ACE-031 side effects and risks
An experimental muscle-growth protein whose Duchenne program stopped over bleeding concerns.
Also called: Ramatercept, ACE031, ActRIIB-IgG1, ActRIIB-Fc.
Myostatin pathway · Soluble activin receptor IIB–IgG1 Fc fusion protein.
Reported side effects
- Nosebleeds: Duchenne: 1/9 at 0.5 mg/kg; 5/9 at 1 mg/kg; 0/6 placebo., moderate. Stop further exposure and contact a clinician; persistent heavy bleeding needs urgent care. (source)
- Visible small blood vessels on skin: Duchenne: 0/9 at 0.5 mg/kg; 5/9 at 1 mg/kg; 0/6 placebo., moderate. A program-stopping vascular signal; seek review if new spots or bleeding occur. (source)
- Injection-site redness: Duchenne: 3/9 at 0.5 mg/kg; 6/9 at 1 mg/kg; 3/6 placebo., mild. Worsening warmth, fever or spreading redness needs assessment. (source)
- Headache: Duchenne: 1/9 at 0.5 mg/kg; 3/9 at 1 mg/kg; 1/6 placebo., mild. Severe headache with weakness, fainting or vision change needs urgent care. (source)
- Pain, warmth and flu-like symptoms after market products: Isolated self reports; rates and actual product identity unknown., moderate. Stop further use and seek care for persistent fever, severe pain or systemic illness. (source)
Stop and get help if
- Nosebleed lasting over 10–15 minutes, heavy bleeding, dizziness or trouble breathing: Stop further exposure and get urgent care; call emergency services for heavy bleeding or fainting.
- Breathing trouble or swelling of the face or tongue after injection: Call emergency services now.
- Fever with worsening painful injection-site swelling: Stop injections and seek urgent assessment.
Who should avoid it
- pregnant: No pregnancy safety data or validated fetal exposure limits; reproductive-age pregnancy was not studied.
- breastfeeding: No breastfeeding or infant-exposure safety data were found.
- tryingToConceive: Activin pathways affect reproduction; human fertility safety and washout remain unknown.
- under18: The pediatric program stopped for vascular safety concerns; community protocols are restricted to adults.
- bleedingDisorder: Nosebleeds and visible small blood vessels stopped the Duchenne study.
- other: A history of hereditary bleeding-vessel disease raises concern with the observed vascular adverse effects.
- other: Severe allergic-reaction history was excluded from the first human trial.
- activeCancer: Healthy-volunteer studies excluded malignancy; safety during active cancer is unknown.
- cancerHistory: Prior malignancy was generally excluded from healthy-volunteer studies.
- surgeryPlanned: Bleeding risk and long exposure matter; the extension excluded planned surgery. No validated washout exists.
- heartCondition: Significant heart disease outside the Duchenne diagnosis was excluded; safety is uncertain.
- kidneyDisease: Significant kidney disease was excluded; no validated dose adjustment exists.
- liverDisease: Significant liver disease was excluded; no validated dose adjustment exists.
- testedAthlete: ACE-031 is prohibited in and out of competition under WADA S4.3.
Interactions
- Anticoagulants: Bleeding risks may add up. This is a precaution from the trial signal, not a measured interaction.
- Antiplatelets and NSAIDs: These drugs can increase bleeding. Combined risk with ACE-031 has not been measured.
- Other activin or myostatin blockers: Overlapping signaling blockade has unknown safety. No human trial validates this stack.
- Erythropoiesis-stimulating drugs: These medicines were excluded in the multiple-dose trial; the clinical interaction is unknown.
Product quality risks
- None of 14 tested market products contained ACE-031; 12 held full-length receptor without the Fc fusion.
- One product contained follistatin and one ipamorelin. The 12 receptor products contained many extra proteins.
- A wrong receptor protein cannot inherit the trial molecule’s dose, activity or 10–15-day half-life.
- No sterility or endotoxin guarantee follows from identity or purity testing.
Related to ACE-031
- Follistatin-344: Human gene-therapy findings do not establish a dose for follistatin-344 protein vials.
- Ipamorelin: An experimental peptide that triggers growth hormone release.
- Hexarelin: A peptide that releases growth hormone; repeated use can weaken the response.
Sources
- 503B Bulk Drug Substances List, FDA · FDA · 2026
- Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, FDA · FDA · 2026
- Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act, FDA · FDA · 2026
- Cellulitis, NHS · NHS · 2026
- Find product information about medicines, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency · MHRA · 2026
- Medicines, European Medicines Agency · European Medicines Agency · 2026
- Pyrogen and Endotoxins Testing: Questions and Answers, FDA · 2026
- The 2026 Prohibited List, World Anti-Doping Agency · WADA · 2026
- Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026, Australian Government · Australian Government · 2026
- Anaphylaxis, NHS · NHS · 2023
- Definition of the Term “Biological Product” Final Regulatory Impact Analysis, FDA · 2020
- Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), Therapeutic Goods Administration · TGA
- Mixing, Diluting, or Repackaging Biological Products Outside the Scope of an Approved Biologics License Application Guidance for Industry, FDA
- Nosebleed, NHS
- Search criteria - Drug Product Database online query, Health Canada · Health Canada
Sources checked: 2026-10-18.
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