Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of Cortagen and SS-31 — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
A short synthetic peptide bioregulator (Ala-Glu-Asp-Pro) from the Khavinson 'Cytomax/Cytogen' family, marketed for cartilage and connective-tissue support. Evidence is largely Russian-language and preclinical.
SS-31 (elamipretide) is a mitochondria-targeted tetrapeptide (D-Arg-Dmt-Lys-Phe-NH2) developed by Hazel Szeto (Cornell) and clinically advanced by Stealth BioTherapeutics. It concentrates in the inner mitochondrial membrane by binding cardiolipin. In September 2025, the FDA granted accelerated approval to elamipretide (brand name FORZINITY) as the first therapy for Barth syndrome — the first FDA-approved mitochondria-targeted drug. It remains investigational for other indications.
Cortagen
SS-31
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Half-life
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
Cortagen
SS-31
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
Cortagen
9
COAs
99.6%
Avg purity
4
Labs
SS-31
65
COAs
99.8%
Avg purity
12
Labs
Primarily Russian institutional studies; no large independent controlled human trials.
The original SS-peptide class was described by Zhao, Szeto and colleagues (J Biol Chem 2004, PMID 15178689), showing ~1000-fold concentration at the inner mitochondrial membrane and protection against oxidative cell death. Szeto's 2014 review (Br J Pharmacol, PMID 24117165) reframed the mechanism as cardiolipin-binding rather than antioxidant scavenging. The TAZPOWER trial (NCT03098797) in Barth syndrome, with its 168-week open-label extension (Thompson et al., Genet Med 2024, PMID 38602181), supported FDA accelerated approval of FORZINITY in September 2025 at 40 mg SubQ daily. The Phase 3 MMPOWER-3 trial in primary mitochondrial myopathy (Karaa et al., Neurology 2023, PMID 37268435) FAILED co-primary endpoints of 6-minute walk test and fatigue score, though a post-hoc nuclear-DNA subgroup showed improvement. Phase 2 ReCLAIM-2 in geographic atrophy missed primary endpoints but reduced ellipsoid-zone attenuation; a Phase 3 trial is ongoing. Earlier heart failure trials (PROGRESS-HF) showed only modest signals.
Key references
Cortagen and SS-31 are both in the Recovery category and may have overlapping mechanisms. Researchers should review both profiles carefully, understand the mechanisms of action, and monitor the relevant biomarkers when combining compounds in the same class. As always, consult a licensed healthcare provider before making any decisions about combining research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Disclosed Labs