Semax
ACTH 4-10 analogue
A seven amino acid peptide, a registered medicine in Russia, sold in the US as a nootropic.
Semax is a licensed drug in Russia, sold there as nasal drops, and a grey market nootropic in the United States where it has no lawful route. Most of its human evidence is published in Russian and was excluded from FDA's review for lack of an English text, leaving two thin references that showed no effect. Two findings worried FDA more than the missing evidence: it appears to act against clotting, and in mice it produced the dopamine response typical of drugs of abuse.
Where it stands, jurisdiction by jurisdiction
United States
Unregulated, unregulated, sold anywayDecided on: Precaution, Contested
Not a lawful dietary ingredient and not on the 503A list. Nominated as a nasal spray and injection for cerebral ischemia, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia, and also for ADHD and as a nootropic, which FDA declined to evaluate for lack of supporting literature. FDA found only two usable references, both thin on method and both showing a lack of effect, no human pharmacokinetic data by any route, and no safety data for the injection that was nominated. It flagged an anticoagulant effect that a compounded product carries no label to warn about, and a mouse finding of increased amphetamine driven dopamine release in the striatum. American clinics sell it for anxiety, depression, memory, stroke, ALS, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The advisory committee recommended adding it 8 to 5 with one abstention on 24 July 2026, and it remains off the list.
Regulatory positions change, sometimes quickly. Check the date on a source before relying on it.