Skip to content
Educational information only. Not medical advice. We sell nothing and take no affiliate money.
By /
PeptideLimited humanNot FDA approved

Sermorelin

Sermorelin (GHRH 1-29)

Last reviewed October 27, 2026 · 17 sources · Written for general readers · Compare with another compound →

The bottom line

Sermorelin is a lab made copy of the active part of the brain's growth hormone releasing hormone. It was FDA approved as Geref to test and treat growth hormone deficiency in children, then its maker stopped selling it in 2008, not for safety reasons.[1] In older adults, small short studies found it raised growth hormone but did little or nothing for muscle or fat, and no approved product is on the market today.[2][3]

Where the evidence stands

What it is

Sermorelin is a peptide made of the first 29 building blocks (amino acids) of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), the brain signal that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone.[4][5] It is the shortest piece that still has the full activity of natural GHRH.[4]

Under the brand Geref, FDA approved it in 1990 as a test of whether the pituitary can make growth hormone, and in 1997 to treat children with growth failure from idiopathic growth hormone deficiency, meaning a shortage with no known cause.[1]

FDA approved it only for these uses in children. It was never approved as an anti aging treatment for adults.[1] A 2020 report prepared for FDA found that clinics use it for adults with low hormone symptoms or for weight loss, with little human outcome data behind those uses.[12]

Name
Sermorelin (Sermorelin (GHRH 1-29))
Other names
Geref (discontinued brand), sermorelin acetate, GRF (1-29) NH2
Type
Peptide
Sequence
YADAIFTNSYRKVLGQLSARKLLQDIMSR
CAS number
86168-78-7

What it does in the body

Sermorelin copies the first 29 building blocks of growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH), a natural hormone made in the hypothalamus of the brain.[4][5] It binds GHRH receptors on the pituitary gland, which then releases the body's own growth hormone in pulses. Growth hormone in turn raises IGF-1, a growth factor made mainly in the liver.[4]

This is the biology, area by area. A change measured in the body, like a higher blood level, does not always mean a person feels a benefit. The claims check below covers that.

Hormones

Well established

FDA approved sermorelin as a test of whether a child's pituitary can release growth hormone, because a working gland answers it with a burst of growth hormone.[1][4] In 10 healthy older men, two weeks of shots raised growth hormone and IGF-1 to young adult levels, but only at the stronger of two levels.[3] In 11 older men treated nightly for six weeks, nighttime growth hormone rose, but IGF-1 did not change significantly.[2]

Bones

Measured in people

In children with growth hormone deficiency, average growth rose from 4.1 cm a year to 7.2 cm a year after a year of daily shots.[6] In 17 short children without a known cause, growth rose from 4.8 to 7.2 cm a year, and then slowed again after shots stopped.[7] Gains were smaller than with growth hormone itself.[4]

Muscle and strength

Measured in people

In 11 older men over six weeks, muscle by body scan and muscle samples did not change, though 2 of 6 strength tests and one endurance test improved.[2] In a 16 week study of a close lab variant with one building block swapped, lean body mass rose in men but not in women.[8]

Skin and hair

Measured in people

In 19 adults aged 55 to 71, the same close variant thickened the skin in both men and women over 16 weeks.[8] No study has tested sermorelin itself for skin.

Immune system

Measured in people

In those 19 older adults, the variant raised nighttime growth hormone 107% in men and 70% in women and IGF-1 by 28%, and a group of activated immune cells rose 70%.[9] Whether this changes infection risk was not tested.

Blood sugar

Measured in people

In older men, two to six weeks of shots did not change blood sugar.[3][2] In children treated for a year, fasting sugar and insulin rose.[7] With the close variant, insulin sensitivity improved in men only.[8]

Absorption and breakdown

Measured in people

In 30 healthy men, sermorelin given into a vein raised growth hormone quickly. As a nose spray, only 3% to 5% reached the blood.[10] Longer lasting versions such as CJC-1295 were later built because the plain chain is broken down fast.[11]

How it works

Sermorelin binds GHRH receptors on the pituitary gland, which then releases growth hormone.[4]

  • Because it works through the pituitary, it needs a working pituitary gland to have any effect.[4]
  • Growth hormone then raises IGF-1, a growth factor that drives growth in children.[4]
  • It is absorbed poorly through the nose and is short acting.[10]
  • Scientists later built longer lasting versions from the same chain, such as CJC-1295, which resisted the enzyme DPP-IV better in lab tests.[11]

This mechanism is well established for GHRH and its copies.

What the research shows

We keep animal and human evidence apart. A result in animals is a reason to study something in people, not proof that it works in people.

Animal and lab studies

Animal work is not the main evidence

  • In rats, the plain GHRH (1-29) chain that makes up sermorelin released growth hormone, but a long acting version built from it released about four times more over two hours.[11]
  • We did not review older animal studies in depth, because sermorelin has direct human evidence from its approval and from studies in children and older adults.[4][3]

Limit: Animal results add little beyond the human evidence for this compound.

