Sermorelin

Areas of active research — not promised effects

Each tag links to other compounds with research into that goal. Research use only: these are areas of study, not human-use claims.

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Sermorelin was FDA-approved as Geref (0.05 mg, 0.5 mg, and 1.0 mg vials) from 1990 until voluntary commercial discontinuation by EMD Serono in 2008. The FDA formally determined in 2013 that Geref was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness (Federal Register, March 2013). Because the drug is no longer commercially available, licensed compounding pharmacies (503A, patient-specific; 503B, outsourcing facilities) have a legal pathway to compound sermorelin acetate. Sermorelin was NOT among the peptides moved to Category 1 or retained in Category 2 under the April 2026 FDA docket (FDA-2025-N-6895) action; it remains available for compounding subject to state pharmacy law and a documented clinical rationale demonstrating that FDA-approved alternatives (e.g., tesamorelin, recombinant GH) are clinically inappropriate or inaccessible. For research institutions, it is available as RUO material from licensed suppliers. The fda19 (FDA-19 restricted) flag for sermorelin is not set.

Confirmed high-severity market-integrity event (enforcement / recall / counterfeit)

Transparent blend · bci-1.0 · never paid-placement

Primary name

Sermorelin

Origin

Sermorelin (GRF 1-29) is a synthetic peptide corresponding to the first 29 amino acids of endogenous human growth hormone-releasing hormone (hGHRH, 44 aa). The 1-29 N-terminal fragment retains essentially full biological activity of the intact hormone. It was developed as a diagnostic and therapeutic agent for growth hormone deficiency and received FDA approval as Geref (EMD Serono) in 1990. The manufacturer voluntarily discontinued Geref in 2008 for commercial reasons unrelated to safety or efficacy. All currently available sermorelin is produced through compounding pharmacies or for research use.

Registry IDs

PubChem CID

16132413

CAS

86168-78-7

InChIKey

WGWPRVFKDLAUQJ-MITYVQBRSA-N

ChEMBL

CHEMBL428135

Molecular formula

C149H246N44O42S

Molar mass

3357.9 g/mol

Monoisotopic

3355.8186992 Da

InChIKey

WGWPRVFKDLAUQJ-MITYVQBRSA-N

Appearance

White to off-white lyophilised powder

Solubility

Soluble in water and dilute aqueous acetic acid (0.1–1%); sparingly soluble in o…

Sequence not available in current seed.

Stability: Moderately stable as lyophilised powder under cold, dry conditions; susceptible to proteolytic degradation and oxidation in aqueous solution, particularly at el

Vial sizes

2 mg · 5 mg · 9 mg

Purity grades

≥98% HPLC

Salt forms

Free base (primary)

• GHS hazard class on file
• PPE & spill response
• Disposal guidance
• Not-for-human-consumption posture

How much research exists, and of what maturity — never a verdict on whether it works.

Mechanism of action

• Sermorelin acts as a selective agonist at the growth hormone-releasing hormone receptor (GHRHR), a Gs-protein-coupled receptor expressed on anterior pituitary somatotroph cells
• Binding stimulates adenylyl cyclase, increases intracellular cyclic AMP, activates protein kinase A, and promotes both synthesis and pulsatile exocytotic release of endogenous growth hormone
• Because sermorelin acts upstream of the pituitary — causing the gland to release its own GH rather than supplying exogenous hormone — the resulting GH profile mirrors physiological pulsatility and remains subject to normal negative-feedback inhibition by somatostatin, which limits the degree of GH elevation achievable
• Downstream GH signalling drives hepatic IGF-1 synthesis and the anabolic, lipolytic, and growth-promoting effects associated with the GH/IGF-1 axis

Pharmacokinetics (ADME)

Half-life

~11–12 minutes (both IV and SC routes; from Geref prescribing information)

Clearance

2.4–2.8 L/min in adults (from Geref prescribing information); primarily proteolytic

PK–PD note: Following subcutaneous administration of 2 mg to healthy volunteers, peak plasma concentrations were reached within 5–20 minutes. Absolute SC bioavailability is approximately 6%, reflecting rapid prot…

Reading the evidence

• Evidence quality and gaps vary by application — see the cited grades above.
• Indexed-article counts span all evidence tiers, not only completed human trials.
• No first-party human-dosing, efficacy, or benefit claims are made here.

Key reviews & evidence-gap sources

• Walker RF. Sermorelin: A better approach to management of adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency? Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):307-308. PMC2699646 / PMID 18046908 — Editorial/narrative review advocating sermorelin as alternative to rhGH in adult aging; not a systematic review. Author affiliated with International Society for Applied Research in Aging (SARA), which offered sermorelin free to practitioners — potential conflict of interest.

5 registered trials — 0 currently recruiting.

NA
NCT00795210
Effects of Short-term Growth Hormone in HIV-infected Patients

COMPLETED

Phase 2
NCT01410799
Three Month Treatment of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone (GHRH) in the Elderly

TERMINATED

Phase 2
NCT03375788
Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Analog to Improve Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Associated Cardiovascular Risk

COMPLETED

NA
NCT00324064
Sexually Dimorphic Effects of GHRH in Adult Growth Hormone Testing

COMPLETED

Phase 1
NCT02553603
The Effect of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone on Cognitive Function in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment

COMPLETED

Summary (literature)

The sermorelin safety profile is informed by the original Geref clinical programme and post-marketing experience. The most common treatment-related adverse event is local injection-site reaction (pain, swelling, or redness), occurring in approximately 1 in 6 patients during clini…

WADA status

Prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) under the WADA 2026 Prohibited List, Section S2 — Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and …

Dominant research route: Subcutaneous injection

Humans — labeled therapeutic route (pediatric growth hormone deficiency); clinical trials in ~350 patients

Bioavailability: FDA label describes sermorelin as a sterile, non-pyrogenic, lyophilized powder intended for subcutaneous injection after reconstitution; plasma half-life ~11–12 minutes after SC administration, clearance 2.4–2.8 L/min in adults.

