Claimed effect · Cortexin

Does Cortexin help with recovery after ischaemic stroke?

C
Grade C — weak human evidence1 double-blind RCT (n=272, 70 days) · effect size: small
Short answerWeak human evidence. 1 double-blind RCT (n=272, 70 days): enough to be interesting, not enough to count on. Where an effect is seen it is a small effect. Two ten-day courses of 10 mg three times daily were compared with one course and with placebo. The abstract reports a benefit for two courses and recommends the drug; it gives no endpoint, effect size or statistics.

What the studies show

Two ten-day courses of 10 mg three times daily were compared with one course and with placebo. The abstract reports a benefit for two courses and recommends the drug; it gives no endpoint, effect size or statistics.

“A multicenter prospective double-blind placebo-controlled trial has been carried out.”

Verbatim, from the abstractAliferova VM, et al. Clinical efficacy and pharmacoeconomic characteristics of the neuroprotection with low doses of cortexin in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (in Russian). Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova, 2014

A few small or poorly-controlled human studies. Enough to be interesting; not enough to count on. Most of what gets called “clinically proven” online lives here.

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In context

Cortexin is a mixture of low-molecular-weight peptides extracted from calf and pig brain cortex, registered in Russia and given by injection for stroke, brain injury and cognitive impairment. Its best evidence is a 272-patient double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in ischaemic stroke published in Russian in 2014, whose abstract reports 'high efficacy' without a primary endpoint or a figure. No trial has been published in an international journal. It is not approved anywhere this site covers.

Cortexin is not approved (russia only). Legal status differs by country — see the regulation section or the jurisdiction pages.

Questions

Is Cortexin proven to help with recovery after ischaemic stroke?
No. The human evidence is weak (1 double-blind RCT (n=272, 70 days)); LYO grades it C.
What studies are behind the grade?
Two ten-day courses of 10 mg three times daily were compared with one course and with placebo. The abstract reports a benefit for two courses and recommends the drug; it gives no endpoint, effect size or statistics.
Is Cortexin approved for this?
No. Cortexin is not approved (Russia only); it is not an approved medicine for any indication in the jurisdictions LYO covers.

Other outcomes for Cortexin

Written and maintained by LYO Research — how pages are written and checked. Reviewed 23 September 2026. Grades count human evidence only; see how LYO grades. Not medical advice. Correct this page →