Is Semax an approved medicine?

It is registered as a medicine in Russia but is not approved in North America, the United Kingdom or the European Union. We supply it for laboratory use only.

What has Semax research looked at?

Mostly preclinical models of cerebral ischaemia and gene expression, plus one small human study in acute ischaemic stroke. The cited studies are above.

A synthetic heptapeptide based on a fragment of ACTH (4-10) with an added proline-glycine-proline tail.

Semax research: what the studies have looked at

This page summarises the published research on Semax, for reference. It states what each study investigated and in whom, not an effect to expect, and it is not medical advice. Semax is registered as a medicine in Russia but is not an approved drug in North America, the United Kingdom or the European Union; what we supply is a research chemical for laboratory use only.

What Semax is

Semax is a synthetic heptapeptide based on a fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH 4-7), with a proline-glycine-proline tail added for stability. It has been studied mainly in Russia, in nootropic and acute-stroke research. Outside Russia it has not been approved as a medicine.

What the studies investigated

Gusev et al. (1997), Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii 97(6):26. Human, acute ischaemic stroke (small). Investigated Semax as an adjunct in a small acute-stroke cohort Source.

Medvedeva et al. (2014), BMC Genomics 15:228. Rat, cerebral ischaemia. Investigated changes in gene expression after Semax in an ischaemia model Source.

Dergunova et al. (2021), Molecular Biology 55(3):402. Rat, cerebral ischaemia. Investigated the messenger-RNA response to Semax in an ischaemia model Source.

Mechanism, as described in the literature

The literature describes Semax as a melanocortin-related peptide reported to influence brain-derived neurotrophic factor and related signalling, studied in models of cerebral ischaemia and in one small human stroke study. The evidence is largely preclinical and of narrow provenance, and it is mechanistic rather than a test of a treatment for any person.

The material we supply

We supply Semax as a research chemical, released against a written specification with a batch certificate of analysis. It is not an approved medicine and is not for human or animal use. For the vial sizes, the price per mg and how to order, see the Semax compound page; the COA lookup pulls the certificate for any batch. The references above link to each study’s record; this summary is for research and educational reference only.