Label treatment course
Label- Dose
- 5–20 mg IM
- How often
- Once daily
- How long
- 3–10 days
30–100 mg per course (Russian label). Can be repeated after 1–6 months.
Draw 50 units10 mg + 1 mL
Approved drugImmune modulator (thymic extract)
Thymalin
Timalin, calf thymus extract
- Common dose
- 5–20 mg daily for 3–10 days
- Cycle
- 1-week course, about every 4 months
- Vial sizes
- 10 mg
- Typical draw
- 100 units10 mg with 1 mL, 10 mg
A Russian immunostimulant made from a polypeptide extract of calf thymus glands.
Evidence. Registered prescription drug in Russia. Not approved in the US or EU.
Status
- Approval
- Approved in Russia as a prescription intramuscular injection; not approved in the US or EU.
- Sport (WADA 2026)
- Not banned in sportNot named on the 2026 list.
Sport status follows the WADA Prohibited List in force since January 1, 2026; athletes should confirm with their anti-doping organization. Checked October 5, 2026.
Protocol
Label
Russian label
5–20 mg IM once daily for 3–10 days (30–100 mg per course). For prevention: 5–10 mg daily for 3–5 days.
- Frequency
- Once daily during a course
- Route
- Intramuscular
- Cycle
- A 3–10 day course, repeatable after 1–6 months.
1-week course, about every 4 months, shown over 26 weeks
Common protocols
The ways Thymalin is most often run, each tagged with where it comes from.
Label prevention course
Label- Dose
- 5–10 mg IM
- How often
- Once daily
- How long
- 3–5 days
The label’s preventive adult dose.
Draw 50–100 units10 mg + 1 mL
Taking it
Where it goes
Intramuscular injection, per the Russian label. The label does not cover subcutaneous use.
If you miss a dose
The label gives no missed-dose rule. For a short daily course, resume the next day and don’t double up.
What to expect
- During a 3–10 day course
Label uses: immune support in infections and after chemo or radiation. The label doesn’t describe effects you’d feel.
Label - Over years (older adults)
In a 266-person Khavinson cohort, thymalin courses were linked to 2.0–2.1-fold lower death rates over 6–8 years. Not independently replicated.
Trial - Same cohort
Acute respiratory infections were 2.0–2.4-fold less common in the peptide-treated groups.
Trial
Side effects and what to do
Allergic reaction (the only side effect the label lists)
Stop. Hives, face or throat swelling or trouble breathing needs emergency care. Use caution with an allergy history (label).
Injection-site soreness (not on the label; common with IM shots)
Alternate sides. Spreading redness, heat or pus needs a doctor.
Other effects not well documented
The label lists only allergy, and data outside Russia are sparse. Report anything new to a doctor.
Stop and get medical help
Stop and get emergency care for hives, swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. Don’t use during pregnancy or breastfeeding (label).
Tracking and pairing
Worth tracking
- Signs of allergic reaction (label caution)
Often paired with
- Epithalon
The Khavinson group paired Thymalin with the pineal extract Epithalamin; combined courses had the largest mortality drop (4.1-fold with yearly courses).
Human studies
3 key published human studies, with how many people took part. Animal studies aren’t listed here.
-
IL-6 fell from 20.4 to 3.7 pg/mL with thymalin vs 23.7 to 16.8 pg/mL with standard care alone; no deaths in either group.
- Design
- Open-label randomized controlled trial, hospitalized COVID-19 patients
- Dose
- 10 mg IM once daily
- Length
- 5 days
Khavinson et al., Stem Cell Rev Rep 2021, PMID 33575961
-
Mortality was 2.0–2.1 times lower with thymalin than in controls; yearly thymalin plus epithalamin for 6 years cut it 4.1 times.
- Design
- Controlled long-term study in people over 60 (266 across all arms; listed as randomized in PubMed)
- Length
- Treatment in the first 2–3 years; follow-up 6–8 years
Khavinson & Morozov, Neuro Endocrinol Lett 2003, PMID 14523363
-
Hospital mortality was 20.6% with thymalin, 28.4% with tocilizumab and 40.9% with standard care; the Russian abstract gives 16.2% for thymalin.
- Design
- Three-arm comparative study in severe COVID-19 (allocation method not stated)
Kuznik et al., Adv Gerontol 2022, PMID 36169363
Mixing your vial
| Vial | Water | Common dose | Draw | Strength | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 1 mL | 10 mg | 100 units (1.00 mL) | 10 mg/mL |
The label dissolves each vial in 1–2 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride just before the IM injection. One vial is one dose.
Dose chart
10 mg vialSyringe units for common doses at different water volumes. Select a cell to open it in the calculator.
| Dose | Water added | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 2 mL | 3 mL | |
| 5 mg | |||
| 6 mg | |||
| 7.5 mg | |||
| 10 mg | |||
| 15 mg | – | – | – |
| 20 mg | – | – | – |
U-100 insulin syringe: 100 units is 1 mL. Draws over 100 units show in mL. Faded values are under 2 units, which is hard to measure. Check that your vial holds the larger volumes.
Datasheet
- Half-life
- No reliable value has been published.
- Type
- Mixture
- Storage before use
- Store at 2–25 °C, protected from light (labels).
- After mixing or opening
- Dissolve in 1–2 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride just before injecting and use right away; do not store.
- Molecule: Thymus extract of short peptides; PubChem’s “thymalin” entry is a different peptide (thymulin)
- Storage: Label Vidal.ru Timalin entry (Samson-Med, Russia); Medelement Timalin 10 mg instruction (Biofarma, Ukraine)
Cautions
- Not for use in pregnancy or breastfeeding (label).
- An animal-derived extract, not a single defined peptide.
Questions
What is Thymalin?
A Russian immunostimulant made from a polypeptide extract of calf thymus glands.
Is Thymalin FDA-approved?
Approved in Russia as a prescription intramuscular injection; not approved in the US or EU.
What is the usual Thymalin dose?
From the label (Russian): 5–20 mg IM once daily for 3–10 days (30–100 mg per course). For prevention: 5–10 mg daily for 3–5 days. These are the amounts sources reference, not recommendations.
How much water do I mix Thymalin with?
There’s no single right amount, because the liquid only sets the strength. With 1 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride (as its label directs) in a 10 mg vial, the strength is 10 mg/mL, so 10 mg is 100 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. More liquid makes small doses easier to measure. The dose chart above shows other volumes.
How should Thymalin be stored?
Before mixing: Store at 2–25 °C, protected from light (labels). Dissolve in 1–2 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride just before injecting and use right away; do not store.
Is Thymalin banned in sport?
No. Not named on the 2026 list.
Has Thymalin been studied in people?
Yes. The human studies section lists 3 published studies. Among them, from 2021: IL-6 fell from 20.4 to 3.7 pg/mL with thymalin vs 23.7 to 16.8 pg/mL with standard care alone; no deaths in either group.
Sources
- Thymalin registration entry (Vidal.ru, Russian)
For the protocol details
- Khavinson & Morozov, peptides of pineal gland and thymus prolong human life (PubMed, 2003) PMID 14523363