VIP peptide and aviptadil: an investigational neuropeptide, from its studies

What is the VIP peptide, and what is aviptadil?

A 2012 receptor review from the international pharmacology nomenclature committee places VIP in a superfamily of related peptide hormones that includes glucagon, the glucagon-like peptides, secretin and growth hormone-releasing hormone [4]. VIP acts through two receptors, VPAC1 and VPAC2, which also respond to the related peptide PACAP; a third receptor, PAC1, is selective for PACAP.

The same review lists VIP roles in circadian rhythm, learning and memory, stress responses, immunity and inflammation, insulin release from the pancreas, and signalling from autonomic and sensory nerves [4]. Aviptadil is the drug name for synthetic VIP, the version used in the clinical studies below [1]. A search for the VIP peptide is usually a search for this molecule, often with an injection or a nasal spray in mind.

What do the aviptadil studies report?

A 2022 study at ten US hospitals randomised 196 patients with critical COVID-19 respiratory failure, 2 to 1, to three days of intravenous aviptadil or placebo [1]. Its primary end point, alive and without respiratory failure at day 60, was not met. The authors reported higher odds of survival at 60 days in a secondary analysis and a fall in interleukin 6 by day 3, findings that sit outside the primary result.

A larger 2023 study randomised 471 patients with hypoxaemic respiratory failure across 28 US sites to aviptadil or placebo, with 461 included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis, giving aviptadil as a 12-hour infusion on each of three days [2]. Its safety board stopped the aviptadil arm for futility. At day 90 the odds ratio for a better recovery category was 1.11 and not significant, and 38% of the aviptadil group and 36% of the placebo group had died.

A 2025 study gave inhaled aviptadil or placebo to 80 hospitalised adults at nine centres and reported a shorter mean time to discharge, 7.8 against 10 days, and better lung imaging scores at day 28 [3]. It is small, and no larger study cited here has repeated its result. All three describe aviptadil as investigational.

How are VIP and aviptadil amounts measured?

The 2023 study reports aviptadil in picomoles per kilogram of body weight, not milligrams: 600 pmol/kg on the first infusion day, 1,200 on the second and 1,800 on the third [2]. Adding them gives 3,600 pmol/kg across the three days, a research total for patients in intensive care, not a personal amount [6].

Turning picomoles into milligrams needs the molecular weight of the exact salt used, which none of the cited sources print, so this page stops at the molar figures. There is no labeled vial, concentration or syringe-unit example for VIP; the peptide calculator works only from a stated amount and a stated volume. The 2022 and 2025 abstracts describe schedules and routes rather than molar totals, so no amounts from them are added together here.

How do people log VIP in PinPoint?

PinPoint's compound library has no VIP or aviptadil entry [5]. The app's library spans peptides, TRT and GLP-1 medicines across injection, oral, nasal, topical and sublingual routes, and the peptide library lists every compound guide [7].

For library compounds, entries record compound, dose, site and pain level, with reminders tied to the day and time set and a color-coded calendar [7]. Ask PinPoint can say what published references report about a library compound, with sources, and it never recommends a dose or a change [7]. Side effects with severity ratings and daily notes can sit beside any library entry, and data export as PDF, CSV or JSON [7].

What do people ask about VIP and aviptadil?

What is VIP peptide?

VIP is vasoactive intestinal peptide, a neuropeptide that acts through the VPAC1 and VPAC2 receptors in the brain, gut, lungs and immune system. Aviptadil is its synthetic version.

Is aviptadil FDA approved?

The cited studies, published from 2022 to 2025, describe aviptadil as investigational, and this page cites no FDA approval record. The largest was stopped for futility.

How was aviptadil given in studies?

Two studies used intravenous infusions over three days in hospital, and one used inhalation. The 2023 study reported amounts in picomoles per kilogram.

Is VIP in the PinPoint app?

No. The compound library has no VIP or aviptadil entry, and the peptide library page lists the compounds it covers.

Where do these facts come from?

Sources are listed by kind: labels first, then peer-reviewed papers, then PinPoint's own library, arithmetic and app description. Library values were retrieved from the PinPoint application on 5 October 2026; vendor listings support package sizes only.

1. Intravenous aviptadil in critical COVID-19 respiratory failure, randomised study, 2022Critical Care Medicine, 2022. 196 patients at ten hospitals, randomised 2:1 to 3 days of intravenous aviptadil or placebo; primary end point not met.Retrieved 2026-10-05 · study
2. Intravenous aviptadil and remdesivir for hypoxaemic respiratory failure, randomised placebo-controlled study, 2023The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2023. 461 participants in the aviptadil comparison; 12-hour infusions on 3 days at 600, 1200 and 1800 pmol/kg; stopped for futility.Retrieved 2026-10-05 · study
3. Inhaled aviptadil in hospitalised adults, randomised placebo-controlled study, 2025Medical Principles and Practice, 2025. 80 patients at 9 centres; time to discharge and lung imaging scores.Retrieved 2026-10-05 · study
4. Receptors for vasoactive intestinal peptide and PACAP: pharmacology review, 2012British Journal of Pharmacology, 2012, receptor nomenclature committee review. VPAC1, VPAC2 and PAC1 receptors, and the roles of VIP in the brain and periphery.Retrieved 2026-10-05 · monograph
5. PinPoint compound library, application recordsHalf-life inputs, routes, frequencies, package examples and confidence labels as stored in the iOS app library and mirrored in the peptide guides.Retrieved 2026-10-05 · library
6. Unit conversion arithmeticConcentration = amount / volume; volume = amount / concentration; U-100 units = mL x 100; remaining fraction = 2^(-elapsed / half-life).Retrieved 2026-10-05 · arithmetic
7. PinPoint App Store descriptionFeature wording from the approved application description, not pricing.Retrieved 2026-10-05 · app-description