Track acarbose in Peptimes™
Acarbose is an oral alpha-glucosidase inhibitor: an oligosaccharide obtained by fermentation of the microorganism Actinoplanes utahensis. It is the active ingredient in FDA-approved prescription tablets. (Source: DailyMed label.)
Is acarbose FDA-approved?
Yes, as specific products: generic acarbose tablets are FDA-approved for the use in their labels, and they're prescription only. The brand Precose is discontinued.
Acarbose
Also: BAY g 5421, Precose
- Status label in the Peptimes Library
- FDA Approved
- Routes in Peptimes
- Oral
- Updated
- 1 Nov 2026
US regulatory status
FDA approval belongs to the product below, for its route and the uses in its label. Label uses are shortened unless quoted.
Generic acarbose tablets, from several manufacturers (the original brand, Precose, is discontinued)
Oral
As an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Source: DailyMed label, checked 1 Nov 2026
Investigational
No, for the product and uses above.
Source: Drugs@FDA, checked 1 Nov 2026
What studies have looked at
Each point says who or what was studied and what the study reported, with its source and the date we checked it. These are findings from the sources cited, not advice or a promise of any result.
- In humans
A placebo-controlled trial (STOP-NIDDM) in 1,429 adults with impaired glucose tolerance: diabetes developed in 32% on acarbose and 42% on placebo (relative hazard 0.75). 31% on acarbose and 19% on placebo stopped treatment early.
Source: PMID 12086760, checked 1 Nov 2026
- In humans
A placebo-controlled trial (ACE) in 6,522 Chinese adults with coronary heart disease and impaired glucose tolerance, followed for a median of 5 years: the main cardiovascular outcome didn't differ (14% vs 15%; hazard ratio 0.98). Diabetes developed less often with acarbose (13% vs 16%).
Source: PMID 28917545, checked 1 Nov 2026
- In animals or the lab
In genetically mixed mice tested at three sites, acarbose increased median lifespan by 22% in males and 5% in females; 90th-percentile lifespan rose 11% in males and 9% in females.
Source: PMID 24245565, checked 1 Nov 2026
How to track it in Peptimes
Add acarbose in My Protocols and set the schedule you already follow: days of the week, times of day and a start date. Peptimes never suggests an amount when you log or schedule a dose. Its Library entry shows the status label “FDA Approved”; the entry above gives the products it applies to.
- Logging: the amount you took and how you feel. It’s logged as oral, so there’s no injection site to record.
- Reminders and history: reminders at your times, Dose History, the Calendar and CSV or JSON export work as described on the peptide tracker app page.
Peptimes is a tracking app, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician about your treatment. Peptimes doesn’t sell acarbose or any other compound.
More sources
- FDA, Drugs@FDA, NDA 020482 (Precose), checked 1 Nov 2026: listed as discontinued, with a Federal Register determination that it wasn’t withdrawn for safety or effectiveness reasons. Generic tablets are listed under “Acarbose”.
- FDA, Global Substance Registration System, Acarbose, checked 1 Nov 2026: its formula, C25H43NO18, and the code name BAY g 5421.
Related pages
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