On this page
What it is
A 28-amino-acid peptide produced throughout the body, acting as a neurotransmitter and hormone with roles in vasodilation, smooth muscle relaxation, secretion and immune modulation.
How it is proposed to work
Agonism at VPAC receptors. Because those receptors are distributed widely, systemic administration acts on many systems at once — which is precisely why pharmaceutical development has targeted narrow indications and specific routes rather than general use.
Approved medical uses
No approval we could confirm. A synthetic formulation has been marketed in some countries for a specific urological indication; we could not verify that against a national register and are not stating it as fact.
Human research
Each entry states what the study found and, separately, what it cannot show.
- Randomised controlled trial2023n = 471
TESICO: intravenous aviptadil in COVID-19-associated hypoxaemic respiratory failure
Finding. Aviptadil did not significantly improve clinical outcomes up to day 90 compared with placebo. The odds ratio for being in a better category of the primary day-90 ordinal outcome was 1.11 (95% CI 0.80-1.55, p=0.54), and 38% of the aviptadil group had died by day 90 against 36% on placebo (hazard ratio 1.04, 95% CI 0.77-1.41). The data and safety monitoring board recommended stopping the aviptadil trial for futility in May 2022. The primary safety outcome — death, serious adverse events, organ failure, serious infection, or grade 3 or 4 adverse events up to day 5 — occurred in 63% of the aviptadil group against 56% on placebo (odds ratio 1.40, 95% CI 0.94-2.08, p=0.10).
Limitation. One trial of one route in one indication — intravenous infusion in hospitalised adults with COVID-19-associated acute hypoxaemic respiratory failure, 94% of the analysed participants in intensive care at baseline. It says nothing about inhaled aviptadil, about any non-COVID indication, or about research-market VIP used generally; indication, formulation and route do not transfer. A negative result in critical care is knowledge about that setting, not about any other use.
Preclinical research
Animal and laboratory work. Useful for generating hypotheses; it cannot establish that something works in people.
No preclinical studies catalogued.
Potential safety concerns
- SeriousPromising
Potent vasodilation. Hypotension, flushing and diarrhoea follow directly from the mechanism, and the cardiovascular effect is the reason clinical use is monitored.
- CautionPromising
Wide receptor distribution means systemic administration has systemic consequences that a targeted clinical protocol is specifically designed to avoid.
Known interactions and contraindication considerations
- Additive hypotension with antihypertensives, PDE5 inhibitors and nitrates.
This list is not exhaustive and is not a substitute for a clinician reviewing your full medication history.
Regulatory status
Status is shown per jurisdiction and is accurate only as of the date stated. Where a compound is approved, the approval is bound to a specific formulation, manufacturer and indication — shown in the detail column.
| Jurisdiction | Standing | Detail |
|---|---|---|
United States FDA | Unapproved / investigational as of 11 Aug 2026 | The synthetic form aviptadil has been the subject of orphan designations and investigational study. Designation is not approval, and none of that status attaches to research-market VIP. |
European Union EMA | Unapproved / investigational as of 11 Aug 2026 | Aviptadil has held orphan designation. We are stating no designation numbers or dates — those registers are public and the details should be cited from them directly. |
India CDSCO | Unapproved / investigational as of 11 Aug 2026 | Not approved for human use. A first-time synthetically manufactured peptide falls under the new-drug pathway. |
How it is being used
What the grey community actually runs, the reasoning they give, and our read on whether it follows from known biology. This is observation, not evidence, and not a recommendation.
No community use documented for this compound yet. Absence here means our editorial team has not reviewed and verified a pattern — not that none exists.
Active clinical trials
No registered trials currently tracked for VIP.
What remains unknown
The questions that would change our assessment if they were answered.
- Is there any defensible use outside a monitored clinical setting?
- How do the investigational programmes actually read once completed?
References
Editorial change history
When we change a grade or a regulatory note, we log it here rather than editing quietly.
Dossier created. Orphan designation numbers and national marketing authorisations excluded — those registers are public and must be cited directly rather than from summaries.
Spotted something wrong? Tell us — we publish corrections.