Davunetide dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Davunetide is a brain-protecting peptide tested in people for brain diseases. Its main study failed, but interest continues.
Evidence grade for Davunetide: Moderate. The rule: at least one finished study in people, and at least 100 people who took it. The sum on this page: 1 completed trial, 313 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 313
- Human studies
- 1
- Found nothing
- 1
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
1 completed trial, 313 people given it
2 effects reported, 1 unwanted, 1 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Brain, memory and mood
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Davunetide is a small piece of a protein called ADNP. It is meant to protect nerve cells by steadying their inner frame. It was tested in people for brain diseases. Its main study failed. It is not approved.
What people take it for
- Protecting the brain in diseases that kill nerve cells.
- Better thinking.
- Rare ADNP-related conditions, where research is still going.
What studies in people showed
It was tested properly, and it did not work. 313 people with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disease of movement, balance and thinking, took it or a dummy for a year. Nobody knew which. Both groups got worse by the same amount. In people with schizophrenia, it was safe but did not improve thinking on a standard set of tests. One everyday skills test leaned slightly its way. That is a loose end, not a result.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- In the schizophrenia study on this page, people handled it well.
The bad
- It did not slow the disease in its main study.
- We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
Where these come from: Everything here is from the two human studies on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this one yet.
My bottom line
When a drug gets a real test and fails, believe the test. I would not take this for your brain.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Davunetide has been tested for in people, biggest studies first. We count only what the studies on this page say, so the real numbers may be higher.
- Memory and thinkingno headcount stated · 1 study · 1 found nothing
35 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Davunetide
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Davunetide does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Davunetide and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Davunetide?
Davunetide is a brain-protecting peptide tested in people for brain diseases. Its main study failed, but interest continues.
Davunetide is a piece, eight building blocks long, of a protein called ADNP. It helps hold up the inner frame of nerve cells. It was tested in people for thinking problems and brain diseases. The main study had 313 people with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disease that attacks movement, balance and thinking. After a year, people on it declined just as much as people on a dummy. In people with schizophrenia, it was safe but did not improve thinking. Researchers are still interested in it for rare ADNP-related conditions. It is not approved.
How does Davunetide work?
It steadies microtubules, the support beams inside nerve cells, and the tau protein tied to them. The idea is that this keeps nerve cells healthy.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
313people, across 1 study in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Lancet Neurology 2014 | 313 | 100% |
The whole total is one study of 313. Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. 1 more study in people gives no headcount and is not counted here. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
All 2 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people2100%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Sources here come from just two years, 2012 and 2014.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline. The newest source on file is from 2014, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Peptide
- Molecule weight
- ~827 Da
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Davunetide, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2014Davunetide in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial
It was tested properly and it did not work. Three hundred and thirteen people with progressive supranuclear palsy, a rare disease that attacks movement, balance and thinking, took davunetide or a dummy for a year. Nobody involved knew which. The two groups declined by the same amount, on the rating scale doctors use and on everyday tasks alike. A trial this size would have found a real benefit if there was one. This is not a treatment for the disease.
313 patients over 52 weeks: no difference from placebo on PSP Rating Scale or daily-living scale; not an effective treatment for PSP.
- Study in people2012Effect of the neuroprotective peptide davunetide (AL-108) on cognition and functional capacity in schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia took it safely, and their thinking did not improve. A standard battery of tests measured memory, attention and problem solving, and the drug made no difference on any of it. A second measure, of how well people handled everyday tasks in a role play, leaned slightly the drug's way. That was not the question the trial was built to answer, and one leaning measure is not a result. Read this as a miss with a loose end.
Well tolerated; no significant effect on MCCB cognition, with a modest signal on functional capacity (UPSA).
Where to buy Davunetide
No seller we track lists Davunetide yet. We read sellers’ public product lists every week, and this section fills in as soon as one does. Every seller, graded
Common questions
Has Davunetide been tested in people?
Yes. 313 people given it across 1 completed trial cited here, 1 of which found nothing. Davunetide is a brain-protecting peptide tested in people for brain diseases. Its main study failed, but interest continues.
What is the Davunetide dosage?
No human dose established. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose. 1 completed trial, 313 people given it
Is Davunetide FDA-approved?
Investigational; its key large study missed its goals
Is davunetide effective?
No. Its main human study did not work. It is still of research interest for some rare ADNP-related conditions, but it is not approved.