Bottom line
A boundary-case combination pairing Epitalon (a synthetic tetrapeptide, Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly, based on pineal gland peptides) with Thymalin (a bovine thymus polypeptide extract, not a single defined peptide). No direct human study of this named Epitalon + Thymalin combination was identified. The human mortality paper often cited for it tested Epithalamin, an animal-derived pineal polypeptide extract, with Thymalin; it did not test synthetic Epitalon. That distinction prevents the paper from establishing efficacy for the blend named on this page.
No established or recommended human dose.
Name and formulation variability
| Observed source/date | Claimed components | Claimed amounts | Verification limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khavinson and Morozov human report (2003) | Thymalin (thymus polypeptide complex) plus Epithalamin (pineal polypeptide complex) | Study-specific regimens | This was not Epitalon and was not a co-formulated product |
| Various grey-market vendors | "Epitalon + Thymalin stack" | Variable | No quality standard outside Russia |
Thymalin is a polypeptide extract (not a single peptide) with batch-to-batch variability inherent to animal-derived biological products. Epitalon is a well-defined synthetic tetrapeptide.
Also known as: Thymalin + Epitalon, pineal-thymus peptide therapy, AEDG + thymus polypeptides.
Component evidence
| Component | Separate evidence | Evidence for combination | Compatibility/stability evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) | Preclinical gerontology and cell studies are reviewed in the separate Epitalon monograph | None identified: the quantitative human mortality report used Epithalamin, not Epitalon | None identified |
| Thymalin (bovine polypeptide extract) | The authors' later review reports Soviet medical-use authorization in 1982; the extract contains peptides below 10 kDa rather than one defined active sequence | Same Khavinson 2003 trial | Animal-derived extract and batch variability; the 2003 authors reported process controls, but that is not independent product-quality verification |
Combination-specific studies
Khavinson and Morozov (2003; PMID 14523363) reported two clinical cohorts totaling 266 older participants at centers in St. Petersburg and Kyiv. The frequently repeated combination figures came from the St. Petersburg mortality table, not from all 266 participants. In that table, the control group was 22 people, the Thymalin + Epithalamin group treated in the first two years was 24 people, and a separate annual-treatment group was 20 people. Six-year mortality was reported as 81.8%, 33.3%, and 20.0%, respectively, which the authors described as 2.5-fold and 4.1-fold reductions relative to control. The paper describes stratified randomization, placebo control, and double blinding for the 94-woman four-group trial, but describes the 20-person annual-treatment cohort separately and does not say that this cohort was randomized.
These are source-reported, small-group results from an older study without a prospective trial registration or an independently replicated mortality trial. The report does not provide enough detail to resolve allocation concealment, attrition, or the comparability of the separate annual-treatment cohort. Most importantly for this page, both quantitative comparisons concern Thymalin + Epithalamin, not synthetic Epitalon + Thymalin. They therefore cannot be treated as efficacy evidence for the marketed blend named here.
Safety and interaction uncertainties
Thymalin is a bovine extract with potential batch-to-batch variability and theoretical adventitious-agent risk; the 2003 authors reported negative tests after extraction and purification, but no independent lot-level evidence was identified
No standardised dosing protocol outside Russian practice
No published drug-interaction data
No independent replication of the clinical findings by non-affiliated groups
Regulatory and product-quality notes
Thymalin: a later review by the same research group reports Soviet medical-use authorization under Order No. 1108 of November 10, 1982; this atlas did not independently retrieve that historical regulator record
Epitalon: synthesised at St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology; patented 2000
Neither is FDA-approved, and no centrally authorized EMA product was identified
Online sellers use “research use only” labels; that wording is not authorization for human use
WADA: neither marketed name is explicitly listed in the 2026 index. S0 is a catch-all for non-approved pharmacological substances not otherwise addressed; athletes need a case-specific anti-doping determination.
Evidence gaps
No direct human trial or independent replication for Epitalon + Thymalin
The mortality study used Epithalamin (pineal extract), not synthetic Epitalon, and its often-quoted combination groups were much smaller than the 266-person total
Thymalin composition is not a single defined peptide
No pharmacokinetic data for the combination
No regulatory review outside Russia
Single research group produced the majority of published literature
Sources
Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG. Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2003;24(3-4):233-240. PMID 14523363. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14523363/ Full paper scan: https://khavinson.info/assets/files/skan/2003-khavinson_morozov1.pdf accessed 2026-08-06.
MDPI Int J Mol Sci. 2025;26(6):2691. Epitalon review. https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/26/6/2691 accessed 2026-08-06.
Anisimov VN, Khavinson VKh, Mikhalski AI, Yashin AI. Effect of synthetic thymic and pineal peptides on biomarkers of ageing, survival and spontaneous tumour incidence in female CBA mice. Mech Ageing Dev. 2001;122(1):41-68. PMID 11163623. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11163623/
Khavinson VKh, Kuznik BI, Ryzhak GA. Peptide bioregulators: a new class of geroprotectors. Report 2. The results of clinical trials. Adv Gerontol. 2014;4(4):346-361. DOI 10.1134/S2079057014040122. https://khavinson.info/assets/files/2014-Khavinson_Kuznik.pdf
World Anti-Doping Agency. 2026 Prohibited List. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/2025-09/2026list_en_final_clean_september_2025.pdf