Lanreotide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Lanreotide is a somatostatin analog sold in the U.S. under one brand, for acromegaly and neuroendocrine tumors. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class: Somatostatin Analog
Treats: Acromegaly and Neuroendocrine Tumors
Available as: Injectable
Sold as: Somatuline Depot
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Not in our catalog

How lanreotide is dosed

From the FDA label for Somatuline Depot (application NDA022074). Other lanreotide products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Administration ( 2.1 ): For deep subcutaneous injection only. Intended for administration by a healthcare provider. Administer in the superior external quadrant of the buttock. Alternate injection sites. Recommended Dosage ( 2.1 ) Acromegaly: 90 mg every 4 weeks for 3 months. Adjust thereafter based on GH and/or IGF-1 levels. See full prescribing information for titration regimen. GEP-NETs: 120 mg every 4 weeks. Carcinoid Syndrome: 120 mg every 4 weeks. If patients are already being treated with SOMATULINE DEPOT for GEP-NET, do not administer an additional dose for carcinoid syndrome. Dosage Adjustment: See full prescribing information for dosage adjustment in patients with acromegaly and renal or hepatic impairment. ( 2.3 , 2.4 ) 2.1 Important Administration Instructions For deep subcutaneous injection only. SOMATULINE DEPOT is intended for administration by a healthcare provider. Refer to the Instructions For Use (IFU) for complete administration instructions with illustrations. Preparation Remove SOMATULINE DEPOT from the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to administration and allow to come to room temperature. Keep pouch sealed until just prior to injection. Product left in its sealed pouch at room temperature (not to exceed 104°F or 40°C) for up to 72 hours may be returned to the refrigerator for continued storage and use at a later time. Prior to administration, inspect the…

Lanreotide side effects

The following adverse reactions to SOMATULINE DEPOT are discussed in greater detail in other sections of the labeling: Cholelithiasis and Complications of Cholelithiasis [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] Cardiovascular Abnormalities [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] Thyroid Function Abnormalities [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4) ] Steatorrhea and Malabsorption of Dietary Fats [see Warnings and Precautions (5.6) ] Most common adverse reactions are: Acromegaly (>5%): diarrhea, cholelithiasis, abdominal pain, nausea and injection site reactions. ( 6.1 ) GEP-NET (>10%): abdominal pain, musculoskeletal pain, vomiting, headache, injection site reaction, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and cholelithiasis. ( 6.1 ) Carcinoid Syndrome : (≥5% and at least 5% greater than placebo): headache, dizziness and muscle spasm. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Ipsen Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-855-463-5127 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Acromegaly The data described below reflect exposure to…

Who shouldn’t take lanreotide

SOMATULINE DEPOT is contraindicated in patients with history of a hypersensitivity to lanreotide. Allergic reactions (including angioedema and anaphylaxis) have been reported following administration of lanreotide [ see Adverse Reactions (6.3) ] . Hypersensitivity to lanreotide. ( 4 )

