Selank: what it is, what the studies show and where it stands
Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), described in the Russian literature as an anti-anxiety drug and as an analog of tuftsin.
At a glance
US Not approved
Canada Not authorized
Group Brain and focus
Sources 13
Checked 10 Oct 2026What is Selank?
Selank is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro), described in the Russian literature as an anti-anxiety drug and as an analog of tuftsin. [1]
Other names: TP-7, selank acetate, Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro.
How it has been given to people: not stated in the abstracts of the human studies found; into the nose (intranasal) in the animal work.
Looking for doses? Selank dosage chart and vial math
Is Selank approved in the US and Canada?
United States: Not FDA approved. FDA lists selank acetate (TP-7) among bulk substances that were in compounding category 2 and whose nominations were then withdrawn. [10]
Canada: No Selank product in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada named Selank among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized from an online seller. [11]
Both were checked on 10 Oct 2026 against the regulators' own product databases.
Which approved products contain Selank?
No approved medicine containing Selank was found in the US or Canada. Anything sold under this name is not a regulated product, so there is no label to check a dose against.
What human studies of Selank exist?
The 7 findings listed here: 2 from randomized human trials, 3 from smaller or observational human studies and 2 from animal or lab work.
Generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia (62 patients): Selank in 30 patients was compared with the benzodiazepine medazepam in 32. Anxiety relief was similar, and Selank also reduced fatigue. PubMed indexes this as a randomized controlled trial; the abstract does not describe randomization or blinding. [2]
Anxiety disorders (70 patients): phenazepam alone in 30 was compared with Selank plus phenazepam in 40. The combination worked sooner on a rating scale and reduced phenazepam's side effects. PubMed indexes this as a randomized controlled trial; the abstract does not describe randomization or blinding. [4]
Phobic-anxiety and somatoform disorders (60 patients), Selank compared with phenazepam: the authors reported a pronounced anti-anxiety effect that lasted a week after the last dose. [3]
Patients with generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia who received Selank for 14 days showed a shift in blood cytokine balance. [5]
Healthy participants (52 in all): brain scans before and 5 and 20 minutes after Semax, Selank or placebo showed a difference in connectivity between the right amygdala and the temporal cortex. [6]
In rats, a single dose into the nose changed the level of 36 gene transcripts in the hippocampus more than 2-fold. [7]
In laboratory tests on plasma, Selank slowed the breakdown of enkephalin, which the authors proposed as a mechanism for its anti-anxiety effect. [1]
What are the side effects of Selank?
Reported in human studies or on a label:
- The abstracts give no side-effect figures for Selank itself. In one study, adding Selank to phenazepam reduced the tranquilizer's side effects, such as impaired attention and memory, weakness and sedation. [4]
- An early paper describes Selank as not causing the side effects typical of most anti-anxiety drugs. The abstract gives no data for that statement. [1]
- A 2021 review from US pharmacy faculty calls Selank poorly studied and notes that it is sold to US consumers as a dietary supplement. [8]
- FDA says it lacks important safety information on selank acetate in humans and names immune reactions from aggregation and peptide impurities as possible risks of compounded product. [10]
How does Selank compare with others in its group?
These are the peptides filed under brain and focus. The last column says whether a randomized human trial is on record for each.
| Peptide | US | Canada | Half-life | Randomized human trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semax | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| Selank | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | Yes |
| DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide) | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | Yes |
| Pinealon | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
| Cortagen | Not approved | Not authorized | Not found | No |
What could not be found
These were searched for and did not turn up. They are listed so a missing number is not mistaken for a hidden one.
- No dose amount in any PubMed abstract of a human Selank study, so the doses list is empty. The abstracts give patient numbers and in one case a 14-day course, but no figure in mg or mcg.
- Route in the human studies: not stated in the abstracts. One brain-imaging abstract uses the word injection without more detail [6]; the rat study gave it into the nose [7].
- No human half-life or pharmacokinetic figure. A PubMed search for selank with pharmacokinetics, half-life or bioavailability returned only mouse and laboratory studies.
- No label was retrieved. The Russian state register of medicines needs a captcha to search, so the Russian registration and label dose are not recorded here and the products list is empty.
- No Selank trial registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: a search for selank as the intervention returned only two unrelated brain-stimulation studies.
- Not named on the WADA Prohibited List (page checked 2026-10-10, [13]). The list also has an open class, S0, for substances with no current approval by any governmental health authority for human therapeutic use; whether it applies to this compound was not determined here.
Selank questions
Is Selank approved in the US?
Not FDA approved. FDA lists selank acetate (TP-7) among bulk substances that were in compounding category 2 and whose nominations were then withdrawn.
Is Selank authorized in Canada?
No Selank product in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada named Selank among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized from an online seller.
Has Selank been tested in a randomized human trial?
Yes. At least one randomized human trial is listed on this page.
Sources
Each one was opened on 10 Oct 2026 and matched to the line it supports.
- Zozulya AA et al. The inhibitory effect of Selank on enkephalin-degrading enzymes as a possible mechanism of its anxiolytic activity. Bull Exp Biol Med 2001. PubMed 11550013.
- Zozulia AA et al. [Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2008. PubMed 18454096.
- Medvedev VE et al. [A comparison of the anxiolytic effect and tolerability of selank and phenazepam in the treatment of anxiety disorders]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2014. PubMed 25176261.
- Medvedev VE et al. [Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2015. PubMed 26356395.
- Uchakina ON et al. [Immunomodulatory effects of selank in patients with anxiety-asthenic disorders]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2008. PubMed 18577961.
- Panikratova YR et al. Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects. Dokl Biol Sci 2020. PubMed 32342318.
- Kolomin TA et al. [Transcriptome alteration in hippocampus under the treatment of tuftsin analog Selank]. Zh Vyssh Nerv Deiat Im I P Pavlova 2013. PubMed 24450168.
- Doyno CR et al. Sedative-Hypnotic Agents That Impact Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid Receptors: Focus on Flunitrazepam, Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid, Phenibut, and Selank. J Clin Pharmacol 2021. PubMed 34396551.
- Vanhee C et al. The occurrence of putative cognitive enhancing research peptides in seized pharmaceutical preparations: An incentive for controlling agencies to prepare for future encounters of the kind. Drug Test Anal 2020. PubMed 31667971.
- US Food and Drug Administration Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks 2026. fda.gov.
- Health Canada Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized and sold by Canada Peptide may pose serious health risks 2025. recalls-rappels.canada.ca.
- Health Canada Health Canada Drug Product Database, active ingredient search: selank 2026. health-products.canada.ca.
- World Anti-Doping Agency The Prohibited List 2026. wada-ama.org.
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