Updated August 2026
Thymalin Dosage: Human Studies, Timogen Labels, and Extract Quality
Research note: Thymalin is a heterogeneous bovine-thymus peptide extract, not one peptide. A 10 mg vial = 10 mg total extract, not 10 mg of Thymogen, Thymosin Alpha-1, or another defined peptide. This page documents product-specific medicinal instructions and human exposures — not personal treatment advice. The complete protocol below is an investigator-run study framework — not a self-injection plan.
Current Russian adult medicinal instructions: 5–20 mg IM once daily for 3–10 days (30–100 mg per course). Preventive: 5–10 mg IM daily for 3–5 days.
Clearest modern fixed exposure: 10 mg in 2 mL 0.9% saline IM once daily for 10 days (100 mg total) in a small 2021 severe-COVID RCT. Historical gerontology used 10 mg daily × 10 days or five 10 mg doses spaced 2–3 days apart — repeated courses are not validated longevity prescriptions.
SC use is an online extrapolation. Registered product and clearest studies used IM. No molar dose exists for the whole extract. ≠ Thymogen, TA-1, thymulin.
Thymalin dosage in 30 seconds
| Question | Research summary |
|---|---|
| Identity | Bovine thymus peptide extract — not one peptide |
| 10 mg vial | 10 mg extract + 20 mg glycine (current product) |
| ≠ | Thymogen · TA-1 · thymulin · Epitalon |
| Regional adult IM | 5–20 mg daily × 3–10 days |
| Clearest fixed study | 10 mg in 2 mL saline IM × 10 days |
| Validated SC | Not located |
| Molar dose | Not meaningful for whole extract |
| Main label AE | Allergic reactions |
What is Thymalin?
Thymalin (also Timalin) is a polypeptide complex extracted from bovine thymus tissue — calves and young cattle under one year. Each current medicinal vial contains 10 mg extract and 20 mg glycine. It is not one sequence, formula, or molecular weight.
Short sequences such as KE, EW, and EDP may contribute to activity, but their presence does not establish how much of each is in a 10 mg vial or whether synthetic short-peptide evidence transfers to the full extract.
Identity gate
Confirm bovine thymus extract — not Tα1, Thymogen, thymulin, or one peptide
Matches Thymalin identity on this page
Heterogeneous polypeptide extract from calf/young-cattle thymus — 10 mg extract + 20 mg glycine per current vial. Confirm source tissue, peptide fingerprint, potency assay, sterility, and endotoxin — not one HPLC peak.
10 mg does not identify a molecular dose
| Property | Defined peptide | Thymalin extract |
|---|---|---|
| One structure | Yes | No |
| Molecular weight | Yes | No — no meaningful molar dose |
| Primary identity | Sequence + assay | Source tissue + fingerprint + potency |
| Batch equivalence | Defined active molecule | Multivariate comparability program |
Current medicinal and regulatory status
Thymalin is a registered prescription medicine in Russia (LP-№(005867)-(RG-RU), 2024). Indications are regional — immune-deficient states, infections, impaired regeneration, post-chemo/radiotherapy suppression, etc.
There is no standardized US prescribing dose. A US investigational program would need modern CMC demonstrating source-animal controls, adventitious-agent safety, lot consistency, sterility, endotoxin, and reproducible potency.
Human and regional product dosages
Regional Timogen and published trials provide the clearest primary exposure records for alpha-Glu-Trp; this page covers the extract only.
Human evidence status
Regional IM label · 2021 COVID trial · historical gerontology
- Standardized US prescribing dose
- None
- Current Russian adult IM
- 5–20 mg daily × 3–10 days (30–100 mg/course)
- Russian preventive IM
- 5–10 mg daily × 3–5 days
- Clearest modern fixed study
- 10 mg in 2 mL saline IM × 10 days (100 mg)
- Route with strongest support
- Intramuscular
- Validated human SC dose
- Not located
- Adult weight-based dose
- Not established
- Whole-extract human PK
- Not established
- Molar dose
- Not scientifically meaningful for whole extract
Key human exposures
| Source | Exposure | Route / duration | Main limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current Russian monograph | 5–20 mg/day adults | IM × 3–10 days | Product-specific · not dose-ranging RCT |
| 2021 severe-COVID trial | 10 mg in 2 mL saline | IM daily × 10 days | Small · single-blind · early-pandemic era |
| 2003 St. Petersburg cohort | 10 mg daily × 10 days | IM · repeated 1 year later | Historical gerontology · not current Rx |
| 2003 Kyiv cohort | Five 10 mg doses 2–3 d apart | IM · q 5–6 mo × 3 years | Intermittent schedule · unreplicated outcomes |
| Cochrane thymus extracts | Multiple preparations | Various cancer-adjunct trials | Not one standardized Thymalin dose |
The 2021 trial reported clinical improvement and lower in-hospital mortality, but was small, single-center, single-blind, and not independently replicated. Mortality was secondary; confidence intervals are wide.
Reported research dosage landscape
The span from 5 mg × 3 days to 20 mg × 10 days is a label and study description, not a dose-response curve. No trial randomized 5 vs 10 vs 20 mg to show higher extract mass produces better outcomes.
Evidence split
Medicinal label & trials vs online SC / stack conventions
Medicinal label & human studies
Product- and indication-specific · IM
- Treatment IM
- 5–20 mg daily × 3–10 days
- Preventive IM
- 5–10 mg daily × 3–5 days
- COVID trial
- 10 mg in 2 mL saline IM × 10 days
- Gerontology
- 10 mg daily × 10 d OR five spaced doses
- SC
- No direct human route bridge located
- Dose response
- Not established across 5–20 mg
Current anecdotal / commercial
Label/trial numbers + route migration
- Short SC cycle
- 5–10 mg SC daily × 5–10 days
- Full SC cycle
- 10 mg SC × 10 days · repeat 6–12 mo
- Higher end
- 15–20 mg IM or SC × 7–10 days
- Diluent
- Often bacteriostatic water — not label saline
- Stacks
- Epitalon, Tα1, Thymogen combinations
- Primary source
- None for SC bridge or stacks
Course totals and historical schedules
Cumulative extract mass = daily mg × administrations. Five spaced 10 mg doses = 50 mg/course, not a daily 10 mg schedule. A 20 mg daily amount requires two full 10 mg medicinal vials.
Course math
Cumulative extract mass — 10 mg = total extract, not one peptide
Daily extract
10 mg
Administrations
10 days
Cumulative
100 mg
100 mg total · 10 mg in 2 mL saline IM daily. Documented exposure ≠ validated therapeutic dose. No molar conversion for whole extract.
Complete evidence-anchored research protocol (THYMALIN-1)
Most defensible next study: blinded 10 mg IM × 10 days with GMP lot, glycine-matched placebo, batch-specific peptide analytics, and licensed influenza vaccine on day 0 — not SC escalation or indefinite calendar cycling.
Proposed exposure: 10 mg total extract in 2 mL IM once daily on days −10 through −1 (100 mg cumulative). Primary objective: safety through day 28; secondary: vaccine humoral response.
THYMALIN-1 research framework
10 mg extract in 2 mL IM daily × 10 days · glycine-matched placebo · then flu vaccine
−10 to −1
10 mg extract in 2 mL IM daily × 10 (100 mg cumulative)
Blinded vs glycine-matched placebo; peptide-feature PK days −10 and −1; sentinel DSMB
GMP lot, multipeak fingerprint, glycine placebo, and DSMB required — not a home SC “longevity cycle.”
No dose escalation, repeat course, loading, or taper. Whole-product “half-life” cannot be reported as one number — use batch-specific peptide-feature PK.
Concentration and dose math
Current 10 mg vial + 1–2 mL isotonic saline before IM injection. 10 mg in 2 mL = 5 mg/mL. Adding water changes concentration and volume, not extract mass in the full vial.
Pharmacy arithmetic
Registered 10 mg vial examples — saline prep · IM route in label/studies
Final volume (isotonic saline)
Target extract mass
Withdrawal volume
2.00 mL
5.0 mg/mL extract · ≈ 200 U-100 units · 10 mg target
Registered 10 mg vial concentrations
| Final volume | Extract conc. | Volume for 10 mg |
|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 10 mg/mL | 1.0 mL — full vial |
| 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 2.0 mL — full vial |
U-100 units are volume markings only (100 units = 1 mL). They do not establish potency, route, or IM suitability. No mass-to-mole conversion for the whole extract.
Animal and laboratory research dosage
Historical animal work used thymus-derived polypeptide factors at 0.2–0.5 mg/rat in carcinogenesis models and 100 ng/mL in human cell cultures. These are model-specific — not human schedules.
In-vitro 100 ng/mL does not convert to an injectable human dose by matching body water or blood volume.
Why these doses were used — and what is unknown
The 5–20 mg label range reflects historical short-course practice without a modern exposure-response model. 10 mg = one full vial and the most traceable fixed study dose. 10 days = upper labeled duration and 100 mg total at 10 mg/day.
Thymalin has no validated single receptor, whole-product half-life, or pharmacodynamic threshold. “More immune activity” is not automatically beneficial.
Potential benefits: what has and has not been shown
Claim vs evidence
| Claim | Current conclusion |
|---|---|
| Short IM courses documented (regional label) | Yes — product-specific medicinal range |
| 10 mg × 10 days in severe COVID (small RCT) | Direct exposure + signal — not definitive treatment |
| Gerontology mortality reduction | Historical report — unreplicated · multiple confounds |
| Validated SC protocol | Not established |
| Thymus regrowth / anti-aging dose | Not established |
| Universal infection prevention | Not established |
Thymalin safety and side effects
Current monograph lists allergic reactions; contraindicates pregnancy/breastfeeding. Extract-specific risks include batch variability, immunogenicity, BSE/TSE controls, endotoxin, and misidentification.
Immune modulation is not synonymous with “immune boosting.” Marker increases do not prove clinical benefit.
Safety monitoring
Allergic reactions on label — extract quality and immunogenicity matter
- Label-listed effects
- Allergic reactions; contraindicated in pregnancy/breastfeeding; caution with significant allergy history
- Extract-specific risks
- Batch variability, anti-product antibodies, BSE/TSE source controls, endotoxin/particulates, misidentification with synthetic peptides
- Long-term unknowns
- Repeated annual/semiannual courses, autoimmune effects, transplant/interaction with biologics — inadequately characterized
- Immune framing
- Immune marker changes ≠ automatic clinical benefit; context-dependent effects in cell studies
Product quality and storage
Credible release testing: bovine tissue identity, TSE/BSE assessment, viral/adventitious-agent program, multipeak peptide fingerprint, molecular-weight distribution, potency bioassay, sterility, endotoxin, stability. “99% HPLC purity” alone is misleading for a mixture.
Registered product storage 2–25°C unopened. That does not validate bacteriostatic-water reconstitution or 30-day refrigerated use for unrelated research vials.
Common claims vs evidence
Claim checker
Common Thymalin claims vs the evidence record
There is a universal Thymalin dose
False
Regional label: 5–20 mg IM × 3–10 days — product- and jurisdiction-specific, not every research vial or purpose.
