Cerebrolysin

FPF-1070 · FPF 1070

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Post-stroke motor recovery¹ Post-stroke aphasia² Vascular dementia³ Alzheimer's disease^4–6 Traumatic brain injury⁷	Status epilepticus⁸ Severe renal impairment⁸ Hypersensitivity⁸

Cerebrolysin (FPF-1070) is a mixture of low-molecular-weight peptides and amino acids derived from porcine brain, given by injection and said to mimic neurotrophic factors⁹. It is approved in many European and Asian countries but not in the United States¹⁰. The Austrian label supports its use in cerebrovascular disorders: dementia, post-stroke deficits, and craniocerebral trauma⁸.

The evidence is split. Cochrane reviews of acute ischaemic stroke found no clear benefit on death and more non-fatal serious adverse events, while randomized trials in early rehabilitation reported better upper limb motor function and language recovery. In vascular dementia, a Cochrane review found cognitive gains of very low certainty. A 2026 meta-analysis of three observational studies linked adjunctive use after mechanical thrombectomy with better functional outcome; no randomized trial has confirmed it¹¹. Cerebrolysin is supplied as an injectable solution; see Form comparison⁸.

The Austrian label lists status epilepticus and severe renal impairment as contraindications.⁸ It asks for attention to additive effects with antidepressants and monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, with a lower antidepressant dose⁸.

Last updated October 17, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

49 sources, 37 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources