Semax
Also called ACTH(4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro, ACTH(4-10) analog, Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro
Educational only, not medical advice. Dosaly reports what has been studied; it isn't a recommendation to use Semax or any amount of it. Talk to a clinician.
News · October 30, 2026
Draft HHS policy on compounding
On Oct 30, 2026, HHS said it won't act against licensed pharmacies that compound certain peptides while the FDA reviews them. News reports say the list includes BPC-157, KPV, TB-500, MOTS-c, Epitalon and Semax. It's a draft, not FDA approval.
Registered as a medicine in Russia, where it is on the government's list of vital and essential drugs; not approved by the FDA or EMA (as of October 2026).
Research applications
- Recovery after ischemic stroke (Russian clinical studies, several small or not randomized)
- BDNF and other nerve growth factor genes (rat stroke models)
What studies have looked at, not proven uses.
What it is
Semax is a lab-made peptide developed in Russia, based on a piece of a brain hormone. It has mainly been studied in Russia for stroke recovery. Independent studies are scarce.
More detail
Semax is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide made by joining a fragment of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH 4-7) to a Pro-Gly-Pro tail that slows its breakdown. It was developed in Russia and is reported to lack hormonal activity. Rat studies using stroke models report changes in the activity of genes for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and other nerve growth factors. Human research consists mainly of Russian clinical studies in people with ischemic stroke, published in Russian-language journals; several were small or not randomized. Independent trials outside Russia are scarce.
Evidence listed here
- 2 human studies
- 2 animal studies
Results from cells and animals often don't carry over to people. How to read peptide research
Molecular info
- Class
- Synthetic peptide (ACTH 4-7 analog)
- Length
- 7 amino acids
- Sequence
- H-Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro-OH
- Research areas
- Cognition
ACTH 4-7 (Met-Glu-His-Phe) with a Pro-Gly-Pro tail that slows its breakdown.
Research
- Human studyZh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova · 2018[The efficacy of semax in the tretament of patients at different stages of ischemic stroke].
Clinical study of stroke rehabilitation with BDNF and motor measures (Russian).
- Human studyZh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova · 1997[Effectiveness of semax in acute period of hemispheric ischemic stroke (a clinical and electrophysiological study)].
Small controlled clinical study in the acute period of ischemic stroke (Russian).
- Animal studyActa Naturae · 2025The Potential of the Peptide Drug Semax and Its Derivative for Correcting Pathological Impairments in the Animal Model of Alzheimer's Disease.
Transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
- Animal studyCell Mol Neurobiol · 2010Semax and Pro-Gly-Pro activate the transcription of neurotrophins and their receptor genes after cerebral ischemia.
Neurotrophin gene activity in a rat model of cerebral ischemia.