Desmopressin
Desmopressin is a vasopressin analogue with antidiuretic activity and, in selected disorders, an ability to increase circulating clotting factors.
At a glance
- Evidence stage
- Approved use
- Regulatory status
- US indications vary by formulation: selected products cover central diabetes insipidus, certain bleeding disorders, or nocturia caused by nocturnal polyuria.
- Research context
- Desmopressin is a vasopressin analogue with antidiuretic activity and, in selected disorders, an ability to increase circulating clotting factors.
What this is
- Desmopressin is a vasopressin analogue with antidiuretic activity and, in selected disorders, an ability to increase circulating clotting factors.
What this isn't
- A recommendation to use, prepare, combine, or administer a product
- Evidence that a related molecule or a differently formulated product has the same effects
Key terms
Desmopressin is a vasopressin analogue with antidiuretic activity and, in selected disorders, an ability to increase circulating clotting factors.
Desmopressin promotes kidney water retention through vasopressin V2 receptors. It can also release stored von Willebrand factor and factor VIII, explaining its separate role in selected mild hemophilia A and type 1 von Willebrand disease. The injection label includes central diabetes insipidus, but not nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, in which the kidney does not respond appropriately. Injection prescribing information.
Evidence limits
How to read the evidence
The nocturia trials demonstrate a modest average symptom effect in a selected population, not treatment of every cause of disrupted sleep or frequent urination. Results from one formulation cannot justify substituting another. Likewise, a response in a mild clotting-factor disorder does not establish benefit in severe or mechanistically different bleeding disorders. Formulation-specific evidence; injection indication boundaries.
Sources appraised 2026-10-28. Educational information; not medical advice. Study findings apply to the populations, preparations and outcomes described.
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