Sermorelin

Also called sermorelin acetate, Geref, GRF(1-29)NH2, GHRH(1-29)^{1, 4}

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Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of the body's growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the signal that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone. FDA approved it as Geref in 1990, to test the pituitary, and in 1997, to treat children with growth hormone deficiency.¹ The maker stopped selling it in 2008. In 2013 FDA ruled it was not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness reasons.¹ Today it is sold through telehealth for energy, body composition and aging, but adult studies are small, short and mixed.^{5, 6, 7, 15}

See every peptide's status in the regulatory tracker

At a glance

Where to get it

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Molecular structure

A chain of 29 amino acids, too long to draw atom by atom here, so each circle is one amino acid. It is the front 29 of the 44 in natural GHRH, ending in an amide instead of an acid.

The amide end (NH2) after position 29

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YTyrAAlaDAspAAlaIIleFPheTThrNAsn

Sequence

YADAIFTNSYRKVLGQLSARKLLQDIMSR-NH2

Length

29 amino acids

Formula

C149H246N44O42S

Weight

3357.9 g/mol

Salt sold

Acetate

Old FDA NDAs

19-863 (test), 20-443 (treatment)

Formula and weight are for the free base, as on the Geref label. We checked them by building the molecule from its sequence.⁴

What it is

The hypothalamus releases growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), which tells the pituitary to make growth hormone. Natural GHRH has 44 amino acids. Its first 29 carry the activity, and sermorelin is a synthetic copy of that piece.⁴

Serono sold it as Geref. FDA approved a diagnostic version on December 28, 1990, to check whether the pituitary can release growth hormone. It approved a treatment version on September 26, 1997, for children whose growth failed because of idiopathic growth hormone deficiency.¹

EMD Serono stopped both products in 2008 and asked FDA to withdraw the approvals, which took effect on June 18, 2009.¹ FDA's notice doesn't give the company's reason. After a citizen petition, FDA ruled in 2013 that neither product "was withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness."¹

It is closely related to newer drugs. CJC-1295 changes four of its amino acids, and the approved drug tesamorelin is the full 44-amino-acid hormone with a fatty group added.^{17, 21}

How it works

• GHRH signal. It acts on the pituitary's GHRH receptor, prompting the body's own growth hormone release.^{3, 4}
• IGF-1 follows. Growth hormone drives the liver to make IGF-1. In older adults, nightly sermorelin-type injections raised IGF-1 within two weeks.⁶
• Short-acting. Unlike CJC-1295 with DAC, it doesn't bind albumin, so it is cleared quickly and was given daily.^{3, 21}
• Depends on the pituitary. It only works if the pituitary can respond. That is why it was also used as a test of pituitary function.^{1, 3}

We found no published study of sermorelin taken by mouth or under the tongue.

Evidence map

Each claimed use is graded separately, because the evidence differs by use.

Scale: 5 FDA-approved, 4 strong human, 3 limited human, 2 animal or lab only, 1 anecdotal

Key studies

Khorram 1997 used [Nle27]GHRH(1-29)-NH2, which swaps one amino acid in sermorelin.⁶

By goal and form

Pick your goal to see what the evidence supports.

Sources: Geref label,⁴ studies above, Hone Health,¹⁵ HealingMaps price survey (Aug 2026),¹⁶ FDA.²⁰

How it's used

We don't give a dose. The old Geref label dose was for children and no approved product carries it today.¹

Geref was given as an injection under the skin, once daily at bedtime, and as a single IV dose for the pituitary test.^{3, 4} Compounded sermorelin is usually a powder that is mixed and injected under the skin.^{15, 16} The label said treatment should be supervised by a doctor experienced in growth hormone deficiency.⁴ We report this as information, not instruction.