Labeled route for therapeutic use; injection-site reactions (pain, swelling, redness) are the most common adverse event (~1 in 6 patients). RUO — no dosing protocol implied.

Humans — diagnostic evaluation of pituitary GH reserve

Bioavailability: FDA label states sermorelin is administered intravenously for diagnostic use; half-life ~11–12 minutes after IV administration (same as SC), with rapid clearance 2.4–2.8 L/min in adults.

IV route described in labeling for diagnostic stimulation of GH release; not a therapeutic/maintenance route. RUO — no dosing protocol implied.

Not established in FDA labeling; no oral pharmacokinetic data in the label

Bioavailability: No oral bioavailability established; sermorelin is a 29-amino-acid peptide (GRF 1-29 NH2, MW ~3,358 Da) supplied only as an injectable lyophilized powder.

Oral route is not a labeled or studied route; reflects absence of oral PK data, not a statement about oral absorption. RUO.

Animal & human figures are kept visibly separate so studied animal doses are never misread as human guidance.

Sorted A–Z by vendor — never by price

Weekly median $/mg from the live vendor crawl.

Researched storefront prices, bucketed

p25 $8.20 · median $8.60 · p75 $10.30 · 7 researched vendors

Value rule: don't just buy the cheapest — a price under $3/mg is a red flag. Pair price with COA and independent-test grade.

Estimated cost of research (10 mg)

Vial (best researched price)

$75

Bacteriostatic water (generic estimate)

$6

Syringes / supplies (generic estimate)

$12

What each test proves — general guidance, plus this compound's researched purity data

Purity on the current market (researched)

Single publicly verifiable third-party (Janoshik) HPLC purity value: 99.213% (Sermorelin 10 mg, Panda Peptides batch). No multi-lab aggregate range available.

Independent labs cited for this compound

Three FDA-documented voluntary recalls of compounded sermorelin-containing injectable products occurred between 2016 and 2021, all due to lack of sterility assurance / sterility failure. No branded (Geref) sermorelin recall exists; the branded product was discontinued in 2008 for commercial (non-safety) reasons.

Buyer red-flag checklist

• Three separate FDA Warning Letters (2017, 2017, 2022) cite compounded sermorelin injectable recalls for sterility failure / lack of sterility assurance.
• Innoveix warning letter documented use of household dish detergent to clean glassware for sterile injectables and non-sterile disinfectant in ISO 5 area.
• Sermorelin is no longer FDA-approved (branded Geref discontinued 2008); all current U.S. supply is compounded, with no FDA-approved reference product on market.
• Sermorelin is listed by WADA/USADA as a prohibited growth hormone secretagogue for competitive athletes.
• No sermorelin-specific FDA Import Alert located; absence does not imply clearance of unapproved imports.

GMP vs research-grade: the chemistry (SPPS + HPLC + MS) is identical — the difference is the quality system.

Underdosing / mislabeling: No independent lab-test aggregate (Janoshik/MZ Biolabs/Finnrick) reporting sermorelin-specific underdosing prevalence was located. Community reports of peptide underdosing exist generically but are not sermorelin-specific or quantified.

• An RUO label is not an import exemption — CBP judges actual intended use.
• Lyophilized powder is ambient-stable in transit; temperature control needed for > 7-day transit.
• US-warehouse vendors dodge import scrutiny — they cost more but ship more reliably.

Every item dated & sourced

Prohibited at all times — WADA Prohibited List S2.2 (Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors and Related Substances); sermorelin explicitly named as a GHRH analogue in the 2026 List.

No granted patents identified in current seed. Composition-of-matter coverage is limited given the peptide's synthetic origin.

• IACUC / IRB research context
• RUO buyer responsibilities & documentation
• Veterinary / alternative-use where lawful
• Jurisdiction-aware "who may lawfully obtain"

What people discuss

Reported concerns — discussion, not established effects

Reading caveats

• Self-selection bias: positive sleep/energy anecdotes over-shared relative to neutral outcomes
• Vendor-affiliated and telehealth-marketing review sites (PeptideDeck, IvyRx, Eden, Strut, HealingMaps) intermixed with organic community discourse
• Oral/sublingual sermorelin repeatedly framed as 'scam' — possible motivated framing by injectable vendors
• Anecdotal dosing and cycle reports without medical oversight or baseline IGF-1 confirmation
• Price-disparity discussion conflates compounding-pharmacy, telehealth, and grey-market research-grade sources

Manually researched from reddit, youtube— theme weights are research estimates, not live counts; aggregated & de-identified. No individual posts, quotes, or usernames are ever shown.

Relative research / market volume — populated once the activity stream is wired

Inline tooltips for lyophilized, RUO, EU/mg, SPPS, 503A and more.

Toggle plain-language ↔ scientific in the header.

• How to read a COA
• Free base vs acetate
• Understanding evidence grades

Synthetic GHRH(1-29) fragment that stimulates pulsatile GH release via pituitary GHRHR; formerly FDA-approved as Geref (discontinued 2008). Research use only. Approximately 330 articles are indexed (literature last scanned 2026-05-29). US regulatory status: Not FDA-approved as finished drug; formerly approved (Geref, discontinued 2008); currently compoundable under 503A/503B with documented medical necessity. Research use only.

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