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 SS-31 and Vilon — mechanism, dosing, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
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.
Vilon is a synthetic dipeptide (Lys-Glu / KE) from the Khavinson bioregulator series, originally derived from thymus extracts and studied in Russian preclinical models as an immunomodulator and geroprotector. Not FDA-approved; all published evidence originates from a single research group.
SS-31
Vilon
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Dose Range
Route
Frequency
Dosing Notes
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
SS-31
Vilon
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
SS-31
65
COAs
99.8%
Avg purity
12
Labs
Vilon
11
COAs
99.7%
Avg purity
6
Labs
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
Evidence is limited to Khavinson-group preclinical work. Khavinson & Anisimov (Dokl Biol Sci, 2000; PMID 10944717) reported that Vilon (L-Lys-L-Glu) inhibited spontaneous tumor growth and extended lifespan in CBA mice. A small Russian report on Vilon as an adjuvant in elderly colorectal-cancer patients (Kuznik et al., 2005; PMID 16075684) is non-randomized and unreplicated. No Western-framework clinical trials, pharmacokinetic, or dose-response studies have been published.
Key references
SS-31 (Recovery) and Vilon (Immune) are in different categories and target different biological pathways. This is a common pattern in multi-compound research protocols. Researchers should monitor the biomarkers from both profiles and watch for interactions listed in each compound’s contraindications. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before combining any research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Half-life
Side Effects
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Disclosed Labs