Peptide LibraryCortexin dosage in published studies and labels
These are the doses used for Cortexin in FDA labelling and published clinical studies, reported as each source states them, one row per regimen. They describe what was studied or approved for a specific population. They are not a recommendation, and none of them is a dose for any individual.
Research and educational reference only. This is not medical advice, and no figure on this page is a dosing recommendation.
Last checked against primary sources:
Studied regimens and sources
Cortexin has human doses from Russian clinical trials. The trials gave 10–20 mg a day by intramuscular injection in 10-day courses: 10 mg twice a day in a 490-patient stroke trial, 10 or 20 mg a day in chronic cerebral ischaemia, and 20 mg a day in acute stroke. All were published in Russian, mostly in one journal, and none is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. Cortexin is not FDA-approved.
| Human dosing established | Yes |
|---|---|
| Studied dose range | 10–20 mg a day intramuscularly in 10-day courses (Russian trials) |
| Route | Intramuscular · Intravenous (one trial) |
| Frequency | Once or twice a day |
| Duration studied | 10-day courses, sometimes repeated |
| Evidence level | Clinical Trial Evidence |
| Last reviewed | 2026-11-07 |
Research-reported dosing
Doses as studied, one row per regimen. Different trials used different regimens; they are listed separately rather than averaged.
| Study / context | Population | Dose | Route | Frequency | Duration | Outcome studied | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intravenous versus intramuscular Cortexin in ischaemic stroke (2025)Clinical trial · Randomised double-blind double-dummy trial comparing two forms; no untreated control group | Adults aged 30–80 in the acute and early recovery periods of ischaemic stroke (n=490) | 10 mg twice a day (intravenous or intramuscular), then 10 mg intramuscularly twice a day | Intravenous or intramuscular, then intramuscular | Twice a day | Two 10-day courses; 90 days of observation | The two forms performed alike (93.6% and 86.5% reached modified Rankin 0–2 at day 90), with similar adverse events | [Therapeutic equivalence of intravenous and intramuscular dosage forms of Cortexin in ischemic strokes]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2025. |
| Chronic cerebral ischaemia, two doses (2018)Clinical trial · Randomised controlled multicentre study, Russian-language publication | Adults with stage I–II chronic cerebral ischaemia (n=189, three groups) | 20 mg a day or 10 mg a day, compared with standard treatment alone | Intramuscular | Daily | 10 days, repeated after 6 months | Dose-dependent improvement in neurological symptoms, fatigue and sleep reported; good tolerability | [Dose-dependent effects of cortexin in chronic cerebral ischemia (results of a multicenter randomized controlled study)]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2018. |
| Acute ischaemic stroke with early verticalisation (2019)Clinical trial · Controlled clinical study, Russian-language publication | Adults with hemispheric ischaemic stroke (n=90; 30 given Cortexin) | 20 mg a day | Intramuscular | Daily | 10 days | Greater recovery of neurological deficits reported than in the two comparison groups | [Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of application of the drug cortexin in the complex rehabilitation of verticalization in patients with ischemic stroke in the acute period]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2019. |
| Early recovery after ischaemic stroke, compared with Cellex (2020)Clinical trial · Randomised comparative study, Russian-language publication | Adults in the early recovery period of ischaemic stroke (n=40; 20 given Cortexin) | 10 mg in 2 mL of 0.9% saline | Intramuscular | Daily | 10 days | The comparison drug Cellex showed larger gains on NIHSS and MMSE than Cortexin | [Comparison of the efficacy of Cellex and Cortexin in patients in the early recovery period of ischemic stroke]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova. 2020. |
Where sources disagree
- Cortexin is an extract of polypeptides from animal brain cortex, not a single defined peptide. The trial doses apply to the product used in those studies; a research product sold under the same name may differ in content and strength.
- The largest trial compared two forms of Cortexin with each other and had no untreated or placebo group, so it shows the forms are similar, not that Cortexin works.
- The trials are Russian-language, mostly in one journal, and none is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A 2024 study in infants gave two courses but its abstract does not state the dose (PubMed 39731376).
- Cortexin is not FDA-approved and has no DailyMed listing.