NeuroForge
NEUROTROPHIC PEPTIDE FRACTION
Porcine brain-derived peptide fraction produced by enzymatic hydrolysis — a mixture of short-chain peptides and free amino acids rather than a single synthetic peptide. Studied by intravenous and intramuscular routes in neurological research. Supplied for laboratory research use only.
Protocol
Handling differs fundamentally from the lyophilised peptides in this range and our standard guidance does not transfer. The licensed medicine is a ready-to-use aqueous solution at 215.2 mg/mL given intramuscularly (up to 5 mL) or intravenously (up to 10 mL), with slow infusion over 15–60 minutes above that — no subcutaneous route appears in the approved labelling or the trial literature, and there is no reconstitution step because there is no authorised powder presentation. Storage is below 25 °C in the original packaging, protected from light: do not refrigerate and do not freeze. Incompatible with lipid-containing solutions, with solutions outside pH 5.0–8.0, and with balanced amino-acid solutions in the same infusion. Research use only until supplied with an applicable prescription.
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Research-grade
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Lyophilized, high-purity vials
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Handling guides
Reconstitution, dosing & storage
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Cerebrolysin is not a peptide. It is a peptide fraction — a mixture of short-chain peptides and free amino acids produced by the standardised enzymatic breakdown of porcine (pig) brain protein. The approved labelling describes it as a proteolytic peptide fraction in aqueous solution at a concentration of 215.2 mg/mL, with sodium hydroxide and water for injection as the only other ingredients.
That distinction matters more than it first appears. Every other product in this range is a defined synthetic molecule with a known sequence and a molecular weight you can look up. Cerebrolysin is a biological preparation whose exact composition is not stated on its own label — the labelling notes that conventional pharmacokinetic measurement is not possible precisely because its constituent peptides resemble endogenous ones.
The licensed medicine — manufactured by EVER Neuro Pharma in Austria, where it has held a marketing authorisation since 1996 — is a ready-to-use sterile solution supplied in sealed ampoules of 1, 2, 5, 10 and 20 mL and vials of 20, 30 and 50 mL. There is no authorised lyophilised (freeze-dried) presentation of Cerebrolysin anywhere in the world that we have been able to identify.
Research suppliers nonetheless commonly advertise "Cerebrolysin 60 mg" as a powder in a vial. It is worth being direct about what that is and is not. It is not the licensed presentation, and 60 mg does not correspond to any authorised strength. The most plausible origin is a separate, China-approved preparation — cerebroprotein hydrolysate for injection — which genuinely is a lyophilised powder made from porcine brain by enzymatic hydrolysis, but which contains added amino acids and mannitol and whose strength is expressed as total nitrogen rather than as peptide mass. That is a different product from the one the clinical literature studied.
We would rather say this plainly than sell you inherited copy: if a supplier offers Cerebrolysin as a powder, the clinical dosing, route, storage rules, and safety data described below belong to the solution, and they do not automatically transfer.
Cerebrolysin is described as having neurotrophic activity — its short-chain peptides are characterised in the labelling as acting similarly to endogenous neurotrophic factors. A common vendor claim goes further and states the preparation contains BDNF, NGF, CNTF, or GDNF. The approved labelling makes no such claim, and those named growth factors are large proteins rather than the short-chain peptides described. Treat "contains BDNF" as unsupported.
The compound has been studied principally in acute ischaemic stroke, vascular dementia, traumatic brain injury, and Alzheimer's disease. The quality of that evidence is the most important thing on this page.
Acute ischaemic stroke. The 2023 Cochrane systematic review — seven randomised trials, 1,773 participants — concluded that moderate-certainty evidence indicates Cerebrolysin probably has no beneficial effect on preventing death from any cause in acute ischaemic stroke. The same review found an increase in non-fatal serious adverse events (risk ratio 2.39, moderate certainty). This is a negative finding and we are not going to present it as anything else.
Vascular dementia. The 2019 Cochrane review of six studies in 597 participants reported signals on cognition and global function, but rated every primary outcome as very-low-certainty evidence, cited high risk of bias and unexplained heterogeneity, and noted that where funding was disclosed, all included studies were supported by the pharmaceutical industry. The authors' own summary is that the supporting evidence base is weak.
Alzheimer's disease. There is no Cochrane review of Cerebrolysin in Alzheimer's disease, despite a number of vendor pages claiming otherwise. The evidence consists of meta-analyses of small trials, with quality assessments flagging unexplored heterogeneity and manufacturer affiliation.
Traumatic brain injury. No Cochrane review. Systematic reviews report favourable outcomes but note the results rest mainly on cohort studies rather than randomised trials, with heterogeneous dosing and outcome measurement.
Across all four areas, the trial base is small, geographically concentrated, and substantially manufacturer-supported — a limitation Cochrane noted explicitly in both of its reviews.
This is where Cerebrolysin diverges most sharply from the rest of the catalogue. The approved labelling specifies:
| Route | Volume |
|---|---|
| Intramuscular | up to 5 mL |
| Intravenous | up to 10 mL |
| Slow infusion (diluted, over ~15–60 min) | above 10 mL |
Subcutaneous administration appears nowhere in the approved labelling or in the clinical trial literature. Where compatible diluents are specified they are 0.9% sodium chloride, Ringer's solution, or 5% glucose. The preparation is documented as incompatible with lipid-containing solutions, with solutions outside pH 5.0–8.0, and with balanced amino-acid solutions given in the same infusion.
| Cerebrolysin solution | Our lyophilised peptides | |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Below 25 °C | 2–8 °C refrigerated |
| Refrigerate? | No | Yes |
| Freeze? | No | Never once reconstituted |
| Light | Keep in original packaging | Keep out of light |
The licensed product is explicitly not to be refrigerated or frozen. Vendor pages that recommend reconstituting with bacteriostatic water and storing at 2–8 °C for 28 days are copying guidance from lyophilised peptides onto a product it does not fit. Our own cold-chain guide describes handling for lyophilised material and should not be applied here.
