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Sermorelin

Sermorelin Acetate (GRF 1-29 NH₂)

Given as a subcutaneous injection

Sermorelin at a glance

Not on either FDA list

How studies gave it

Injected into the fat under the skin

Evidence on this page

3 peer-reviewed papers, published 1997 to 2017

FDA compounding lists

It appears on neither of the two FDA compounding tables.

What it is

A synthetic 29-amino-acid peptide corresponding to the first 29 residues of endogenous growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), retaining full biological activity at the GHRH receptor. Sermorelin was studied in clinical trials and received FDA approval in the 1990s for diagnosis and treatment of pediatric idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (marketed as Geref), but was voluntarily discontinued in 2008 for commercial reasons unrelated to safety or efficacy.

It is one of the most frequently discussed GHRH analogues in anti-aging and optimization communities in the context of pulsatile GH stimulation, body composition, and sleep quality.

Published research

Sermorelin was evaluated in multicentre RCTs for pediatric GHD (Geref International Study Group, PMID 8772599) and in age-advanced adults (Khorram et al. 1997, PMID 9141536), demonstrating increased GH secretion, improved body composition, and enhanced sleep quality. Sigalos et al. (2017, PMID 28830317) studied sermorelin combined with GHRP-2/GHRP-6 in hypogonadal men, observing significant IGF-1 elevation.

Its mechanism preserves physiological pulsatile GH release via somatostatin feedback, distinguishing it from exogenous rhGH. Community-reported dosing ranges are extrapolated from clinical data and published literature.

What the terms on this page mean10 terms
peptide
A short chain of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
endogenous
Made by the body itself, rather than given from outside.
GH
Growth hormone, released by the pituitary gland, involved in growth and tissue repair.
GHRH
Growth hormone-releasing hormone, the signal that tells the pituitary to release GH.
receptor
A docking point on a cell. A molecule that fits it can switch a process on or off inside that cell.
clinical trial
A study that tests something in people under a written plan, with results recorded.
efficacy
Whether something works under trial conditions, which is not the same as in daily use.
randomised controlled trial
A trial that assigns people to treatment or control by chance, which is what lets it separate an effect from luck.
PMID
The identifier PubMed gives a paper. It is what makes a citation checkable.
IGF-1
Insulin-like growth factor 1, made largely in the liver in response to GH, and the marker most GH studies measure.

Compounding status

Not on either FDA list
FDA listing
Sermorelin appears on neither FDA's category 2 table nor its table of withdrawn nominations.
What that means
Absence from both lists is not permission to compound. Section 503A allows a bulk drug substance only where a USP or NF monograph exists, or the substance is a component of an FDA-approved drug product, or it appears on the 503A bulks list.

Source: Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks, FDA. Content current as of 2026-04-22; read 2026-09-05. This describes what a compounding pharmacy may supply. It is not advice about your own use.

Reading up on Sermorelin is the easy part

Keeping the schedule straight is the hard part. PepKit is the app for that.

  • Does the reconstitution math for you
  • Logs each dose and reminds you when the next is due
  • Counts down every vial's expiration

Also given subcutaneous

Where this came from3 references

Each one was resolved at PubMed and confirmed to be the work this page cites. Author, title, journal and year come from the PubMed record, not from the page text.

  1. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency

    Prakash A, Goa KL. BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy (1999). PMID 18031173.

  2. Endocrine and metabolic effects of long-term administration of [Nle27]growth hormone-releasing hormone-(1-29)-NH2 in age-advanced men and women

    Khorram O, Laughlin GA, Yen SS. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (1997). PMID 9141536.

  3. Growth Hormone Secretagogue Treatment in Hypogonadal Men Raises Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Levels

    Sigalos JT, et al.. American journal of men's health (2017). PMID 28830317.

About this page

Reviewed 2026-08-11. This page reports what published studies and FDA documents say. It carries no dose, cycle length or stack, and it does not tell you whether a substance is appropriate for you. Side-effect reports circulating on forums are self-reported rather than measured, so they are not republished here.

See the editorial policy for how corrections are handled.

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