Is oxandrolone legal in the UK?
Controlled drugClass C, Schedule 4 Part 2· Last checked 23 October 2026
UK legal status
Short answer Inferred
Oxandrolone is a Class C anabolic steroid in the UK (Schedule 4 Part 2) and has no UK marketing authorisation. Personal possession is not an offence, but supply is, and importing it by post or courier without a Home Office licence is illegal.
- Status
- Controlled drug
- Inferred
- Schedule or class
- Class C, Schedule 4 Part 2
- Regulator
- Home Office / MHRA
- Medicine class
- Anabolic steroid
- CAS / ATC
- 53-39-4 · A14AA08
- Identifiers.
What oxandrolone is
Oxandrolone is an oral anabolic steroid once used to support weight gain after surgery or trauma. It is not licensed in the UK and is sold online mainly for bodybuilding.
Status in other markets
- United States
- Controlled drugSchedule III (anabolic steroid)DEA / FDA
- Verified
- Australia
- Controlled drugS4; border-controlled (import permit required)TGA / Office of Drug Control
- Inferred
- European Union
- Prescription onlyPrescription only; criminal controls vary by member stateEMA / national competent authorities
- Unverified
Licences needed to import
- Importing oxandrolone into Great Britain from India, which is not on the approved country for import list, needs an MHRA manufacturer's licence of the appropriate type.
- Distributing it by way of wholesale dealing needs a wholesale dealer's licence, and licensed wholesalers must follow Good Distribution Practice.
- The product must hold a UK marketing authorisation, or be supplied as an unlicensed medicine under the specials rules with the MHRA notified before import.
- Because oxandrolone is a controlled drug in the UK, the import also needs a Home Office licence, in addition to the MHRA licences above.
28 Indian export portals in our Nagpur dataset name oxandrolone on their profiles. We do not list them on this page. To check a specific business, use the UK verification request.
Personal import
No specific UK personal-import rule is recorded for this medicine.
Any pharmacy supplying medicines to UK patients, online or in person, must be registered with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC). You can search the GPhC register by name or registration number.
Penalties
- Possessing a medicinal product containing this substance for personal use is not an offence. Possession with intent to supply is: up to 14 years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
- Carrying it into the UK in person for your own use is permitted. Importing it by post, courier or freight without a Home Office licence is an offence under the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s.170.
- Supply: up to 14 years' imprisonment, an unlimited fine, or both.
Maximum sentences. Actual outcomes depend on the facts of each case.
Sources
- Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
- Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001
- Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s.170
- DEA: Controlled substances, alphabetical order
- Office of Drug Control (import permits)
- TGA Personal Importation Scheme
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 17 (manufacturer's licence)
- Human Medicines Regulations 2012, reg. 18 (wholesale dealer's licence)
- MHRA: Import a human medicine
- Home Office: Controlled drugs licences, fees and returns
General information, not legal advice. Entries marked Inferred or Unverified have not been confirmed against a primary source. See our methodology and corrections policy.