compound it. FDA removed it from the Category 2 do-not-compound list in April 2026, but the July advisory vote went against it. Shops sell research vials as not for human use; FDA has treated such listings as unapproved drugs when marketing implies human use.
Will DSIP be part of the HHS peptide stopgap?
Nobody has said. The Washington Post reported on 7 October 2026 that the administration is drafting a temporary plan for some restricted peptides, with the list undecided. DSIP is the only one of the seven peptides the July committee voted against, which makes it the weakest candidate. No source has confirmed whether it is in or out.
What are the side effects of DSIP?
In the published IV studies, most people had none reported. In a 1984 withdrawal study of 107 patients, nine had brief sweating, headache, nausea or vertigo and three had serious reactions, two of them low blood pressure. FDA found no reports in its adverse-event database through March 2024 and flagged a possible immune-reaction risk.
How pure is DSIP sold online?
Usually very pure, with one large exception. Across 24 distinct Kovera Labs analyses from January to May 2026, the 22 with a purity figure had a median of 99.91%. One 10 mg vial, submitted by a private client in May 2026, contained 0.00 mg: no DSIP was detected and identity failed.