{"id":"thymalin","name":"Thymalin","aliases":["thymus extract peptides","Khavinson thymic bioregulator","Thymalin bioregulator"],"url":"https://lyoresearch.com/compounds/thymalin","class":{"id":"immune-peptides","name":"Immune, antimicrobial and repair-signal peptides","url":"https://lyoresearch.com/classes/immune-peptides"},"summary":"Thymalin is a mixture of short peptides extracted from calf thymus, developed in Soviet-era St Petersburg and sold as an immune 'bioregulator'. The evidence behind its anti-ageing reputation is a 2003 report of 266 elderly people followed for six to eight years, which claims halved mortality but describes neither randomisation nor blinding. No trial outside that group's institute exists in the indexed literature. It is not approved in any region this site covers.","overall_grade":"C","overall_grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","human_trials":"1 uncontrolled long-term series (n=266); Russian reports","regulatory_status":"Not approved (Russia only)","molecule":{"formula":null,"molecular_weight":null,"cas":null,"pubchem_cid":null,"note":"An undefined calf-thymus peptide extract — no molecular identity"},"pharmacokinetics":{"basis":"none","route":"Intramuscular as sold","half_life":"No human pharmacokinetic data (an extract, not a defined molecule)","licensed_regimen":null,"product":null,"source":null},"outcomes":[{"outcome":"Mortality in the elderly","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"moderate","adverse":false,"human_studies":"1 long-term series (n=266, 6–8 yr)","evidence":"Khavinson and Morozov report 2.0–2.1-fold lower mortality in thymalin-treated participants against a control group, and 4.1-fold with annual thymalin plus epithalamin. The abstract does not describe how participants were allocated or whether anyone was blinded; the same authors developed the products.","references":[{"citation":"Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life.","where":"Neuro Endocrinol Lett, 2003;24:233–240","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14523363/"}],"verbatim":{"text":"Such a significant improvement in the health state of the peptide-treated patients correlated with decreased mortality rate during observation: 2.0-2.1-fold in the Thymalin-treated group; 1.6-1.8-fold in the Epithalamin-treated group; 2.5-fold in the patients treated with Thymalin plus Epithalamin as compared to the control.","citation":"Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life.","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14523363/"}},{"outcome":"Respiratory infections","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"moderate","adverse":false,"human_studies":"Same series","evidence":"A 2.0–2.4-fold fall in acute respiratory disease is reported in the same paper, with the same design limits.","references":[{"citation":"Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life.","where":"Neuro Endocrinol Lett, 2003;24:233–240","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14523363/"}]},{"outcome":"Independent replication","grade":"C","grade_meaning":"weak human evidence","effect_size":"not measurable","adverse":false,"human_studies":"None found","evidence":"LYO's search found no randomised trial of thymalin by any group outside the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology.","references":[{"citation":"PubMed search: thymalin randomized controlled trial — no independent RCT identified.","where":"PubMed, searched 2026-09-23","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=thymalin+randomized"}]}],"regions":[{"region":"European Union","status":"Not authorised","note":"No marketing authorisation; supply for human use is unlawful."},{"region":"United States","status":"Not approved","note":"Not FDA-approved; not on any compounding list."},{"region":"United Kingdom","status":"Not licensed","note":"Unlicensed medicine."},{"region":"Australia","status":"Not on the ARTG","note":"Not registered."},{"region":"Canada","status":"Not authorised","note":"No Drug Identification Number."},{"region":"Sport (WADA)","status":"Prohibited at all times","note":"Unapproved by any regulator WADA recognises, so S0 (non-approved substances)."}],"faq":[{"q":"Does thymalin extend life?","a":"One uncontrolled Russian series says so. Nothing else does. Without randomisation, healthier people may simply have been the ones treated."},{"q":"Is thymalin the same as thymosin alpha-1?","a":"No. Thymosin α1 is a defined 28-amino-acid peptide with twenty-plus randomised trials. Thymalin is an undefined extract with none."},{"q":"Is thymalin legal?","a":"It is registered in Russia. It has no authorisation in the EU, US, UK, Australia or Canada, and is banned in sport."}],"references":[{"cite":"Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life.","where":"Neuro Endocrinol Lett, 2003;24:233–240","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14523363/","note":"266 elderly participants, 6–8 years. No randomisation or blinding described."},{"cite":"PubMed search: thymalin randomized controlled trial — no independent RCT identified.","where":"PubMed, searched 2026-09-23","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=thymalin+randomized"}],"last_reviewed":"2026-09-23","literature_searched_to":"2026-09-23","changelog":[{"date":"2026-09-23","note":"Initial publication. Grade C on the single uncontrolled series."}],"license":"CC BY 4.0 — cite as “LYO Research” with a link.","methodology":"https://lyoresearch.com/methodology"}