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Endocrine · Reference monograph

Extended-release somatostatin analogue

Reference compound — not available from Purity Peptides. Shown for research context.

Overview

Lanreotide is a synthetic cyclic octapeptide analogue of somatostatin developed by the French company Ipsen. Like octreotide, it retains the critical Trp-Lys pharmacophore of native somatostatin within a stabilised disulfide-bridged ring, and it binds preferentially to somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 5.

Lanreotide is an approved prescription medicine in the United States and Europe for acromegaly, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and carcinoid syndrome. Its extended-release formulation is notable in materials science: in aqueous solution lanreotide self-assembles into highly uniform nanotubes, and a concentrated gel of these nanotubes forms a depot that releases the peptide slowly without polymer excipients, a phenomenon characterised in a widely cited 2003 PNAS paper. The CLARINET trial, published in 2014, examined the antiproliferative effects of lanreotide in non-functioning enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and is a landmark in neuroendocrine tumour research. Researchers use lanreotide to study SSTR2 pharmacology, growth hormone hypersecretion, tumour growth control and peptide self-assembly.

Mechanism studied

  1. Lanreotide
  2. SSTR2 / SSTR5
  3. Hormone secretion ↓
  4. Tumour growth endpoints

Lanreotide binds SSTR2 with high affinity and SSTR5 with lower affinity. Through inhibitory Gi/o proteins it reduces adenylyl cyclase activity and cAMP, inhibits calcium influx and opens potassium channels, suppressing exocytosis of growth hormone from pituitary somatotrophs and of serotonin and other secretory products from neuroendocrine tumour cells. Lower growth hormone output in turn reduces hepatic IGF-1 production. Antiproliferative activity in experimental systems is attributed to direct effects, including phosphatase activation and growth arrest, and indirect effects such as reduced growth factor signalling and angiogenesis. Lanreotide's self-assembling nanotube structure determines its release kinetics from the depot formulation.

Research highlights

  • 01Developed by Ipsen; approved for acromegaly, gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours and carcinoid syndrome.
  • 02A 2003 PNAS study described lanreotide's self-assembly into monodisperse nanotubes, now a model system in peptide nanotechnology.
  • 03The CLARINET trial is a reference study for antiproliferative research in enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.
  • 04Comparative research with octreotide examines receptor binding, internalisation and formulation-driven differences.
  • 05Open questions include predictors of tumour response and how SSTR2 density relates to antiproliferative outcomes.

Latest published research

1,264 papers on PubMed →

  1. Lanreotide, a Somatostatin Analogue, in Advanced Merkel Cell Carcinoma: A Prospective Single-Arm Phase II Study

    Charles J et al. · Cancer medicine · 2026 Oct · PMID 42791653

  2. Somatostatin analogues for ADPKD: ending the confusing story of mGFR and eGFR

    Gansevoort RT et al. · Kidney international · 2026 Oct · PMID 42760021

  3. Comparative Efficacy and Safety of Octreotide, Lanreotide, and Pasireotide in Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease and Polycystic Liver Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis With Real-World Evidence From the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System Database

    Mei Z et al. · Clinical and translational gastroenterology · 2026 Oct 1 · PMID 42476150

  4. A case of small pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor of less than 10 mm showing metastasis to multiple organs

    Ogata T et al. · Clinical journal of gastroenterology · 2026 Oct · PMID 42365543

  5. A three-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of lanreotide in stage 2/3 autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

    Joly D et al. · Kidney international · 2026 Oct · PMID 42320793

  6. Endoscopic transsphenoidal surgery for a somatotroph pituitary neuroendocrine tumor associated with an infraoptic course of the anterior cerebral artery: A case report

    Numa K et al. · Surgical neurology international · 2026 · PMID 42829594

  7. Lanreotide

    · 2006 · PMID 31145576

  8. Pregnancy in a patient with metastatic functioning midgut neuroendocrine tumor receiving lanreotide after peptide receptor radionuclide therapy

    Silva BTD et al. · Archives of endocrinology and metabolism · 2026 Sep 10 · PMID 42721062

Live feed from PubMed (NCBI) for “Lanreotide”, updated 2026-10-30. Listing a paper is not an endorsement of its findings.

Registered studies

118 on ClinicalTrials.gov →

From the public ClinicalTrials.gov registry for “Lanreotide”, updated 2026-10-30. Shown for research context only; Purity Peptides products are not for human use.

Key references

  1. [1]Manufacturer's prescribing information — FDA / EMA / ANVISA
  2. [2]Caplin et al., 2014 — N Engl J Med 371:224–233

FAQ

  • Lanreotide spontaneously assembles into nanotubes with a remarkably uniform diameter when dissolved in water at high concentration. The resulting gel acts as a self-forming depot that releases peptide slowly, avoiding the polymer microspheres used by many other extended-release peptides.

  • Both are cyclic octapeptide somatostatin analogues with preferential SSTR2 and SSTR5 binding. They differ in amino acid sequence, formulation technology and specific approved indications. Researchers often use them comparatively in studies of SSTR2 signalling and tumour biology.

  • CLARINET was a randomised, placebo-controlled phase 3 trial of lanreotide in non-functioning, well-differentiated enteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumours. It assessed progression-free survival and is widely cited in research on the antiproliferative activity of somatostatin analogues.

FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY.Not for human or veterinary use. Not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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