Human studies

Helped some children grow; little effect on body makeup in older adults

  • In a one year study of 110 children with growth hormone deficiency who had not been treated before (86 counted in the main analysis), shots under the skin raised average growth from 4.1 cm a year to 8.0 cm a year at 6 months and 7.2 cm a year at 12 months. About 74% were rated good responders at 6 months. There was no placebo group, and fasting blood sugar did not change.[6]
  • In 17 short children without a known cause who completed the study, a year of shots under the skin raised growth from 4.8 to 7.2 cm a year and raised predicted adult height by 3.4 cm. Growth slowed after treatment stopped, and fasting sugar and insulin rose during treatment.[7]
  • A 1999 review found growth gains were smaller than with growth hormone itself, effects on final adult height were unknown, and the most common side effects were brief facial flushing and injection site pain.[4]
  • As a one time IV test, it was a fast and fairly specific way to check whether a child's pituitary could release growth hormone.[4] An FDA funded review in 2020 found only two eligible studies, both of this kind of test in 435 Italian patients.[12]
  • In 30 healthy adult men, an IV dose raised growth hormone quickly, while a nose spray reached the blood at only 3% to 5% of the IV level.[10]
  • In 10 healthy older men, two weeks of shots under the skin raised growth hormone and IGF-1 to levels similar to those of young men, but only at the stronger of two treatment levels. Blood sugar and blood pressure did not change.[3]
  • In 11 healthy men aged 64 to 76, six weeks of nightly shots under the skin raised nighttime growth hormone, but IGF-1 did not change significantly. Weight, muscle and fat measured by body scan did not change, while 2 of 6 strength tests and one endurance test improved. No significant side effects were seen.[2]
  • In a placebo lead in study of 19 adults aged 55 to 71, 16 weeks of nightly shots of a close variant raised growth hormone and IGF-1 within two weeks, thickened skin, and in men only raised lean mass, insulin sensitivity, wellbeing and libido. Weight, blood pressure and sleep did not change, and the only side effect was a passing rise in blood fats.[8]
  • In the same group, activated immune cells rose 70% and IGF-1 rose 28%.[9]
  • We found no large controlled trials showing benefits in healthy adults or for aging.

Limit: Treatment evidence is mostly in children, and the adult studies were tiny, short and mostly without a placebo group.

Claims check

The most common claims about this compound, and what studies actually found. Verdicts rate the evidence, not whether you should use it.

Helps children with growth hormone deficiency grow

Shown in people

FDA approved sermorelin for this use in 1997.[1] In a one year study of 110 children, average growth rose from 4.1 to 7.2 cm a year, though the study had no placebo group.[6] A review noted gains were smaller than with growth hormone itself.[4]

Raises growth hormone and IGF-1 in older adults

Mixed results

In 10 older men, two weeks of shots brought growth hormone and IGF-1 up to young adult levels, but only at the stronger of two treatment levels.[3] In 11 older men over six weeks, growth hormone rose but IGF-1 did not change significantly.[2] A close variant raised IGF-1 28% in 19 older adults.[9]

Builds muscle and strength

Mixed results

In 11 older men over six weeks, muscle measured by body scan and in muscle samples did not change. Two of six strength tests and one endurance test improved, but the study was small and short.[2] A close variant raised lean mass in 9 men but not in 10 women over 16 weeks.[8]

Burns fat

No benefit in trials so far

In 11 older men treated for six weeks, weight, waist to hip ratio and body fat by scan did not change.[2] Body weight also did not change with the close variant over 16 weeks.[8]

Boosts libido and wellbeing

Mixed results

In a single blind study of 19 older adults using a close variant, wellbeing and libido scores improved in men but not in women.[8] No study has tested sermorelin itself for sexual function.

Improves sleep

No benefit in trials so far

In the 16 week study of a close variant in 19 older adults, sleep did not change.[8] We found no sleep trial of sermorelin itself.

Reverses aging

Not tested

No study has tested whether sermorelin slows aging or extends life. Studies in older men only measured hormone levels, body makeup and strength over two to six weeks.[3][2] An FDA funded 2020 review found almost no published evidence on its use in adults.[12]

Known risks and side effects

  • Common mild side effects. The most common side effects in studies were brief facial flushing and pain at the injection site.[4] A passing rise in blood fats was seen with a close variant.[8]
  • Blood sugar changes. Fasting blood sugar and insulin rose in children treated for a year, though not in short studies of older men.[7][3]
  • No approved product now. Geref has been off the market since 2008, so there is no currently approved sermorelin product with FDA checked quality.[1]
  • Unregulated products. Because no approved sermorelin is on the market,[1] sermorelin sold online is not an FDA approved drug, so its purity, strength and sterility are unknown. A 2020 report for FDA found no national drug register listing an approved product and no official quality standard for it.[12]
  • Banned in sport. WADA prohibits sermorelin for athletes at all times, and names it again on its 2027 list.[13][14]