No, it is not authorised for sale in Canada. Cerebrolysin does not appear in Health Canada's Drug Product Database under its ingredient or brand name, which means no DIN and no Health Canada-approved product monograph. It is not approved by the FDA either — there is no US marketing authorisation and no US label.
It is an approved prescription medicine in Austria, where it has held a marketing authorisation since 1996, and it is registered in Russia and a number of other markets. Its manufacturer states it is used in over 50 countries; that figure is the manufacturer's own marketing claim rather than an independently verified count.
Cerebrolysin is not a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act — the statute and its schedules do not name it. As with every unapproved product, that is not the same as being legal to sell for human use: an unauthorised injectable drug remains regulated under the Food and Drugs Act, and Health Canada has issued advisories specifically about injectable peptides purchased online. This material is supplied for laboratory research use only and ships within Canada only.
Cerebrolysin is not named on the current WADA Prohibited List, and neither is any component of it.
Category S0 (non-approved substances) covers substances with no current approval from any governmental regulatory health authority for human therapeutic use. Cerebrolysin holds an Austrian approval, so on the plain text of S0 the category does not capture it.
Two caveats, and they matter here more than usual. That S0 argument attaches to the approved medicine — a research-supplied powder of unstated provenance is not that product, and cannot borrow its approval. And section S2 carries a catch-all for growth factors and growth-factor modulators that is decided case by case. Any athlete subject to anti-doping rules should confirm status with their own anti-doping organisation rather than relying on a product page, including this one.
From the approved labelling, using its own frequency categories:
Very rare (fewer than 1 in 10,000): allergic and hypersensitivity reactions including tingling, skin and local vascular reactions, neck, head and limb pain, fever, dyspnoea, chills and shock-like states; single reported cases of grand mal seizures; palpitations or arrhythmia on too-rapid administration; dyspepsia, diarrhoea, constipation, vomiting and nausea; injection-site redness, itching and burning.
Rare (between 1 in 10,000 and 1 in 1,000): loss of appetite; agitation, including aggressiveness, confusion and insomnia, described as an extension of the intended activating effect; dizziness and a sensation of heat or sweating, particularly on rapid injection; pruritus.
Contraindications: hypersensitivity, status epilepticus, and severe renal impairment. Caution is specified in allergic diathesis and in epileptic disorders, where seizure frequency may increase. The labelling does not recommend use under 18 years, and flags additive effects with antidepressants and MAO inhibitors.
Set against the Cochrane finding of increased non-fatal serious adverse events in stroke trials, the common vendor line that Cerebrolysin has an excellent safety profile with only rare and mild effects is not supportable.
What is Cerebrolysin? Cerebrolysin is a porcine brain-derived peptide fraction made by standardised enzymatic hydrolysis — a mixture of short-chain peptides and free amino acids, not a single defined peptide. The licensed medicine is an aqueous solution at 215.2 mg/mL.
Is Cerebrolysin a powder or a solution? The licensed pharmaceutical product is a ready-to-use sterile solution in ampoules and vials. There is no authorised lyophilised presentation. Research suppliers advertise powder vials, but those are not the licensed product and the clinical dosing, route, and storage data do not transfer to them automatically.
What does "Cerebrolysin 60 mg" mean? It does not correspond to any authorised strength of Cerebrolysin. The figure most plausibly traces to cerebroprotein hydrolysate for injection, a separate China-approved lyophilised preparation containing added amino acids and mannitol whose strength is expressed as total nitrogen rather than peptide mass.
How is Cerebrolysin administered in the literature? Intramuscularly up to 5 mL, intravenously up to 10 mL, and by slow diluted infusion over roughly 15 to 60 minutes above that. Subcutaneous administration does not appear in the approved labelling or the trial literature.
How should Cerebrolysin be stored? The licensed solution is stored below 25 °C in its original packaging to protect it from light, and is explicitly not to be refrigerated or frozen. This is the opposite of the cold-chain guidance for lyophilised peptides.
Does Cerebrolysin work for stroke? The 2023 Cochrane systematic review found moderate-certainty evidence that it probably has no beneficial effect on preventing death from any cause in acute ischaemic stroke, and found an increase in non-fatal serious adverse events. We report that as it stands.
Is Cerebrolysin approved in Canada? No. It has no DIN and does not appear in Health Canada's Drug Product Database, and it is not FDA-approved either. It is an approved prescription medicine in Austria and registered in a number of other markets.
Is Cerebrolysin a controlled substance? No — it is not named in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act or its schedules. That is not the same as being legal to sell for human use; it remains an unauthorised drug in Canada under the Food and Drugs Act.
Does Cerebrolysin contain BDNF or GDNF? The approved labelling does not say so. It describes short-chain peptides with neurotrophic activity, which is a different claim — BDNF and GDNF are large proteins, not short-chain peptides. Treat "contains BDNF" as unsupported.
Do you ship Cerebrolysin across Canada? Yes — Canada-wide, priced in CAD. We do not ship to the United States or internationally.