Thymalin dosage evidence ladder
Dosage evidence ladder
IM milligram range is documented — interchangeability is not
| Level | What exists | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| US prescribing label | None | None |
| Regional medicinal monograph | 5–20 mg IM × 3–10 days; 30–100 mg/course | Product-specific moderate |
| Modern controlled human study | 2021 COVID RCT: 10 mg IM × 10 days | Condition-specific · unreplicated |
| Historical gerontology | 2003 multiple schedules · repeated courses | Low · extraordinary claims unreplicated |
| Smaller historical reports | Pulmonary, burn, infection adjuncts | Very low · doses often unavailable |
| Cell culture (100 ng/mL) | Mechanistic only | Not a human dose |
| Online SC / stacks | 5–20 mg SC cycles · Bacteriostatic water conventions | Anecdotal |
Thymalin’s IM milligram range is better documented than many research peptides — but dosing is not fully established across jurisdictions, products, or routes. Product identity and route discipline matter as much as nominal milligrams.
Sports and anti-doping considerations
Thymalin was not named on the 2026 WADA list reviewed for this page — that is not athlete clearance. Heterogeneous composition and undisclosed constituents create extra risk. Athletes need written product-specific guidance.
Bottom line
Thymalin has real regional medicinal history: 5–20 mg IM daily for short courses; clearest fixed research exposure 10 mg in 2 mL saline IM × 10 days (100 mg total).
Nominal milligrams cannot convert to moles or other thymic peptide doses. Online SC cycles, bacteriostatic water, stacks, and automatic six-month repetition extend beyond direct evidence. Next step: blinded IM trial with GMP lot, glycine placebo, batch fingerprint analytics, and standardized immune challenge.
Extract ≠ Thymogen ≠ TA-1. 10 mg = total thymus extract mass. SC route and 20 mg vial “courses” are not validated clinical protocols.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard Thymalin dose?
Current Russian instructions: 5–20 mg IM once daily for 3–10 days (30–100 mg per course). That is regional and product-specific — not universal for every vial or purpose.
What is the most studied fixed protocol?
10 mg in 2 mL of 0.9% saline IM once daily for 10 days — 100 mg total — used in a 2021 severe-COVID trial and resembling one gerontology course.
Is Thymalin one peptide?
No. It is a heterogeneous bovine-thymus extract with no single sequence, formula, molecular weight, or molar dose.
Is Thymalin the same as Thymogen or thymosin alpha-1?
No. Thymogen is defined α-Glu-Trp (~100 µg/day). TA-1 is a 28-aa peptide. Extract milligrams are not interchangeable.
Can Thymalin be given subcutaneously?
SC schedules circulate online, but the registered product and clearest studies use IM. No direct human SC route bridge was located.
Did the COVID study prove Thymalin halves mortality?
No. It was small, single-center, single-blind, and hypothesis-generating — not definitive treatment evidence.
Does the gerontology study prove Thymalin extends lifespan?
No. It pooled different cohorts and schedules with extraordinary unreplicated mortality claims — historical exposure, not a longevity prescription.
Can a 10 mg vial be converted to micromoles?
No for the whole extract. Molar math requires one molecular weight, which Thymalin does not have.
Is bacteriostatic water equivalent to saline?
No equivalence study was located. It changes excipients and does not prove fingerprint stability or multi-dose beyond-use dating.
Can a 20 mg research vial be treated as two medicinal vials?
Not without comparative analytical and manufacturing evidence. Nominal mass alone does not establish the same fingerprint, potency, or sterility.
References
Vidal Russia
Thymalin medicinal monographRegistration, composition, dosing, contraindications, storage.
Kuznik B et al.
Thymalin in severe COVID-19 older patients10 mg IM daily × 10 days; randomized single-blind trial.
Khavinson VKh, Morozov VG
Peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life2003 gerontology program — multiple schedules.
Wolf E et al.
Thymic peptides for cancer patients — Cochrane reviewMultiple purified thymus extracts — not one Thymalin dose.
Avolio F et al.
Peptides regulating inflammatory pathways in THP-1 cells100 ng/mL cell culture — mechanistic only.
WADA
2026 Prohibited ListThymalin not named individually; S0 considerations.