Skip to main content
    Educational information only. This site does not provide medical advice. Read full disclaimer
    PepTracker Pro
    Open the App
    Research-only content. This page is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice. Read full disclaimer →

    Sotatercept

    High Evidence

    Sotatercept (Winrevair, sotatercept-csrk) is Merck's first-in-class activin signaling inhibitor - a recombinant ActRIIA-Fc fusion protein that acts as a ligand trap for activin A, activin B, GDF-8 (myostatin) and GDF-11. It is FDA-approved for adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), where it improved 6-minute walk distance by 40.8 meters in the Phase 3 STELLAR trial and, in the Phase 3 ZENITH trial in high-risk patients, cut the composite risk of death, lung transplantation and PAH hospitalization by 76%. An expanded U.S. label reflecting ZENITH was approved on October 27, 2025.

    AliasesSotatercept+6 more
    EvidenceHigh Evidence
    Last Updated 2026-07-20
    Reading Time 7 min

    What It Is

    Sotatercept (brand name Winrevair; nonproprietary sotatercept-csrk; formerly ACE-011 / MK-7962) is a first-in-class activin signaling inhibitor originally developed by Acceleron Pharma and now marketed by Merck (MSD outside the U.S.). Structurally it is not a small peptide but a recombinant fusion protein: the extracellular ligand-binding domain of human activin receptor type IIA (ActRIIA) fused to the Fc portion of human IgG1. That construct works as a decoy receptor, or ligand trap, sequestering activin A, activin B, growth differentiation factor 8 (GDF-8, better known as myostatin) and GDF-11 before they can engage their native receptors. In pulmonary arterial hypertension, this matters because PAH is driven by an imbalance between pro-proliferative activin/SMAD2/3 signaling and growth-suppressing BMPR-II/SMAD1/5/9 signaling in the pulmonary arteries. Conventional PAH drugs - endothelin receptor antagonists, PDE5 inhibitors, prostacyclin analogs - are vasodilators that relax the vessels but do not address the cellular overgrowth that progressively narrows them. By restoring the activin/BMP balance, sotatercept exerts anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects and, in preclinical models, reverses pulmonary vascular remodeling - disease-modifying activity that vasodilators do not produce. The pivotal Phase 3 STELLAR trial (published in the New England Journal of Medicine, 2023) randomized adults with PAH on stable background therapy and met its primary endpoint: a placebo-corrected improvement in 6-minute walk distance of 40.8 meters at week 24 (95% CI 27.5-54.1; p<0.001), with significant benefit in eight of nine secondary endpoints including WHO functional class and pulmonary vascular resistance, and an 84% reduction in the risk of death or clinical worsening events over a median 32.7 weeks of follow-up. On that basis the FDA approved Winrevair in March 2024. The follow-on Phase 3 ZENITH trial went further, enrolling 172 adults with WHO functional class III or IV PAH at high risk of mortality, randomized 1:1 to sotatercept (target dose 0.7 mg/kg subcutaneously every 3 weeks) or placebo on top of background therapy; it was stopped early for overwhelming efficacy after sotatercept reduced the composite risk of all-cause death, lung transplantation and PAH hospitalization by 76% versus placebo. The parallel Phase 3 HYPERION study in recently diagnosed intermediate- and high-risk patients was also stopped early on the strength of the ZENITH data and separately met its primary endpoint. On October 27, 2025 the FDA approved an updated U.S. label based on ZENITH: Winrevair is now indicated for adults with PAH (WHO Group 1) to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class and to reduce the risk of clinical worsening events, including hospitalization for PAH, lung transplantation and death. Development continues beyond Group 1 disease: the Phase 2 CADENCE study reported positive topline results in November 2025 in adults with combined pre- and post-capillary pulmonary hypertension due to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (WHO Group 2), and the Phase 2 MOONBEAM study (NCT05587712) is the first dedicated trial of sotatercept in children aged 1 to 17 with PAH. Because sotatercept traps myostatin and GDF-11 alongside the activins, it is mechanistically the broadest member of a growing family of activin-axis drugs that includes the anti-activin-A antibody garetosmab, the ActRII-blocking antibody bimagrumab, the anti-myostatin antibodies trevogrumab and apitegromab, and the myostatin/activin decoy taldefgrobep alfa - though sotatercept is the only one of the group with a full FDA approval.

