SS-31 (Elamipretide) Research Evidence
The SS-31 (Elamipretide) evidence base: trials, journals, and what the data does not yet show.
A Real Win, With a Real Miss Right Next to It
The TAZPOWER extension study tracked 8 Barth syndrome patients out to 168 weeks and saw them walk roughly 96 meters farther on a 6-minute walk test — the data that supported FDA approval. But MMPOWER-3, a larger 218-person, 24-week trial in a different mitochondrial-muscle condition, saw no improvement in walking distance or fatigue. Separately, heart-failure and dry age-related macular degeneration trials both missed their primary endpoints. The win is real but genuinely narrow.
Regulatory and Legal Status
SS-31 is FDA-approved specifically for Barth syndrome as of September 2025. Use outside that approved indication — including general mitochondrial-health or longevity research use — is not FDA-approved for that purpose, and is sold by research-peptide vendors as an unapproved compound (RUO) in that context. Researchers and users should verify the legal status of off-label SS-31 use in their jurisdiction.
Trials and reviews
- TAZPOWER extensionBarth syndrome program2025
~96m farther on a 6-minute walk test over 168 weeks, leading to FDA approval
- MMPOWER-3Neurology2020
n=218, no improvement in walking distance or fatigue in a different mitochondrial-muscle condition