Side effects and who should avoid it

• Injection-site reactions. Pain, swelling or redness in about 1 in 6 patients. Three of 350 stopped because of them.⁴
• Less common. Headache, flushing, trouble swallowing, dizziness, hyperactivity, sleepiness and hives, each in under 1%.⁴ In reviews of the children's trials, brief facial flushing and injection pain were the most common.³
• Thyroid. Low thyroid occurred in 6.5% of patients in trials, and the label advised checking thyroid levels before and during treatment.⁴
• Antibodies. Many patients made antibodies to the drug. Their meaning was unclear, and they didn't seem to affect growth.⁴
• Blood fats. In older adults, the only side effect reported was a short rise in blood fats that settled by the end of the study.⁶
• Compounding quality. Compounded sermorelin is not FDA-reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality, as sellers themselves state.¹⁵
• Who should avoid it. Anyone tested for sport. The label listed allergy to the drug as a contraindication and advised caution in pregnancy. The approved GHRH analog tesamorelin is not for people with active cancer, which is a reasonable caution for any growth hormone-raising product.^{4, 13, 17}

Compared with

Sources: Federal Register,¹ FDA advisory minutes,^{20, 21} Egrifta WR label,¹⁷ WADA.¹³ See our CJC-1295, tesamorelin and ipamorelin guides.

Blends and stacks

Sermorelin is often paired with ipamorelin, much as CJC-1295 is in "CJC/ipamorelin" blends. The idea comes from 1990 research: in 18 healthy men, a GHRH-type hormone and a ghrelin-type peptide given together released more growth hormone than either alone.¹⁸ That study used neither sermorelin nor ipamorelin, and we found no study of either blend.

FDA's adverse event database includes a report of joint pain with an ipamorelin-sermorelin injection.¹⁹ FDA's advisers voted 0–12 against ipamorelin in 2024, so any product that contains it has no legal US source, even when the sermorelin in it does.²⁰

Myths vs evidence

All options and prices

MoveWell sells no peptides. Checked November 1, 2026

Licensed compounding, with a prescription

Other telehealth companies sell compounded sermorelin injections, tablets and lozenges at about $99 to $220 a month.¹⁶ Hims & Hers plans to add it by the end of 2026.¹⁴ We list only providers whose product page we opened. Compounded drugs are generally not covered by insurance.

Why compounding is allowed

Federal law lets 503A pharmacies compound from ingredients that are part of an FDA-approved drug. FDA's guidance says to check this in the Orange Book.⁸ FDA withdrew Geref's approvals in 2009 at the maker's request, but its 2013 notice kept both products in the Orange Book's discontinued list and said generic versions could still be approved.¹ Sermorelin isn't on FDA's 503A nomination categories or its safety-risk list.^{9, 10} We found no FDA statement about sermorelin compounding specifically, no FDA statement on whether a drug in Geref's position still counts as approved for compounding, no USP monograph for sermorelin, and no state board guidance that names it. Pharmacies' reliance on Geref is a reading of the law that FDA has not confirmed or challenged.

Research use only products

We don't list sellers. In August 2026 FDA warned five peptide sellers that a "research use only" label doesn't excuse products clearly meant for people.²²

Legal status history

Newest first.

1. Current statusNov 1, 2026No approved product. Compounded by licensed 503A pharmacies with a prescription, treating it as a component of an approved drug. Banned in sport.^{1, 8, 13}
2. Next · no dateNo FDA action on sermorelin is pending that we could find.
3. Oct 28, 2026HHS enforcement policy covers six other peptides. Sermorelin isn't named, and its compounding doesn't depend on that policy.^{11, 12}
4. Aug 10, 2026Hims & Hers executives say it will offer sermorelin by year-end.¹⁴
5. Jan 7, 2025FDA's revised interim 503A guidance points pharmacies to the Orange Book to check which ingredients are part of approved drugs.⁸
6. Mar 4, 2013FDA rules that both Geref products were not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness, so generic applications could be approved.¹
7. Jun 18, 2009FDA's withdrawal of both Geref approvals takes effect, at EMD Serono's request.¹
8. Jul to Dec 2008EMD Serono tells FDA it is stopping both products.¹
9. Sep 26, 1997FDA approves Geref to treat children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency and growth failure.¹
10. Dec 28, 1990FDA approves Geref as a test of the pituitary's ability to release growth hormone.¹

See every peptide's status in the regulatory tracker.

FAQ

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References