Cerebrolysin
Also known as
Porcine-derived neuropeptide mixture studied for neurological recovery and cognition. Moderate evidence from human trials in stroke and dementia; investigational status in most markets. Moderate risk.
Evidence
Multiple human trials, mixed outcomes
Risk band
Known AEs, monitoring advised
Research goals
Summary
Cerebrolysin is a peptide mixture derived from cattle brain marketed as a neurotrophic treatment for acute ischaemic stroke and dementia, and unusually for these reviews it has been studied extensively in humans. However, the highest-quality evidence is largely negative: Cochrane systematic reviews found moderate-certainty evidence that Cerebrolysin probably has no beneficial effect on preventing all-cause death or reducing serious adverse events in acute ischaemic stroke, and indicated a potential increase in non-fatal serious adverse events [1,3,4]. In vascular dementia, any benefits may be too small to be clinically meaningful, with the supporting evidence base judged weak and at high risk of bias [2]. Although heavily studied, the data do not demonstrate clinical benefit, and the signal of increased non-fatal serious adverse events is an important caveat against routine use.
Sources
- 1. Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2023.
- 2. Cerebrolysin for vascular dementia The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2019.
- 3. Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2020.
- 4. Cerebrolysin for acute ischaemic stroke The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2017.
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