Demoxytocin
A deaminated, longer-acting form of oxytocin that was dissolved as a tablet in the cheek to bring on labour and milk let-down — a mid-20th-century oxytocic now largely out of use
Oxytocin is the hormone that makes the womb contract in labour and lets milk down during nursing, but as a drug it has to be dripped into a vein because it is destroyed quickly. Demoxytocin, also called desamino-oxytocin, is oxytocin with one chemical change: the amino group at its front end is removed. That small change makes it resist the enzymes that break oxytocin down, so it acts longer and more strongly, and — importantly for its era — it could be given as a tablet held in the cheek rather than by infusion. From the 1960s it was used in several countries, under names such as Sandopart, to induce and strengthen labour and to help milk let-down. It was never approved in the United States and is now largely historical.
Used in human trials: 50 IU, Every half hour (up to 500 IU/day), Buccal (Labour induction, buccal) Details ↓
Recommended Dosing
Used in human trials
There is no FDA label. A label from outside the US exists (see the regulatory status on this page) but was not read for this page: these are amounts given in published trials, not recommendations.
What is it?
Oxytocin, the nine-amino-acid hormone of the posterior pituitary, does two obstetric jobs: it makes the uterus contract and it squeezes milk out of the breast. Given as a medicine to start or strengthen labour, it works, but it is broken down fast and has to be infused into a vein under careful control. Chemists in the 1960s looked for analogues that would last longer and could be given more simply.
Demoxytocin is one of the earliest successful examples. It is oxytocin with the amino group at position one removed, which is why it is called desamino- or 1-deamino-oxytocin. Removing that group blocks one of the routes by which the body inactivates oxytocin, so the analogue circulates longer and, dose for dose, acts more strongly on the uterus. A practical consequence followed: it stayed active when absorbed through the lining of the mouth, so it could be given as a tablet dissolved in the cheek rather than by drip.
That buccal route was its signature. In pregnant women at term, a buccal tablet raised the strength and frequency of contractions without changing the resting tone of the uterus, and the effect built up over roughly one to two hours. Through the 1970s and early 1980s it was compared head to head with the other methods of bringing on labour, chiefly intravenous oxytocin and oral prostaglandin. In those trials buccal demoxytocin induced labour in the large majority of overdue pregnancies, broadly comparable to prostaglandin, though some studies noted a higher rate of assisted deliveries.
Its other use followed from oxytocin's second job: helping milk let down in the early days of nursing. Given as a buccal or nasal preparation, it was used to assist breastfeeding, the same niche the nasal oxytocin sprays of the time filled.
The chemistry that made demoxytocin was itself a landmark: deaminating position one became a standard trick for making more stable, more potent peptide-hormone analogues, and later work built ever more refined syntheses of oxytocin and deaminooxytocin to study how the molecule's disulphide bridge and ring shape control its action. Demoxytocin is still used in the laboratory as a stable oxytocin-receptor agonist for exactly that reason.
As a medicine, demoxytocin has been overtaken. Modern labour induction uses titratable intravenous oxytocin and prostaglandins, and the carbetocin analogue took the long-acting-oxytocin idea forward for preventing post-delivery bleeding. Demoxytocin was never approved in the United States and is now largely historical. It is not a general-purpose peptide and nothing here is a dose to use; any oxytocic belongs only in supervised obstetric care.
Mechanism of Action
Demoxytocin is oxytocin made sturdier. It binds the same receptor and does the same things, but because its front end is deaminated it resists breakdown and so acts longer and more strongly.
Oxytocin receptor on the uterus
Like oxytocin, demoxytocin activates the oxytocin receptor on uterine smooth muscle, raising the strength and frequency of contractions (PMID 1119485) — the basis of its use to induce and augment labour.
Milk let-down
Through the same receptor on the breast's myoepithelial cells it drives milk ejection, the second action of oxytocin, which is why it was also used to assist breastfeeding.
Published Research
These are studies of demoxytocin read from their PubMed abstracts on November 5, 2026. The clinical record is a set of 1970s-80s trials of buccal tablets for inducing and strengthening labour, compared with oral prostaglandin and intravenous oxytocin; the chemistry card documents the synthesis and pharmacology of the deaminated analogue. Much of the older clinical literature on the drug predates PubMed abstracts and is not carded here.
Uterine contractility in women at term
In pregnant women at term, buccal desamino-oxytocin increased the strength and frequency of uterine contractions, measured directly as amniotic-fluid pressure, without changing the resting (basal) pressure of the uterus. The effect built up gradually: the time to reach the maximum ranged from about 57 to 106 minutes after the first tablet. The study characterised how quickly and how long the buccal route acted.
Three ways to induce labour, 325 women
A study of 325 women compared labour-induction methods. One group received buccal desaminooxytocin at 50 International units every half hour (up to 500 units a day), others received oral prostaglandin E2 or intravenous oxytocin, with groups split by how ready the cervix was (Bishop score). The trial set the buccal oxytocic beside the standard methods of its day and reported their relative success at bringing on labour.
Buccal tablets versus oral prostaglandin
In overdue pregnancies, randomly assigned women were induced with either oral prostaglandin E2 or buccal tablets of demoxytocin. Labour was successfully induced in 95.7 percent of the prostaglandin group and 92.1 percent of the demoxytocin group, a comparable result; both had low operative-delivery and low perinatal-distress rates, though the operative-delivery rate was significantly higher with demoxytocin.
Induction without breaking the waters
In 132 first-time mothers with an unripe cervix (Bishop score under 7), labour was induced without first rupturing the membranes using oral prostaglandin E2, buccal demoxytocin, or a two-day combination of the two. There was no significant difference in how well the three approaches induced labour, supporting buccal demoxytocin as a workable alternative in that setting.
Making and testing the deaminated analogue
A chemistry study that developed improved ways to build the sulphur-sulphur bridge that closes oxytocin's ring, using oxytocin and deaminooxytocin (demoxytocin) as the model peptides, and tested the pharmacology of the products. Work of this kind established the deaminated, disulphide-bridged structure as a route to stable, potent oxytocin analogues.
Dosing Data
The one dose row below is the buccal regimen from a published labour-induction trial, recorded to document the historical clinical use rather than to be followed. Demoxytocin is not US-approved and is largely out of use; any oxytocic belongs only in supervised obstetric care, where the dose is titrated to the contractions and the baby's condition.
Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose above is tagged with its source: an approved label, a published human study, animal data, or amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
What a Buyer Needs to Know
What is sold, how it is mixed, stored and taken, and what is known about its safety, quality and legal status. Each part names its source. Where we have none, it says unknown.
What is sold
Unknown: we hold no label and no published test that says what forms or vial sizes Demoxytocin is sold in. A vial's own label is a seller's claim, not a source.
Mixing a vial: a worked example
No worked example: none of the doses on this page is a fixed amount in mg or mcg injected under the skin or into a muscle (the routes given are: buccal). There is no home-mixing step to show. The reconstitution calculator does the arithmetic for any vial.
Source: the route and amount of each dose row in Dosing Data below.
Storage before and after mixing
Unknown: no label or published stability study on file says how to store Demoxytocin, before or after mixing. The mixing guide sets out the general rules, with their sources: keep a mixed vial in the fridge, and use it promptly, as the bacteriostatic water label says of any drug dissolved in it. The 28 days often quoted is the limit for an opened multiple-dose vial from a manufacturer, an outer limit set for sterility, not a time a mixed solution has been shown to keep. Nobody has published how long Demoxytocin stays intact once mixed.
How it is taken
As it was given in human studies: Buccal (Every half hour (up to 500 IU/day); Labour induction, buccal).
For injection technique, sites and needle disposal, see the mixing guide.
Source: Used in human trials: the route and frequency of each row in Dosing Data below.
What to expect, and when
How long it stays in the body: a half-life of longer-acting than oxytocin; buccal effect peaks in about 1-2 hours. After about five half-lives almost none is left.
How long the doses were given: Labour induction, buccal: Until labour established.
When effects appear: unknown; no source on this page gives a time to effect for Demoxytocin. Results reported in the studies are under Published Research.
Source: half-life: PMID 1119485; Used in human trials, the duration of each row in Dosing Data below.
Side effects, and when to stop or get help
From the Side Effects section: A higher assisted- (operative-) delivery rate than oral prostaglandin in one comparison (PMID 42577); The hazards common to all oxytocics: over-strong or too-frequent contractions that can distress the baby (class effect); Low perinatal-distress rates were reported in the induction trials (PMID 42577); No modern adverse-event dataset exists, as its clinical use dates to the 1960s-80s. Full list and cautions ↓
When to stop or get help: unknown; no label or trial on file sets rules for stopping Demoxytocin. Treat a severe or unexpected reaction as a reason to stop and see a doctor.
Source: the Side Effects section below (“From the labour-induction trials and from what any oxytocic does; the drug is historical and has no modern safety dossier in these sources”).
Interactions
Unknown: a PubMed search for human interaction studies of Demoxytocin (reviewed 2026-11-05) found none. Unknown is not the same as safe to combine.
Every peptide's record, with its source: the interaction matrix.
Checking what you bought
Unknown: no published independent test of Demoxytocin products is in our lab-results database yet, so how products sold under this name measure up is not known.
To read a certificate of analysis, paste it into the COA decoder. Trust & Verification explains what independent testing can and cannot show.
