Sermorelin

Definition

Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone-releasing hormone, the shortest fragment that retains the full hormone's activity at the pituitary; it stimulates the body's own growth hormone release rather than replacing the hormone directly.

Its regulatory history distinguishes it from most compounded peptides: sermorelin was an approved drug, marketed as Geref for pediatric growth hormone deficiency, and the approval was withdrawn in 2008 for commercial rather than safety reasons.

Evidence

The approval-era evidence is pediatric: in a one-year study of once-daily subcutaneous GHRH(1–29) in prepubertal children with growth hormone deficiency, treatment accelerated growth velocity ^[1]. Adult use for body composition, sleep, or longevity rests on the pharmacology rather than on comparable trials; a 2026 review of GH-axis peptides finds the clinical evidence for such uses thin ^[2].

A reader weighing sermorelin against injected growth hormone is weighing a stimulus with intact feedback control against direct replacement; the safety argument favors the former, and the outcome data for modern adult indications are limited for both.

Lawful access

Licensed 503A pharmacies compound sermorelin with a valid prescription; its history as a component of an approved drug is what makes that position durable. No telehealth supplier is listed in this index yet; programs carrying sermorelin are under review.

Material sold without a prescription as research-use-only sermorelin sits outside pharmacy quality standards, whatever the molecule's own status.

Related molecules

Sermorelin anchors the GH secretagogues class beside tesamorelin, the class's approved drug, and CJC-1295, a long-acting analogue with no lawful route; the compoundable status page lists what a 503A pharmacy may prepare today.