Epitalon (Epithalon)
Epitalon (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) is a synthetic peptide of four amino acids (a tetrapeptide). Vladimir Khavinson's group developed it in the 1980s and 90s, at the St Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology. It is promoted as a telomerase activator and a tuner of the pineal gland. But the evidence is weak. The clinical studies are small and mostly unblinded, and they come from a single research network. They have serious flaws: little randomization, soft endpoints, and no independent Western replication. Epitalon is not approved as a medicine by the FDA or EMA. The FDA put it on the 503A Category 2 bulk-substance list in 2023. Then it removed Epitalon on 22 April 2026, along with eleven other peptides whose backers withdrew. A formal PCAC review is set for 24 July 2026. Epitalon is sold worldwide as a research peptide, so you may see it online. Its longevity and telomerase claims are not backed by large, independently replicated trials.
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Sources
- Khavinson VK, Malinin VV. (2005). Peptides and Ageing (review of Khavinson group peptide bioregulators, including Epitalon). *Neuroendocrinology Letters*
- Khavinson VK, Bondarev IE, Butyugov AA. (2003). Epithalon peptide induces telomerase activity and telomere elongation in human somatic cells. *Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine*
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2023). Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding That May Present Significant Safety Risks (503A Category 2; includes Epitalon)