Selank
Reviewed
Short answer
Selank is a peptide with seven amino acids. Small studies in people reported changes in anxiety symptoms. The studies were too limited to prove that Selank treats anxiety or improves focus. No FDA-approved U.S. Selank product was found in the records checked. FDA says important human safety information is missing for the Selank acetate form.
The Peptide Field explains research. Its pages are not independently medically reviewed, and they do not diagnose, prescribe, or recommend treatment.
Read the study findingsAlso known as TP-7 · Selanc
Compared with Semax
Legal status Is Selank legal? See the status table
Study and product details
What it is
Selank is a peptide with seven amino acids. Its sequence is Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro, also written as TKPRPGP. FDA also lists the names TP-7 and Selanc for this peptide. Selank diacetate is a related chemical form, not another name for every Selank product.
Type of peptide: Synthetic neuropeptide. This describes what the substance is or how it works. It does not show that it is safe, effective, or approved.
What has been studied?
- Limited: Research is too small or incomplete, or does not directly answer this question.
- Unclear: There is not enough reliable detail about the product or research to judge.
Small studies compared Selank with anxiety medicines. They reported symptom changes. The records reviewed did not include a large repeat study against a placebo.
A 52-person study measured changes in links between brain areas. It did not measure a treatment benefit, focus, memory, or daily function.
Small studies cannot show uncommon or long-term harms. FDA says important human safety information is missing for the Selank acetate form.
The main peptide, a related chemical form, the product used in a study, and products sold as Selank are not automatically the same.
Products with the same ingredient can differ.
The ingredient name does not tell you everything about a product. Check its other ingredients, its form, how it enters the body, and the use and people covered by the research or approval.
None found in the U.S. records checked on August 30, 2026.
- Small human studies of anxiety-related conditions
- A human brain-scan study
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What studies found
One study compared Selank with medazepam in 62 people. A second study compared Selank with phenazepam in 60 people with several anxiety-related conditions. Both reported symptom improvement. Neither cited study summary describes a placebo group, and both summaries gave few details about the methods.
A separate study used brain scans in 52 healthy people who received Selank, Semax, or placebo. It found changes in links between some brain areas. It did not test anxiety treatment, focus, memory, or daily function.
These small studies do not show that Selank is a proven anxiety treatment. They also do not prove better focus, memory, sleep, mood, or daily function. Most reports came from Russian research groups. The reports gave few details about whether people or researchers knew the assigned treatment. They also gave little information about longer follow-up or uncommon harms. No large, independent repeat study was found among the records reviewed.
No FDA-approved U.S. Selank drug was found. FDA says important human safety information is missing for the Selank acetate form. The reviewed records do not show whether an online or compounded product contains the listed chemical form or matches the product used in a study.
Which products do these findings apply to?
FDA has separate records for Selank and Selank diacetate, a related chemical form. FDA's compounding page uses the name Selank acetate. These records do not show that a sold or compounded product contains the listed form or matches the product used in a study.
Selank side effects and safety: what FDA has said
This page has no trial or drug-label side-effect table for Selank. FDA keeps a page of bulk substances that may be risky when a pharmacy mixes (compounds) them. Here is what that page says about Selank, in plain words.
FDA's page does not name specific side effects for Selank.
- FDA says it lacks important information about safety problems when Selank acetate is given to people.
- The body's immune system may react against it. FDA says this risk depends on how it is given.
- The peptide may clump together, which adds to that risk.
- Making it may leave unwanted peptide by-products in the product.
These points come from FDA's review of compounded drugs. They are not a full list of side effects. Having no reports does not mean a product is safe.
Read FDA's exact words
Selank acetate (TP-7): “Compounded drugs containing selank acetate may pose risk for immunogenicity for certain routes of administration due to the potential for aggregation and peptide-related impurities. FDA lacks important information regarding any safety issues raised by selank acetate administered to humans.”
Source: FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks , page dated .
Compare side-effect data across peptides
Report a side effect
You can report a suspected side effect to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or through FDA MedWatch . If a reaction feels serious, get medical care first.
FDA page checked .
Fact checks
7 statements checked. Read what the results mean.
“Selank, Selanc, and TP-7 are names for the same seven-amino-acid peptide.”
Yes. FDA lists Selank, Selanc, and TP-7 as names for one peptide with the sequence TKPRPGP. This record names the substance. It does not show that a related chemical form or sold product is the same.
