Reviewed & approved by Dr. Nova Reyes · Last checked 2026-10-25. ← Back to Evidence Library
Livagen: what the evidence says
At a glance
What it is: a synthetic short peptide (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala, "KEDA") from V. Kh. Khavinson's "peptide bioregulator" program in St. Petersburg, promoted for liver health and anti-aging.
What the evidence says: no human trials found. Developer-led and Georgian lab studies report chromatin (DNA-packaging) changes in white blood cells from very old people, and a review describes liver-protective effects in animals. R1, R2, R3
Biggest risks: unknown. No human safety data were found. Unknown Gray-market vials add quality risks.
Rating
| Human Human evidence | No human data |
| Animal Animal / lab evidence | Reported (developer-led): lab-dish chromatin and animal liver studies R1–R4 |
| Regulatory | Not FDA-approved (no Drugs@FDA record) · Russia: registration status UNVERIFIED · WADA 2026: not named; S0 (unapproved substances) likely applies |
| Established human dose | None. Study details lists what studies used where reported |
Evidence verdict: Human: No human data Card verdict: No human data (liver & chromatin claims rest on developer-led lab and animal studies only) Card note: Animal/lab data only (developer-led), see page
This page reports what studies used. It is not dosing advice.
Legend: HUMAN data · ANIMAL / LAB data · UNKNOWN · UNVERIFIED: not yet confirmed against a primary source
About the evidence (developer-led): most of this literature comes from V. Kh. Khavinson's St. Petersburg Institute of Bioregulation and Gerontology and allied Russian, Ukrainian and Georgian groups. Many papers are short, Russian-language, and not independently repeated. Read the findings as the developers' own reports.
What is it?
Livagen is a 4-amino-acid peptide (Lys-Glu-Asp-Ala, "KEDA"). Khavinson's group calls these "tissue-specific bioregulators" and proposes that they act on gene activity in the organ they are named for. R1 That idea is the developers' hypothesis and has not been confirmed independently. Unknown
Does it work?
- Animal Cells from older people (lab dish): Livagen loosened tightly packed chromatin in white blood cells from old people. R1, R2 A Georgian group reports similar findings. R4
- Animal Animals: a developer review reports liver-protective and immune effects in animal liver-injury models. R3
- Unknown Human clinical trials: none found.
Is it safe?
- Unknown No human safety data found.
- Unknown Long-term effects unknown.
Gray-market "research use only" Livagen: extra risks
Unknown contents. Vials sold online as "research use only" are not made under drug-quality rules, so identity, strength and sterility are unknown. This is a general caution; we have not found independent testing data for this product. Unknown Vendor claims about effects in people are marketing, not evidence. Unknown
What we don't know
- Unknown Whether it does anything in people
- Unknown Whether a short peptide like this survives digestion or reaches tissues when swallowed or injected
- Unknown What is actually in a gray-market vial or capsule labelled "livagen"
Is it legal?
Not FDA-approved (no Drugs@FDA record, openFDA query Oct 25, 2026). Russia: UNVERIFIED whether registered as a medicine in GRLS or sold only as a supplement. EU, UK, Japan, China: UNVERIFIED not checked against EMA, MHRA, PMDA or NMPA. WADA: not named on the 2026 Prohibited List; S0 bans at all times any substance with no current regulatory approval for human therapeutic use.
Study details
These are amounts researchers used, not recommendations.
R1 Animal Lab: Livagen and chromatin in lymphocytes from old people (Khavinson 2002)
R2 Animal Lab: short peptides and lymphocyte chromatin (Khavinson 2004)
R3 Review: liver complex and KEDA (Kuznik 2020)
R4 Animal Lab: Georgian chromatin study (Lezhava 2006)
Full reference list (PubMed entries checked Oct 25, 2026)
- Khavinson VKh, et al. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2002;134(4):389-92. PMID 12533768
- Khavinson VKh, Lezhava TA, Malinin VV. Bull Exp Biol Med. 2004;137(1):78-81. PMID 15085253
- Kuznik BI, et al. Adv Gerontol. 2020;33(1):159-64. PMID 32362099
- Lezhava T, et al. Georgian Med News. 2006;(133):111-5. PMID 16705247
Disclaimer
This page is for education and harm reduction, not medical advice or a recommendation to use Livagen. Talk to a clinician you trust before using any drug, and report problems to FDA MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch).
Approved for Adam Greene by Dr. Nova Reyes, 2026-10-25.