Side by side
Cerebrolysin vs Semax
Both are discussed for cognition & mood. What this site records about each, side by side. Every figure is on the compound's own page with the source it came from.
| Cerebrolysin | Semax | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A pig-brain peptide preparation approved as a medicine in around forty countries. Decades of trials, and systematic reviews that still cannot find a clear benefit. | A seven-amino-acid peptide developed in Russia and approved there for stroke and cognitive indications. It holds no approval elsewhere and is used nasally rather than injected. |
| EvidenceHow much human evidence exists, not how well it works. | Approved for another indication | Approved for another indication |
| Regulatory statusReviewed 2026-08-16 | Approved as a prescription medicine in around forty countries for stroke, traumatic brain injury and dementia. Not approved in the United States — the United Kingdom — or through the European Union's central procedure. Because it is a biological hydrolysate rather than a synthesised compound, it cannot meaningfully be produced outside a pharmaceutical facility, and material from unofficial channels cannot be verified as the registered product. | Approved and clinically used in Russia, where it appears on the essential medicines list. Not approved in the United States, the EU or the UK, and material sold in those markets is an unapproved substance with no manufacturing standard behind it. |
| Routes | Intramuscular | Nasal |
| Half-life | Not recorded | 0.5 hours |
| Cheapest per mgVials only, read from vendors' own listings and dated on the price index. | $0.17/mg | $0.97/mg |
| Median per mg | $1.24/mg | $3.91/mg |
| Vendors with a price | 4 | 47 |
| Storage once mixed | Use immediately once an ampoule is opened. It contains no preservative. | Refrigerated at 2–8 °C. Nasal solutions are entered repeatedly, so bacteriostatic water rather than sterile water matters here. |
Compare two other compounds · The full price index
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on BioAlmanac is medical advice. Nothing here ranks these two against each other. A table can show that one has more human evidence behind it or costs less per milligram; neither of those is a recommendation, and the right comparison for any person is one their doctor makes with them.