LTP·01learntopeptide
Growth & GHPeptideEvidence B2 cited

Sermorelin

GHRH 1-29

aka GRF 1-29 · Geref · GHRH analogue · sermorelin acetate

A shortened GHRH analogue that research shows stimulates the pituitary to release endogenous growth hormone.

Molecular wt
3357.9g/mol
Formula
C149H246N44O42S
CAS
86168-78-7
Half-life
12 min
clinical
Tmax
10 min
Route
Subcutaneous injection
PubChem
16132413

Sequence

One-letter29 residues

YADAIFTNSYRKVLGQLSARKLLQDIMSR-NH2

Three-letter

Tyr-Ala-Asp-Ala-Ile-Phe-Thr-Asn-Ser-Tyr-Arg-Lys-Val-Leu-Gly-Gln-Leu-Ser-Ala-Arg-Lys-Leu-Leu-Gln-Asp-Ile-Met-Ser-Arg-NH2

Read this before quoting the sequence
29-residue C-terminally amidated fragment corresponding to residues 1-29 of human growth hormone-releasing hormone, GHRH(1-29)NH2. The same 29-residue string is given independently by PubChem CID 16132413 and by ChEMBL CHEMBL1201490 (sermorelin acetate).
Source ↗

Mechanism of action

Sermorelin is a synthetic peptide that mimics the action of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). It binds to the GHRH receptor on pituitary cells, stimulating the release of endogenous growth hormone. This process enhances the natural pulsatile secretion of growth hormone, which is crucial for growth and metabolism.

What the evidence actually shows

Grade B

There are several human trials that have demonstrated sermorelin's ability to increase growth hormone levels and improve body composition. However, most studies are small and short-term, with limited data on long-term safety and efficacy.

Regulatory status

Status
Formerly FDA-approved; both approvals now discontinued. Not currently marketed as an approved product in the US.
Approved as
GEREF (sermorelin acetate), NDA 019863 and NDA 020443, EMD Serono — both recorded in Drugs@FDA with marketing status 'Discontinued'.
Clinical stage
Approved then withdrawn from marketing; investigator-initiated trials continue (ClinicalTrials.gov lists completed Phase 1-3 studies).
WADA
Prohibited. WADA Prohibited List section S2.2.4 (Growth Hormone Releasing Factors) names sermorelin explicitly: 'growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and its analogues (e.g. CJC-1293, CJC-1295, sermorelin and tesamorelin)'.
UK
research_compound

In the UK, sermorelin is not licensed for medical use and is considered a research compound.

Source ↗

Pharmacokinetics

Half-life
12 min
Tmax
10 min
Absorption
subcutaneous
Elimination
renal
Washout
2 days
Low-confidence pharmacokinetics
These figures are recorded as clinical rather than measured in a published PK study. Treat them as an order of magnitude. Anything downstream of them — accumulation, steady state, washout — inherits that uncertainty.

Dosing — what backs each figure

Sermorelin did have US approval - GEREF, NDA 020443 (0.5 and 1.0 mg vials) and NDA 019863 (0.05 mg amp), EMD Serono - for short stature due to idiopathic GHD in children who responded to a Geref stimulation test; it was discontinued for business rather than safety or effectiveness reasons (Federal Register determination, 2013). Published human dosing is weight-based in children (15 mcg/kg twice daily to 60 mcg/kg/day SC) plus a 1 mcg/kg IV diagnostic bolus; there is no approved or trial-sourced adult flat dose.

ClinicalApproved labelling or a published human trial
Commonly circulatedNot established by any study
Dose
Research literature cites ~100 to 300 mcg at night
Frequency
Daily
Cycle
3-6 months· unsourced

Why this isn't evidence
The approved GEREF indication and every published sermorelin trial used weight-based dosing (15 mcg/kg twice daily up to 60 mcg/kg/day) in children with growth hormone deficiency, which for a 70 kg adult would be roughly 1-4 mg/day; the flat 100-300 mcg bedtime adult dose and the '3-6 month cycle' appear in no label or trial read here and are compounding-clinic convention.

This figure is shown because it is what circulates and what people search for — not because it is supported. Cycle lengths in particular tend to be convention copied between compounds rather than anything derived from a compound's own pharmacokinetics.

Handling and storage

No compound-specific stability data exists
Sermorelin has no currently marketed FDA-labelled product. Both Geref approvals (NDA 019863 and NDA 020443, EMD Serono) are recorded as Discontinued in Drugs@FDA, and no active prescribing information with storage or in-use stability data could be retrieved. No compound-specific stability data from an approved label or peer-reviewed stability study was located. Only generic research-peptide handling guidance exists, which is not compound-specific and is therefore not recorded here. Storage figures circulating on compounding-pharmacy and peptide-vendor pages are not acceptable sources and are not recorded. General peptide handling still applies — reconstitute gently, keep it cold, keep it dark — but any specific figure you see quoted for this compound elsewhere is someone's assumption, not a measurement.
→ Reconstitution walkthrough→ Reconstitution calculator

Safety

Commonly reported
  • ·Injection site reactions
  • ·Flushing
  • ·Headache
Rarely reported
  • ·Severe allergic reactions
  • ·Hyperglycemia
Contraindications
  • ·Active malignancy
  • ·Hypersensitivity to sermorelin
Drug interactions
  • ·Corticosteroids may reduce the effectiveness of sermorelin by inhibiting growth hormone release.

Flushing, injection-site reactions, headache

Reported combinations

Reported as synergistic
  • ·GHRP-6, which may enhance GH release when used with sermorelin
Reported as antagonistic
  • ·Glucocorticoids, which can inhibit GH secretion

Combination claims in this dataset are largely unsourced and should be treated as folk knowledge until a citation appears beside them.

References (2)

Data provenance

Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.

Could not verify
storage, reconstitution

Research use only
This profile is educational reference material. It is not medical advice, not a prescription, and not an endorsement of self-administration. Compounds discussed here are research chemicals and most are not approved for human therapeutic use.

Related in Growth & GH

CJC-1295 (No DAC)
A modified GHRH analog with a short half-life. Commonly paired with a GHRP in research protocols to study pulsatile GH release.
CJC-1295 (with DAC)
A long-acting GHRH analogue research describes as sustaining elevated GH levels for up to eight days per dose.
Follistatin 344
A glycoprotein that binds and neutralises myostatin, the protein that naturally limits muscle growth.