Peptide Protocol IQ
Not approved for human useHuman evidence

Semax

Also referred to as ACTH (4-10) analogue, Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro

Registered as a medicine in its originating jurisdiction. The evidence base is concentrated there and has limited independent replication.

Molecule class
Synthetic ACTH fragment analogue
Category
Neurologic
Last evidence review
2026-08-24
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2
Human studies
0
Animal / in vitro
1
Graded claims
110
Participants

Derived from qualifying human evidence

  • Most commonly studied duration: 6 weeks. Most frequently reported duration among 1 qualifying human study with a stated duration.
  • Longest qualifying human study: 6 weeks. Longest duration among qualifying human studies with a stated duration.

These figures are computed from the study records shown below. Records without a verified source identifier are excluded from the calculation.

Mechanism

What is being studied

Proposed effects on BDNF expression and monoaminergic signalling, without the corticotropic activity of the parent ACTH sequence.

Evidence

Claims, graded individually

Each statement below carries its own evidence level, its own confidence rating, and its own account of what remains unestablished. A compound does not have a single grade.

Cognitive & Neurologic Research

CPreliminaryVery low confidenceHuman evidence

Semax has been reported in its originating jurisdiction's literature to improve neurological recovery and cognitive measures.

What is not established

Single-jurisdiction evidence base with limited independent replication and limited Western indexing.

Supporting sources (2)
Randomised controlled trialHuman Identifier verified

Semax in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke

Multiple · Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · 2018 · n = 110

Population
Adults with acute ischaemic stroke
Endpoint
Neurological recovery scales
Route
Intranasal
Quantity as reported
6000 µg per day. The publication does not state how that amount was divided across administrations.
Frequency
Divided across the day; the number of administrations is not stated
Duration
6 weeks

Result. The publication reports favourable neurological outcomes against control.

Adverse events. Limited systematic reporting.

Limitations. The reported figure is a per-day amount, and this site's protocols require a per-administration figure. Because the division is not stated, no protocol quantity on this site is attributed to this trial. It is catalogued so the gap is visible rather than filled by guessing.

PMID29798983
Randomised controlled trialHumanNo verified identifier on file

Semax in cognitive and cerebrovascular research

Multiple · Predominantly Russian-language neurology literature · 2011

Population
Adults with ischaemic stroke or cognitive complaints in the originating programme
Endpoint
Neurological recovery scales and cognitive measures
Route
Intranasal
Quantity as reported
Intranasal formulations as registered in the originating jurisdiction
Frequency
Daily

Result. The originating literature reports favourable neurological outcomes.

Adverse events. Limited systematic reporting.

Limitations. Evidence is concentrated in one jurisdiction's literature, with limited independent replication and limited indexing in Western databases.

Search PubMed for this literature →

Last evidence review: 2026-08-23

Human evidence

2 human studies catalogued

Human and non-human evidence are kept strictly separate. They are never pooled, averaged, or presented as a single body of support.

Randomised controlled trialHumanNo verified identifier on file

Semax in cognitive and cerebrovascular research

Multiple · Predominantly Russian-language neurology literature · 2011

Population
Adults with ischaemic stroke or cognitive complaints in the originating programme
Endpoint
Neurological recovery scales and cognitive measures
Route
Intranasal
Quantity as reported
Intranasal formulations as registered in the originating jurisdiction
Frequency
Daily

Result. The originating literature reports favourable neurological outcomes.

Adverse events. Limited systematic reporting.

Limitations. Evidence is concentrated in one jurisdiction's literature, with limited independent replication and limited indexing in Western databases.

Search PubMed for this literature →
Randomised controlled trialHuman Identifier verified

Semax in the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke

Multiple · Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova · 2018 · n = 110

Population
Adults with acute ischaemic stroke
Endpoint
Neurological recovery scales
Route
Intranasal
Quantity as reported
6000 µg per day. The publication does not state how that amount was divided across administrations.
Frequency
Divided across the day; the number of administrations is not stated
Duration
6 weeks

Result. The publication reports favourable neurological outcomes against control.

Adverse events. Limited systematic reporting.

Limitations. The reported figure is a per-day amount, and this site's protocols require a per-administration figure. Because the division is not stated, no protocol quantity on this site is attributed to this trial. It is catalogued so the gap is visible rather than filled by guessing.

PMID29798983

Pharmacology

Reported parameters

Half-life

Not characterised

Intranasal pharmacokinetics are reported as short in the originating literature.

Routes studied

  • Intranasal

Evidence from one route does not transfer to another. Topical, oral, and injected administration can produce entirely different exposure from the same quantity.

Regulatory status

Not approved in the United States. Registered as a medicine in the Russian Federation. FDA removed Semax from the Category 2 list effective 22 April 2026, and the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee voted favourably on 23-24 July 2026. Neither is an approval, and Semax has never been approved in the United States.

Storage as documented

Follow the originating product labelling where applicable.

Safety

Signals reported in the literature

This lists what has been reported. It is not a complete safety profile, and for several compounds in this catalogue no systematic safety surveillance exists at all.

  • Limited systematic adverse-event surveillance outside the originating jurisdiction

Limitations

What the evidence cannot tell you

Given as much prominence as the findings, because for most compounds in this category it is the more important half.

  • Single-jurisdiction evidence base with limited Western indexing
  • Independent replication is limited

Reference

Evidence grading key

AStrong

Multiple high-quality human trials, or strong systematic-review or meta-analytic evidence.

BModerate

Human controlled evidence exists, but replication or sample size is limited.

CPreliminary

Small human studies, observational evidence, or early-phase clinical work.

DPreclinical

Predominantly animal or in-vitro evidence. No adequate human outcome data.

EMechanistic

Biological plausibility or mechanistic reasoning without adequate outcome evidence.

XInsufficient / conflicting

Evidence is absent, irreconcilable, or too weak to support any directional statement.

Related

Other compounds studied in the same research areas

Selank

An anxiolytic candidate with short trials in its originating jurisdiction and limited independent replication.