Neurotrophic peptide fraction

Cerebrolysin in Canada

Also known as Cerebrolysin concentrate · Porcine brain-derived peptide preparation · Neurotrophic peptide fraction · FPF-1070

Cerebrolysin is not a single peptide. It is a standardised mixture of short peptides and free amino acids produced by enzymatic digestion of pig brain protein, manufactured by EVER Neuro Pharma in Austria, where it has been an approved medicine since 1996, and marketed in some fifty countries for stroke, dementia and brain injury — but not in Canada, the United States or Western Europe outside Austria. It has more randomised trial data than almost anything else in this catalogue, and the most rigorous synthesis of it, a 2023 Cochrane review, found no effect on death after stroke and an increase in serious adverse events. Canada Peptides lists research-grade Cerebrolysin, priced and shipped in CAD for laboratory and research use only.

Quick facts

Class: Biological peptide fraction (porcine brain hydrolysate); not a defined molecule
Structure: Mixture of short-chain peptides and free amino acids · aqueous solution at 215.2 mg/mL in the licensed product · no single sequence or molecular weight
Half-life: Not measurable — the labelling states conventional pharmacokinetics cannot be determined because the constituent peptides resemble endogenous ones
Route in research: Intravenous infusion and intramuscular injection in the licensed labelling and every trial; never subcutaneous
Cadence in research: Once daily for 10–21 days (stroke), or five days a week for four weeks (dementia), in the trials
Storage

Cerebrolysin FAQ

Is Cerebrolysin for sale in Canada?

Research-grade Cerebrolysin is listed in Canada by Canada Peptides, priced and shipped in CAD, strictly for laboratory and research use and not for human consumption. It has no Health Canada approval, and the product page states the format actually supplied, which matters because no authorised powder presentation exists.

What is Cerebrolysin?

Cerebrolysin is a mixture of short peptides and free amino acids made by enzymatic digestion of pig brain protein, manufactured by EVER Neuro Pharma in Austria. It is an approved medicine in Austria, Russia, China and other markets for stroke, dementia and brain injury, and is described as having neurotrophic activity. It is not a single defined peptide.

Is Cerebrolysin a peptide?

Not in the sense of a defined molecule. It is a biological peptide fraction whose exact composition is proprietary and not stated on its label; the labelling notes that conventional pharmacokinetics cannot be measured because its peptides resemble endogenous ones. It is stocked with the cognitive peptides because the research context is the same.

Does Cerebrolysin work for stroke?

The 2023 Cochrane review of seven randomised trials in 1,773 participants found moderate-certainty evidence that it probably has no effect on death from any cause after acute ischaemic stroke, and found an increase in non-fatal serious adverse events. One recovery trial (CARS, 2016) reported better arm function at 90 days; a second did not replicate it on its own.

What is the half-life of Cerebrolysin?

It has not been determined and, according to the labelling, cannot be: the preparation's peptides are indistinguishable from the body's own once in circulation, so no plasma half-life, clearance or distribution figure exists for it.

How was Cerebrolysin dosed in studies?

By intravenous infusion, typically 10–50 mL of the 215.2 mg/mL solution daily — 30 mL daily for 10 days in CASTA and for 21 days in CARS, 10–30 mL five days a week for four weeks in dementia trials. Intramuscular injection up to 5 mL is labelled. It was never given subcutaneously. These are facts about the licensed solution, not recommendations; the material listed here is for research use only.

How should Cerebrolysin be stored?

The licensed solution is stored below 25 °C in its original packaging, protected from light, and is explicitly not to be refrigerated or frozen. That is the opposite of the cold-chain rules for lyophilised peptides, and vendor advice to reconstitute it with bacteriostatic water and refrigerate it is copied from products it does not resemble.

Is Cerebrolysin legal in Canada?

It is not a controlled substance in Canada, but it has no Health Canada approval, no DIN and no FDA approval. It may be sold for laboratory research, which is how it is listed here. It is not named on the WADA Prohibited List, though the S2 growth-factor catch-all is decided case by case.

Cerebrolysin in Canada

Quick facts

Cerebrolysin — for sale in Canada

What is Cerebrolysin?

Evidence at a glance

Pharmacology

Identity and chemistry

Storage and stability

Research indications

Research protocols

Interactions and stacking in research

Reconstitution and handling

Side effects and safety signals

Regulatory status in Canada

Further reading

Cerebrolysin FAQ

Research references