{"id":"semax","name":"Semax","aliases":["ACTH(4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro","heptapeptide nootropic"],"url":"https://lyoresearch.com/compounds/semax","summary":"Semax is a seven-amino-acid peptide derived from ACTH, developed in Russia in the 1980s and registered there for stroke and cognitive indications. It is not approved in the EU, US or UK. The human literature is almost entirely Russian-language, largely uncontrolled or poorly reported by international standards, and has not been replicated by independent groups — which is why the cognitive and stroke claims sit at grade D despite the registration.","overall_grade":"D","overall_grade_meaning":"no human evidence","human_trials":"Russian-language, largely uncontrolled","regulatory_status":"Not approved (outside Russia)","outcomes":[{"outcome":"Cognitive performance","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"Russian-language, mostly uncontrolled","evidence":"Small studies, often without blinding or a comparison group, published outside the indexed international literature. No independent replication.","references":[{"citation":"Searches of PubMed and trial registries for Semax human trials outside Russia.","where":"LYO literature search, September 2026","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Semax+randomized+controlled+trial"}]},{"outcome":"Stroke recovery","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"Russian trials, not independently replicated","evidence":"The basis of the Russian registration. Not reproduced in trials meeting international reporting standards.","references":[{"citation":"Searches of PubMed and trial registries for Semax human trials outside Russia.","where":"LYO literature search, September 2026","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Semax+randomized+controlled+trial"}]},{"outcome":"Anxiety / stress","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"None controlled internationally","evidence":"Claims derive from animal work and from the related peptide Selank.","references":[]},{"outcome":"Safety in humans","grade":"D","grade_meaning":"no human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":true,"human_studies":"No systematic international data","evidence":"Long Russian clinical use is reassuring but not equivalent to pharmacovigilance data.","references":[]}],"regions":[{"region":"Russia","status":"Registered medicine","note":"Approved nationally for several neurological indications."},{"region":"European Union","status":"Not authorised","note":"No marketing authorisation; sale for human use is an offence for the seller."},{"region":"United States","status":"Not approved","note":"Sold as a research chemical."},{"region":"Canada","status":"Not authorised","note":"No Health Canada authorisation."}],"faq":[{"q":"Semax is approved in Russia — doesn't that count?","a":"It counts as a regulatory fact, not as evidence of effect at the standard LYO grades on. The trials behind the registration are largely unavailable in the indexed international literature and have not been independently replicated."},{"q":"Does Semax improve memory or focus?","a":"No trial meeting international standards has tested it. The claims come from small Russian studies and from animal work."}],"references":[{"cite":"Searches of PubMed and trial registries for Semax human trials outside Russia.","where":"LYO literature search, September 2026","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Semax+randomized+controlled+trial","note":"No randomised trials meeting international reporting standards were identified."}],"last_reviewed":"2026-09-02","literature_searched_to":"2026-09-02","changelog":[{"date":"2026-09-02","note":"Initial publication. Graded D on absence of internationally reported controlled evidence; Russian registration noted separately."}],"license":"CC BY 4.0 — cite as “LYO Research” with a link.","methodology":"https://lyoresearch.com/methodology"}