- What this answer is based on
- Official record or product label
- Limits of this answer
- The Selank peptide in FDA's chemical record. Selank diacetate has a separate related record.
Sources for this fact check (2)
“Small studies tested Selank in people with anxiety-related conditions.”
Yes. One randomized report compared Selank with medazepam in 62 people. Another randomized report included 70 people. Forty received Selank with phenazepam, and 30 received phenazepam alone. These small studies do not prove a broad benefit.
- What this answer is based on
- Health results from a study with randomly assigned groups
- Limits of this answer
- Small studies in people with specific anxiety-related conditions. The reports do not establish a result for every anxiety condition or population.
Sources for this fact check (2)
“Selank is a proven treatment for anxiety.”
The studies were small and compared Selank with another medicine. The reports did not clearly say whether people and researchers knew the assigned treatment. No large, repeated result against a placebo was found.
- What this answer is based on
- No reliable studies showing this health result in people
- Limits of this answer
- A reliable treatment conclusion for anxiety disorders across people, settings, and products.
Sources for this fact check (3)
Show 4 more fact checks
“Selank improves focus, memory, or daily function.”
A 52-person study measured links between brain areas. It did not test focus, memory, or daily function. An earlier report mentioned a possible effect on thinking, but its study summary gave no clear result for these outcomes.
- What this answer is based on
- No reliable studies showing this health result in people
- Limits of this answer
- Focus, memory, and daily-function outcomes in people who received a verified Selank study product.
Sources for this fact check (2)
“Selank is FDA-approved in the United States.”
No FDA-approved U.S. Selank product was found in the records checked. FDA's chemical record names the substance. It does not approve a drug. The request to add Selank acetate to a compounding list was withdrawn. That request was not approval.
- What this answer is based on
- Official record or product label
- Limits of this answer
- United States drug-approval and compounding records checked on August 30, 2026.
Sources for this fact check (3)
“Selank, Selank diacetate, and every product sold as Selank are interchangeable.”
FDA has separate records for the main peptide and Selank diacetate, a related chemical form. A product name does not prove what it contains, its quality, or whether it matches the product used in a study.
- What this answer is based on
- Official record or product label
- Limits of this answer
- The peptide, its related chemical form, and each finished or compounded product must be checked separately.
Sources for this fact check (2)
“Selank has a proven safety profile in people.”
The human studies were small and cannot show uncommon or long-term harms. FDA says important human safety information is missing for Selank acetate. For some ways of using it, FDA also warns of possible immune reactions from peptide clumps or related impurities.
- What this answer is based on
- No reliable studies showing this health result in people
- Limits of this answer
- Long-term safety, uncommon harms, and the safety of each way it is used, chemical form, and finished product.
Sources for this fact check (3)
Questions people ask about Selank
No. FDA lists Selank and Selank diacetate as different chemical forms. A product name does not prove which form it contains or whether it matches the product used in a study.
FDA's page on risky compounding substances says this about Selank. It does not name specific side effects for Selank. FDA says it lacks important information about safety problems when Selank acetate is given to people. The body's immune system may react against it. FDA says this risk depends on how it is given. The peptide may clump together, which adds to that risk. Making it may leave unwanted peptide by-products in the product. These points come from FDA's review of compounded drugs. They are not a full list of side effects.
Risks and safety limits
FDA warns of possible immune reactions with some ways of using compounded Selank acetate. Peptide clumps or related impurities could cause the reaction. FDA also says important human safety information is missing for this chemical form. Short studies cannot show uncommon or long-term harms. This guide gives no dosing, spray, injection, buying, sourcing, or treatment advice.
This editorial review did not determine sport eligibility. Athletes must check the current prohibited list, Global DRO, and their governing body.
Reviewed .Check the rules for athletes ↗Terms used in the studies
- peptide
- a short chain of amino acids
- amino acid
- a small building block that makes peptides and proteins
- placebo
- an inactive treatment used for comparison
- compounded
- made for one patient by a pharmacy, or in batches by a permitted outsourcing facility; a compounded drug is not FDA-approved
- mechanism
- how a substance may cause a body change
- biomarker
- a body or lab measurement, not automatically a health benefit
- randomized
- assigned to study groups by chance
- outcome
- what the study measured
Read the sources
Show 8 sources
Review history
Initial brief reviewed FDA identity, approval, and compounding records, three small anxiety studies, and a human brain-scan study.
Not independently medically reviewed. This page is not a dosing, sourcing, or treatment guide.
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