Legal status
US: Discontinued (Not approved in the United States: Drugs@FDA and the openFDA label endpoint hold no record (searched November 5, 2026)). Elsewhere: approved in Historically marketed abroad as a buccal oxytocic (e.g. Sandopart, ODA 914); now largely out of use. Sport: Not on the 2026 List.
Country by country ↓ · Regulatory tracker
Source: this entry's approval status and the WADA Prohibited List, as in Legal Status below.
Side Effects & Contraindications
Reported Side Effects
From the labour-induction trials and from what any oxytocic does; the drug is historical and has no modern safety dossier in these sources.
Contraindications & Cautions
Demoxytocin is not a US-approved medicine. These points come from its class and the trials.
Legal Status
Demoxytocin is an oxytocin analogue that was used clinically abroad but is not approved in the United States and is now largely historical.
Frequently Asked Questions
?What is demoxytocin?
An analogue of the hormone oxytocin, also called desamino-oxytocin or 1-deamino-oxytocin. It is oxytocin with its front-end amino group removed, which makes it last longer and act more strongly, and lets it be given as a tablet dissolved in the cheek.
?What was it used for?
As an oxytocic: to induce and strengthen labour, and to help milk let down during breastfeeding. In labour-induction trials buccal demoxytocin worked in about 90 percent of overdue pregnancies, comparable to prostaglandin (PMIDs 42577, 7282312).
?Is it approved?
Not in the United States: there is no FDA application or label for it. It was marketed historically in other countries as a buccal oxytocic but is now largely out of use, overtaken by titratable intravenous oxytocin and prostaglandins.
?How is it different from oxytocin and carbetocin?
All act on the oxytocin receptor. Oxytocin is the natural hormone, short-acting and given by vein. Demoxytocin is deaminated to last longer and be given buccally. Carbetocin is a later long-acting oxytocin analogue, used to prevent bleeding after delivery.
?Is it available to buy?
No. Demoxytocin is not a US medicine and is not sold as a consumer product. Any oxytocic belongs only in supervised obstetric care. Grey Peptides lists no sellers and recommends no source.
References
- [clinical-trial] Tobías H. "Latent period, time to reach maximum effect, and disappearance of uterine contractility induced by desamino-oxytocin." Am J Obstet Gynecol, 1975;121(3):337-41. PMID: 1119485.
- [clinical-trial] Lykkesfeldt G, et al. "A comparison of three methods for inducing labor: oral prostaglandin E2, buccal desaminooxytocin, intravenous oxytocin." Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 1979;58(4):321-5. PMID: 525265.
- [clinical-trial] Ulstein M, et al. "A comparative study of labor induced by oral prostaglandin E2 and buccal tablets of demoxytocin." Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 1979;17(3):243-5. PMID: 42577.
- [clinical-trial] Lykkesfeldt G, et al. "Induction of labor with oral prostaglandin E2 and buccal demoxytocin without amniotomy." Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand, 1981;60(4):429-30. PMID: 7282312.
- [animal] Chen L, et al. "Synthesis and pharmacology of novel analogues of oxytocin and deaminooxytocin: directed methods for the construction of disulfide and trisulfide bridges in peptides." J Med Chem, 1997;40(6):864-76. PMID: 9083475.
- [other] FDA Global Substance Registration System, Demoxytocin, UNII 2N9HM3X95F (INN 2685, CAS 113-78-0, PubChem 449224; also 1-deaminooxytocin, desaminooxytocin), read November 5, 2026: a nonapeptide oxytocin analogue in which oxytocin's N-terminal amino group is removed (position-1 deamination), replacing the hemicystine with a beta-mercaptopropionyl residue. https://gsrs.ncats.nih.gov/ginas/app/beta/substances/2N9HM3X95F
- [other] ChEMBL molecule CHEMBL435716 (DEMOXYTOCIN), read November 5, 2026: synonyms Demoxytocin, Desaminooxytocin, 1-Deaminooxytocin, Demoxitocina; highest clinical phase recorded 2. https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chembl/compound_report_card/CHEMBL435716/
- [other] US FDA, Drugs@FDA and the drug label endpoint (openFDA), searched November 5, 2026: no application and no label record for demoxytocin in the United States. It has an FDA substance record (UNII 2N9HM3X95F) and an INN.
- [registry] ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, searched November 5, 2026: 0 records for demoxytocin or desaminooxytocin. Its clinical use dates to the 1960s-80s, before the registry began in 2000. https://clinicaltrials.gov/search?term=demoxytocin
Sources & Citations
The five studies carded above were read from their PubMed records on November 5, 2026. Structure, codes and identifiers come from the FDA Global Substance Registration System (UNII 2N9HM3X95F) and ChEMBL (CHEMBL435716); the absence of US approval from Drugs@FDA and openFDA, and of registered trials from ClinicalTrials.gov, all checked the same day. Much older clinical literature on the drug predates PubMed abstracts. Grey Peptides sells nothing and links to no vendor.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.