Peptide Graded

Davunetide

Does Davunetide work?

Partly: some human trials, with gaps. One trial of 313 people, and it found no benefit.

BSome human evidenceIn clinical trialsas of 2026-10-27

There is one large randomized placebo-controlled trial: 313 people with progressive supranuclear palsy treated for 52 weeks, with no difference from placebo on either primary endpoint. The trial exists and was well run, which by our definitions is B, but it is negative for the use davunetide is known for. Everything else is cell and animal work on microtubule stabilization. 21

Boxer and colleagues randomized 313 people with progressive supranuclear palsy at 48 centres in six countries. They got nasal davunetide or placebo for 52 weeks, and 241 (77%) finished the trial. The two primary measures were the PSP Rating Scale and the Schwab and England Activities of Daily Living scale. The PSP Rating Scale is a clinician score of movement and function. Neither measure separated the groups. The median change in the PSP Rating Scale was 11.8 points in both arms. The daily-living score fell by the same 0.20 in both. Secondary and exploratory measures showed no drug effect. 2

A 2026 post hoc reanalysis of the same trial was led by the peptide's discoverer. It reported that women did better on davunetide than on placebo. This showed on a 10-item version of the rating scale and on some cognitive scores. Men showed no such effect. This is a subgroup finding from a negative trial. The authors hold commercial interests in davunetide. No one has tested the claim prospectively. 3

Evidence checklist

  • Randomised controlled trial 52-week placebo-controlled phase 3
  • Human study over 100 people 313 people with PSP
  • More than one research group One trial; no second group cited
  • Clinical outcomes, not surrogate markers Movement and daily-function scores; no benefit
  • Human safety data beyond case reports Serious events equal across arms in 52 weeks

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More on Davunetide

Citations

  1. Gozes 2011, Curr Pharm Des: davunetide (NAP) and microtubules, review doi.org
  2. Boxer 2014, Lancet Neurol: davunetide in patients with progressive supranuclear palsy, randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial doi.org
  3. Shapira 2026, Mol Psychiatry: sex-specific reanalysis of the davunetide PSP trial pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Davunetide article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.