    Also known as: Sotatercept, Winrevair, sotatercept-csrk, ACE-011, MK-7962, ActRIIA-Fc fusion protein, activin signaling inhibitor

    Regulatory Status

    FDA-approved prescription biologic

    Winrevair (sotatercept-csrk) for injection, 45 mg and 60 mg, was first approved by the FDA in March 2024 based on the Phase 3 STELLAR trial. On October 27, 2025 the FDA approved an updated indication based on the Phase 3 ZENITH trial: treatment of adults with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, WHO Group 1) to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class and to reduce the risk of clinical worsening events, including hospitalization for PAH, lung transplantation and death. It is a prescription biologic administered by subcutaneous injection every 3 weeks with mandatory hemoglobin and platelet monitoring; it is not a research chemical, supplement, or over-the-counter product.

    Effective: October 2025

    View FDA Source

    Why Researchers Study It

    Sotatercept is the proof of concept that pulmonary arterial hypertension can be treated as a disease of cellular overgrowth rather than only of vascular tone. For three decades PAH therapy meant vasodilators, which relieve symptoms but leave the underlying remodeling of the pulmonary arteries intact. Sotatercept instead rebalances the activin/SMAD2/3 versus BMPR-II/SMAD1/5/9 signaling axis that governs whether pulmonary vascular cells proliferate or stay quiescent, and in animal models it reverses established remodeling. That mechanistic difference showed up clinically: a 40.8-meter 6-minute walk gain in STELLAR, an 84% reduction in death or clinical worsening in STELLAR, and a 76% reduction in death, transplant or hospitalization in the sickest patients in ZENITH - a magnitude of benefit rarely seen in PAH. Because ActRIIA-Fc traps myostatin and GDF-11 in addition to activins A and B, sotatercept is also the widest-spectrum tool available for asking what the activin axis does across tissues, and it sets the efficacy and safety benchmark against which more selective activin-axis agents such as garetosmab, bimagrumab, trevogrumab and apitegromab are judged.

    Proposed Mechanisms

    • Acts as a decoy receptor (ligand trap): the ActRIIA extracellular domain fused to human IgG1 Fc binds and sequesters activin A, activin B, GDF-8 (myostatin) and GDF-11 before they reach their native receptors
    • Reduces pro-proliferative SMAD2/3 signaling and restores the balance with growth-suppressing BMPR-II/SMAD1/5/9 signaling in pulmonary vascular cells
    • Exerts anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory effects on the pulmonary vasculature, reversing vascular remodeling in preclinical models rather than only dilating vessels
    • Lowers pulmonary vascular resistance and right-ventricular afterload, improving exercise capacity and functional class
    • By trapping myostatin and GDF-11, also engages the muscle and erythropoiesis arms of the activin axis - the origin of both its historical hematology development and its hemoglobin-raising effect

    Evidence Snapshot

    High Evidence
    Low
    Medium
    High
    Study Type Model Outcome Link
    Phase 3 (STELLAR) - randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Adults with PAH (WHO FC II or III) on stable background PAH therapy; sotatercept vs placebo for 24 weeks Primary endpoint met: placebo-corrected improvement in 6-minute walk distance of 40.8 m at week 24 (95% CI 27.5-54.1; p<0.001); 8 of 9 secondary endpoints improved, including WHO functional class and pulmonary vascular resistance; 84% reduction in risk of death or clinical worsening (median follow-up 32.7 weeks) Source
    Phase 3 (ZENITH, NCT04896008) - randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled; stopped early for efficacy 172 adults with PAH (WHO FC III or IV) at high risk of mortality; sotatercept 0.7 mg/kg target dose subcutaneously every 3 weeks (n=86) vs placebo (n=86), both on background PAH therapy 76% reduction in the risk of a composite of all-cause death, lung transplantation and hospitalization for PAH versus placebo; trial stopped early at a planned interim analysis for overwhelming efficacy Source
    Phase 3 (HYPERION) - randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled; stopped early Adults with recently diagnosed (within 12 months) intermediate- or high-risk PAH added to background therapy Met its primary endpoint; the study was stopped early after the positive ZENITH interim results made continued placebo exposure difficult to justify Source
    Regulatory - FDA label expansion U.S. product label for Winrevair (sotatercept-csrk) for injection, 45 mg / 60 mg On October 27, 2025 the FDA approved an updated indication based on ZENITH: to improve exercise capacity and WHO functional class and to reduce the risk of clinical worsening events, including PAH hospitalization, lung transplantation and death Source
    Safety - pooled clinical studies (prescribing information) Adults with PAH receiving sotatercept Most common adverse reactions (>=10% and 5% more than placebo): infections, epistaxis, telangiectasia, diarrhea, headache, rash, increased hemoglobin, dizziness, erythema, gingival bleeding. Hemoglobin elevations >2 g/dL above ULN in 15%; severe thrombocytopenia (platelets <50,000/mm3) in 3-6%. Hemoglobin and platelets must be checked before each of the first 5 doses Source

    Commonly Discussed Benefits

    Researching Sotatercept? Track it, set reminders, and keep notes in the free app.

    Track in App

    Safety & Cautions

    • Prescription-only biologic for a serious, life-threatening disease - sotatercept is not a wellness, performance or research-chemical compound and must be prescribed and monitored by a clinician experienced in PAH
    • Erythrocytosis: sotatercept raises hemoglobin, and severe elevations may increase the risk of thromboembolic events or hyperviscosity syndrome; hemoglobin elevations more than 2 g/dL above the upper limit of normal occurred in about 15% of treated patients
    • Thrombocytopenia and bleeding: severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count below 50,000/mm3) occurred in roughly 3-6% of treated patients; serious bleeding events have been reported
    • Mandatory laboratory monitoring - hemoglobin and platelet count must be measured before each of the first 5 doses (or longer if values are unstable) and periodically thereafter, with dose adjustment or interruption based on results
    • Common adverse reactions include epistaxis, telangiectasia, gingival bleeding, rash, headache, diarrhea and dizziness, reflecting the drug's effects on vascular and hematologic biology
    • Embryo-fetal toxicity: sotatercept may cause fetal harm; effective contraception is advised during treatment and for a period after the final dose, and it may impair female fertility
    • Because ActRIIA-Fc traps myostatin and GDF-11 in addition to activins, its off-target biology is broader than that of the selective anti-activin-A or anti-myostatin antibodies, and long-term consequences of that breadth are still being characterized
    • Use outside approved WHO Group 1 PAH - for example in Group 2 pulmonary hypertension due to HFpEF, or in children - remains investigational pending completion of the CADENCE and MOONBEAM programs

    Comparisons

    See how Sotatercept compares to related peptides:

    Calculator Tools

    Use our research tools to explore dosing and reconstitution data:

    Citations

    1. [1] Phase 3 Trial of Sotatercept for Treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (STELLAR) - New England Journal of Medicine (2023) PubMed
    2. [2] U.S. FDA Approves Updated Indication for WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk) in Adults with PAH Based on Phase 3 ZENITH Study - Merck (October 27, 2025) PubMed
    3. [3] WINREVAIR Reduced the Risk of a Composite of All-Cause Death, Lung Transplantation and Hospitalization for PAH by 76% Compared to Placebo in the Phase 3 ZENITH Trial - Merck PubMed
    4. [4] Merck Announces Phase 3 HYPERION Study of WINREVAIR Met Primary Endpoint in Recently Diagnosed Adults with PAH - Merck PubMed
    5. [5] WINREVAIR (sotatercept-csrk) for injection - U.S. Prescribing Information (Merck) PubMed
    6. [6] Sotatercept analog suppresses inflammation to reverse experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension - Scientific Reports (2022) PubMed

    Keep researching in the app

    • Log Sotatercept to your private tracker
    • Set a dosing reminder
    • Compare it side-by-side with your stack

    Related Peptides

    Bimagrumab

    Medium Evidence

    An anti-activin type II receptor antibody that promotes fat loss while preserving lean muscle mass, studied in combination with GLP-1 agonists for obesity.

    Taldefgrobep Alfa

    Low Evidence

    A novel myostatin-activin pathway inhibitor targeting fat reduction and lean mass gain, with Phase 2 results in obesity expected H2 2026.