Lanreotide drug interactions

Cyclosporine : SOMATULINE DEPOT may decrease the absorption of cyclosporine. Dosage adjustment of cyclosporine may be needed. ( 7.2 ) Bromocriptine : SOMATULINE DEPOT may increase the absorption of bromocriptine. ( 7.3 ) Bradycardia-Inducing Drugs (e.g., beta-blockers) : SOMATULINE DEPOT may decrease heart rate. Dosage adjustment of the coadministered drug may be necessary. ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Insulin and Oral Hypoglycemic Drugs Lanreotide, like somatostatin and other somatostatin analogs, inhibits the secretion of insulin and glucagon. Therefore, blood glucose levels should be monitored when SOMATULINE DEPOT treatment is initiated or when the dose is altered, and antidiabetic treatment should be adjusted accordingly [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] . 7.2 Cyclosporine Concomitant administration of cyclosporine with SOMATULINE DEPOT may decrease the absorption of cyclosporine, and therefore, may necessitate adjustment of cyclosporine dose to maintain therapeutic drug concentrations. [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] 7.3 Bromocriptine Limited published data indicate that concomitant administration of a somatostatin analog and bromocriptine may increase the absorption of bromocriptine [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] . 7.4 Bradycardia-Inducing Drugs Concomitant administration of bradycardia-inducing drugs (e.g., beta-blockers) may have an additive effect on the reduction of heart rate associated with lanreotide. Dosage adjustments of concomitant drugs may be necessary. 7.5 Drug Metabolism Interactions The limited published data available indicate that somatostatin analogs may decrease the metabolic clearance of compounds known to be metabolized by cytochrome P450 enzymes, which may be due to the suppression of growth hormone. Since it cannot be excluded that SOMATULINE DEPOT may have this effect, avoid other drugs mainly metabolized by CYP3A4 and which have a low therapeutic index (e.g., quinidine, terfenadine). Drugs metabolized by the liver may be metabolized more slowly during SOMATULINE DEPOT treatment and dose reductions of the concomitantly administered medications should be considered [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3) ] .

Every lanreotide product we track (1)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Only one: Somatuline Depot.

Lanreotide recalls

From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.

How long lanreotide keeps

No lanreotide label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.

Does lanreotide expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

Lanreotide and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

The excretion of lanreotide into breastmilk has not been studied. However, because it has a high molecular weight of 1096 daltons it is likely to be poorly excreted into breastmilk and it is a peptide that is likely digested in the infant's gastrointestinal tract, so it is unlikely to reach the clinically important levels in infant serum. Lanreotide has been given by injection to newborn infants with congenital hyperinsulinemia; reversible mild elevation of liver enzymes occurred in some infants. The manufacturer states that women should not breastfeed during treatment with depot lanreotide and for 6 months following the last dose.

Full LactMed record for lanreotide: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised February 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about lanreotide

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 3,220 reports naming lanreotide, and the FDA flagged 93% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

diarrhoea565 reports
fatigue413 reports
abdominal pain331 reports
nausea298 reports
malignant neoplasm progression279 reports
asthenia254 reports
weight decreased252 reports
malaise250 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean lanreotide caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.

Related calculators

How long it stays in your system →

Frequently asked questions

What is lanreotide?

SOMATULINE DEPOT (lanreotide) Injection 60 mg/0.2 mL, 90 mg/0.3 mL, and 120 mg/0.5 mL is a prolonged-release formulation for deep subcutaneous injection. It contains the drug substance lanreotide acetate, a synthetic octapeptide with a biological activity similar to naturally occurring somatostatin, water for injection and acetic acid (for pH adjustment). SOMATULINE DEPOT is available as sterile, ready-to-use, single-dose prefilled syringes containing lanreotide acetate supersaturated bulk solution of 24.6% w/w lanreotide base. Each syringe contains: SOMATULINE DEPOT 60 mg/0.2 mL SOMATULINE DEPOT 90 mg/0.3 mL SOMATULINE DEPOT 120 mg/0.5 mL Lanreotide acetate 77.9 mg 113.6 mg 149.4 mg Acetic Acid q.s. q.s. q.s. Water for injection 186.6 mg 272.3 mg 357.8 mg Total Weight 266 mg 388 mg 510 mg Lanreotide acetate is a synthetic cyclical octapeptide analog of the natural hormone, somatostatin.

What kind of drug is lanreotide?

The FDA classifies lanreotide as a somatostatin analog. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.

Can you take lanreotide with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run lanreotide against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What forms does lanreotide come in?

Across the brands we track, lanreotide is currently marketed as injectable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic lanreotide?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled lanreotide product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Has lanreotide been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement database lists 3 recall records whose product description mentions lanreotide. The most recent: Lanreotide Injection (Mar 13, 2026). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Lanreotide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/lanreotide
MLA: “Lanreotide: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/lanreotide.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for lanreotide on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.