Regulatory status

Today: No sermorelin product is FDA approved today. FDA records show the maker, EMD Serono, discontinued Geref and asked FDA to withdraw its approvals in 2008, and FDA later determined it was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness.[1] Sermorelin does not appear in any category of FDA's May 2026 compounding list,[15] it is not on FDA's page of compounding substances flagged for significant safety risks,[16] and it is not one of the six peptides in the October 2026 HHS compounding policy.[17] A 2020 report prepared for FDA reviewed it for the outsourcing facility (503B) bulks list.[12] WADA bans it on its 2026 and 2027 lists.[13][14]

  1. FDA approved Geref as a diagnostic test of pituitary growth hormone release.[1]
  2. FDA approved Geref vials to treat idiopathic growth hormone deficiency in children with growth failure.[1]
  3. EMD Serono told FDA the diagnostic product was being discontinued.[1]
  4. EMD Serono said the treatment vials were being discontinued and asked FDA to withdraw both approvals.[1]
  5. FDA's withdrawal of both approvals took effect.[1]
  6. FDA determined Geref was not withdrawn from sale for safety or effectiveness reasons.[1]
  7. A University of Maryland report for FDA reviews sermorelin acetate for the 503B bulks list and finds very little published evidence.[12]

Sources

  1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Determination That GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.5 Milligrams Base/Vial and 1.0 Milligrams Base/Vial, and GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.05 Milligrams Base/Amp, Were Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness. Federal Register. 2013;78:14095-14096. 78 FR 14095
  2. Vittone J, Blackman MR, Busby-Whitehead J, Tsiao C, Stewart KJ, Tobin J, et al. Effects of single nightly injections of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) in healthy elderly men. Metabolism. 1997;46(1):89-96. PMID 9005976
  3. Corpas E, Harman SM, Piñeyro MA, Roberson R, Blackman MR. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone-(1-29) twice daily reverses the decreased GH and insulin-like growth factor-I levels in old men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1992;75(2):530-535. PMID 1379256
  4. Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs. 1999;12(2):139-157. DOI 10.2165/00063030-199912020-00007
  5. U.S. FDA and NCATS Global Substance Registration System (GSRS). Sermorelin, UNII 89243S03TE. FDA GSRS
  6. Thorner M, Rochiccioli P, Colle M, Lanes R, Grunt J, Galazka A, Landy H, Eengrand P, Shah S. Once daily subcutaneous growth hormone-releasing hormone therapy accelerates growth in growth hormone-deficient children during the first year of therapy. Geref International Study Group. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81(3):1189-1196. PMID 8772599
  7. Kirk JM, Trainer PJ, Majrowski WH, Murphy J, Savage MO, Besser GM. Treatment with GHRH(1-29)NH2 in children with idiopathic short stature induces a sustained increase in growth velocity. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1994;41(4):487-493. PMID 7955460
  8. Khorram O, Laughlin GA, Yen SS. Endocrine and metabolic effects of long-term administration of [Nle27]growth hormone-releasing hormone-(1-29)-NH2 in age-advanced men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82(5):1472-1479. PMID 9141536
  9. Khorram O, Yeung M, Vu L, Yen SS. Effects of [norleucine27]growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) (1-29)-NH2 administration on the immune system of aging men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82(11):3590-3596. PMID 9360512
  10. Wilton P, Chardet Y, Danielson K, Widlund L, Gunnarsson R. Pharmacokinetics of growth hormone-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 and stimulation of growth hormone secretion in healthy subjects after intravenous or intranasal administration. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1993;388:10-15. PMID 8329825
  11. Jetté L, Léger R, Thibaudeau K, Benquet C, Robitaille M, Pellerin I, Paradis V, van Wyk P, Pham K, Bridon DP. Human growth hormone-releasing factor (hGRF)1-29-albumin bioconjugates activate the GRF receptor on the anterior pituitary in rats: identification of CJC-1295 as a long-lasting GRF analog. Endocrinology. 2005;146(7):3052-3058. PMID 15817669
  12. University of Maryland Center of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation (M-CERSI). Summary Report: Sermorelin acetate. Prepared for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration under grant 5U01FD005946. December 2020. FDA funded report
  13. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List, section S2.2.4 Growth hormone releasing factors. In force January 1, 2026. WADA 2026
  14. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2027 Prohibited List. Comes into effect 1 January 2027. WADA 2027 List
  15. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the FD&C Act (categories list). Updated May 14, 2026. FDA 503A categories
  16. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. Content current as of April 22, 2026. FDA
  17. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 503A Peptide Enforcement Discretion Policy, Appendix B: peptide identity and route limits. October 2026. HHS policy appendix
Medical disclaimer

This page is educational information only. It is not medical advice and does not replace care from a licensed medical provider. Do not use this page to decide whether to take any substance. Talk to a licensed medical provider first.

Found an error or a newer study? We correct pages fast.

Report a correction →
Scroll to Top