    Vosoritide

    High Evidence

    A once-daily subcutaneous peptide (a 39-amino-acid analog of C-type natriuretic peptide, CNP) that is the first approved medicine to increase linear growth in children with achondroplasia. Marketed by BioMarin as Voxzogo, it works one step downstream of the overactive FGFR3 receptor that causes achondroplasia: by binding natriuretic peptide receptor-B (NPR-B), it dampens FGFR3's braking signal on the growth plate and lets cartilage cells proliferate and mature normally. First FDA-approved in November 2021 for children 5 and older with open growth plates, its label was expanded in 2023 to cover children under 5 (all ages with open growth plates). In 2026 BioMarin reported new long-term and early-treatment data and advanced a once-weekly successor CNP peptide, BMN 333.

    Apitegromab

    Low Evidence

    Apitegromab (SRK-015) is an investigational, fully human IgG4 monoclonal antibody developed by Scholar Rock that inhibits myostatin - the muscle-produced growth factor that limits skeletal-muscle mass - through a novel, muscle-selective mechanism. Rather than neutralizing mature, active myostatin (the approach of earlier failed inhibitors), apitegromab binds only the inactive precursor forms of the protein - promyostatin and latent myostatin - stored locally in muscle, and blocks their proteolytic conversion into the active ligand. Because it spares the closely related growth factors activin A, BMP9/10, and TGF-beta1, it aims to avoid the off-target effects (such as bleeding and vascular changes) that sank broad ActRII-pathway drugs. Apitegromab is the first muscle-targeted therapy to succeed in a pivotal Phase 3 trial in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA): in the 156-patient SAPPHIRE study of nonambulatory Type 2/3 patients aged 2-12 already on an SMN-directed therapy (nusinersen or risdiplam), adding apitegromab (10 or 20 mg/kg IV every 4 weeks) improved motor function by a pooled 1.8 points on the Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale Expanded (HFMSE) versus placebo at 12 months (p=0.019). Scholar Rock's initial Biologics License Application received an FDA Complete Response Letter in September 2025 tied solely to a third-party (Catalent Indiana) fill-finish manufacturing inspection - not to the drug's efficacy or safety - and the company resubmitted the BLA on March 31, 2026, with a PDUFA target action date of September 30, 2026. In parallel, apitegromab produced positive Phase 2 obesity data (EMBRAZE): added to tirzepatide over 24 weeks it preserved about 55% more lean mass (roughly 1.9 kg / 4.2 lb) than tirzepatide alone, positioning myostatin inhibition as a potential lean-mass-sparing partner for GLP-1-based weight loss.

    Trevogrumab

    Medium Evidence

    Trevogrumab (REGN1033) is an investigational fully human anti-myostatin (anti-GDF8) monoclonal antibody from Regeneron being tested as a lean-mass-sparing add-on to semaglutide in the Phase 2 COURAGE obesity trial; adding it to semaglutide prevented roughly half of the ~33% of GLP-1-induced weight loss that normally comes from muscle, and the semaglutide + trevogrumab + garetosmab triplet reached 13.4% weight loss at 26 weeks with only ~7.4% of that loss from lean mass.

    Garetosmab

    Medium Evidence

    Garetosmab (REGN2477) is Regeneron's investigational fully human anti-activin A monoclonal antibody. In the Phase 3 OPTIMA trial in adults with the ultra-rare bone disease fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), it cut new heterotopic bone lesions by ~90-94% and reduced new-lesion volume by >99% versus placebo; its BLA was accepted for FDA Priority Review with an August 2026 target action date. The same activin A blockade also makes garetosmab the muscle-preserving partner to trevogrumab and semaglutide in the Phase 2 COURAGE obesity program.

