Corticorelin dosage in published studies and labels

These are the doses used for Corticorelin in FDA labelling and published clinical studies, reported as each source states them, one row per regimen. They describe what was studied or approved for a specific population. They are not a recommendation, and none of them is a dose for any individual.

Research and educational reference only. This is not medical advice, and no figure on this page is a dosing recommendation.

Last checked against primary sources: November 7, 2026

Studied regimens and sources

Corticorelin has an FDA-approved human dosage as a single diagnostic test. The ACTHREL (corticorelin ovine triflutate) label dose is 1 mcg/kg given intravenously over 30 to 60 seconds, to help tell pituitary from ectopic ACTH production in ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome; doses above 1 mcg/kg are not recommended. A different molecule, human corticorelin acetate, was tested at 1 mg twice daily under the skin for brain-tumor edema but is not FDA-approved.

FDA Approved

Dosage evidence summary for Corticorelin
Human dosing established	Yes
Route	Intravenous
Frequency	Single dose per test
Duration studied	One diagnostic test; blood sampled up to 60 minutes
Evidence level	FDA Approved
Last reviewed	2026-11-07

Research-reported dosing

Doses as studied, one row per regimen. Different trials used different regimens; they are listed separately rather than averaged.

Research-reported dosing for Corticorelin, one row per studied regimen
Study / context	Population	Dose	Route	Frequency	Duration	Outcome studied	Source
FDA label — ACTHREL, ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndromeFDA-approved label · FDA prescribing information	Patients with ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome	1 mcg/kg; doses above 1 mcg/kg are not recommended	Intravenous infusion over 30 to 60 seconds	Once	Venous blood sampled at 15, 30 and 60 minutes after the dose	ACTH and cortisol response used to distinguish pituitary from ectopic ACTH production	ACTHREL (corticorelin ovine triflutate for injection) — FDA prescribing information (Ferring), DailyMed

Preclinical and analog research

Not human dosing evidence. Listed for completeness and never extrapolated to a human dose.

Research-reported dosing for Corticorelin, one row per studied regimen
Study / context	Population	Dose	Route	Frequency	Duration	Outcome studied	Source
Human corticorelin acetate, an investigational analog of the ovine product — peritumoral brain edema (Recht et al., 2013)Clinical trial · Randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial of an analog (human CRF sequence)Studied an analog, not Corticorelin itself	Patients with malignant brain tumors on stable dexamethasone for peritumoral brain edema (n=200; 100 per arm)	1 mg twice daily, or placebo	Subcutaneous	Twice daily	12-week double-blind study	Responders 57.0% against 46.0% with placebo (P=.12); maximum dexamethasone reduction 62.7% against 51.4% (P<.001)	Recht L et al. Steroid-sparing effect of corticorelin acetate in peritumoral cerebral edema is associated with improvement in steroid-induced myopathy. J Clin Oncol. 2013.

Where sources disagree

The FDA-approved product, ACTHREL, contains corticorelin ovine triflutate (the sheep sequence). Corticorelin acetate in the brain-edema trial is the human sequence, described in Moliterno et al. (Expert Opin Investig Drugs, 2009) as a synthetic human corticotropin-releasing factor analogue. The two are different molecules, and the trial dose does not apply to the diagnostic test.
The ACTHREL label reports hypersensitivity reactions, including flushing of the face, neck and upper chest, wheezing, urticaria and angioedema. Its DailyMed label was last updated in December 2021.