    Abaloparatide

    High Evidence

    Abaloparatide (Tymlos) is a synthetic 34-amino-acid analog of parathyroid hormone-related protein, PTHrP(1-34), engineered to bind the PTH1 receptor with a strong preference for its transient RG conformation rather than the long-lived R0 conformation favored by teriparatide. That receptor bias produces a shorter burst of signaling per injection - enough to drive osteoblast activity, but short enough to limit the bone resorption and calcium mobilization that follow a prolonged signal. In the 18-month Phase 3 ACTIVE trial in 2,463 postmenopausal women, abaloparatide 80 mcg daily reduced new morphometric vertebral fractures by 86% versus placebo, alongside significant reductions in nonvertebral, major osteoporotic and clinical fractures. The FDA approved Tymlos in April 2017; in December 2021 the osteosarcoma boxed warning and the two-year cumulative lifetime limit were both removed from the label.

    Efgartigimod

    High Evidence

    Efgartigimod (efgartigimod alfa, brand names Vyvgart intravenous and Vyvgart Hytrulo subcutaneous) is a first-in-class antagonist of the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) developed by argenx as ARGX-113. It is not a small synthetic peptide but an engineered fragment of the human immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) antibody - specifically the Fc portion that normally binds FcRn - modified with argenx's ABDEG technology to bind FcRn with much higher affinity than natural IgG at both neutral and acidic pH. FcRn is the salvage receptor that rescues circulating IgG from lysosomal degradation and recycles it back into the blood, giving antibodies their long half-life. By outcompeting endogenous IgG for FcRn, efgartigimod blocks that recycling and drives rapid clearance of IgG - including the pathogenic autoantibodies that cause many autoimmune diseases - typically lowering total IgG by roughly 60-70% within weeks, without reducing IgM, IgA, or albumin. It was the first FcRn blocker ever approved: FDA-approved in December 2021 (Vyvgart IV) for acetylcholine-receptor-antibody-positive generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) on the strength of the Phase 3 ADAPT trial, followed by a subcutaneous co-formulation with recombinant hyaluronidase (Vyvgart Hytrulo) for gMG in 2023 and for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) in 2024. In May 2026 the FDA expanded the gMG label to all serotypes - including AChR-antibody-negative (seronegative) patients - based on the Phase 3 ADAPT SERON trial, making efgartigimod the first and only therapy approved across every gMG antibody subtype. It is being studied in a broad set of other IgG-driven autoimmune diseases, including primary immune thrombocytopenia, myositis, Sjogren's disease, bullous pemphigoid, and lupus nephritis.

    Nipocalimab

    High Evidence

    Nipocalimab (brand name Imaavy, development code M281) is a fully human, aglycosylated, 'effectorless' IgG1 monoclonal antibody that blocks the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn), developed by Johnson & Johnson (Janssen). Like efgartigimod it lowers circulating immunoglobulin G (IgG) - including the pathogenic autoantibodies that drive many autoimmune diseases - by occupying FcRn and preventing it from recycling IgG back into the blood, so unrescued IgG is routed to the lysosome and degraded, typically cutting total IgG by roughly 65-75% while sparing IgM, IgA, complement, and albumin. Unlike efgartigimod's engineered Fc fragment, nipocalimab is a full-length monoclonal antibody engineered to be aglycosylated and effectorless (it does not trigger ADCC or complement-dependent cytotoxicity), and it is dosed as a maintenance intravenous infusion for continuous IgG suppression rather than in short cycles. The FDA approved Imaavy on April 30, 2025 for generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in anti-AChR-antibody-positive and anti-MuSK-antibody-positive patients aged 12 and older - making it the first FcRn blocker approved for adolescents and the first to explicitly cover MuSK-positive disease - on the strength of the Phase 3 Vivacity-MG3 trial. It has since generated positive data across a striking breadth of IgG-mediated conditions: Sjogren's disease (Phase 2 DAHLIAS), rheumatoid arthritis, warm autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA), and - uniquely among FcRn blockers - maternal-fetal alloimmune disease, where it is being developed to treat hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN) by crossing the placenta to protect the fetus. In April 2026 the FDA granted Priority Review to nipocalimab for wAIHA, positioning it as a potential first approved therapy for that condition.

    Pelacarsen

    Medium Evidence

    A first-in-class, once-monthly injectable antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) from Ionis and Novartis that lowers lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] by shutting down apolipoprotein(a) production in the liver. Its pivotal Lp(a)HORIZON trial (8,323 patients) is the first-ever cardiovascular outcomes trial for any Lp(a)-lowering drug, with a landmark topline readout due in 2026.