What is sermorelin?

The short answer

Sermorelin is a synthetic peptide, a short chain of 29 amino acids. It is an analog of human growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the hormone that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone, and it is the shortest synthetic peptide with the full biological activity of GHRH.¹

Given into a vein or under the skin, sermorelin stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete growth hormone.¹ It is not growth hormone itself: it prompts the body's own gland to release it. A 2026 review classes it among GHRH analogs.⁹

Sermorelin, sermorelin acetate, sermorelin peptide

These names describe the same drug. "Sermorelin acetate" is how the FDA names the ingredient of the product it approved, "Geref (sermorelin acetate) injection".² "Sermorelin peptide" simply says what kind of molecule it is.

What sermorelin was approved for

The FDA approved two sermorelin products, both injections sold under the name Geref. The first, approved in December 1990, was a diagnostic: it evaluated the ability of the pituitary gland to secrete growth hormone. The second, approved in September 1997, treated idiopathic growth hormone deficiency in children with growth failure.²

A review of that use reports that one injection a day at bedtime was effective in some children who had not reached puberty, with gains in growth rate sustained over 12 months of treatment. The effect on final adult height had not been determined. The recommended dose had not been compared directly with growth hormone (somatropin); given on other schedules, sermorelin increased growth rate less than somatropin did.¹

The manufacturer discontinued both products in 2008, and the FDA withdrew their approval in 2009. In 2013 the agency determined that they had not been withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness.²

What sermorelin is used for today

What online providers ship today is compounded sermorelin. The FDA states that compounded drugs are not FDA-approved, which means the agency does not verify their safety, effectiveness or quality before they are marketed.³

The providers in our comparison sell it to adults, on pages that mention sleep, recovery or body composition. Neither approved use covered that: one was a diagnostic test, the other a treatment for children.² A 2026 review notes the absence of regulatory approval for physique or performance uses.⁹

In the United States sermorelin is dispensed on prescription. See how getting a prescription online works.

What studies in adults found

Three small studies gave sermorelin, or a close analog, to older adults: 10 to 19 people each, for 14 days to 16 weeks.⁴⁵⁶ Growth hormone rose in all three. Changes in body composition were limited: lean mass increased in men only after 16 weeks, and fat and weight did not change after 6 weeks.⁵⁶ Sleep quality was unaffected after 16 weeks.⁶

The detail is in what the studies report before and after and in benefits and side effects.

Pros and cons

In its favor

• It was the active ingredient of an FDA-approved drug, and the FDA determined that the drug was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness.²
• In children, the use for which it was approved, a review describes it as well tolerated, with transient facial flushing and pain at the injection site as the most commonly reported adverse events.¹
• In adults, six weeks of nightly injections produced no significant adverse effects.⁵
• It raised growth hormone in each of the three adult studies.⁴⁵⁶

Against it

• What is sold online is compounded, and the FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed.³
• The uses advertised to adults today were never among its approved uses.²
• The adult studies are small and short, and they found little or no change in fat, weight and sleep.⁵⁶
• A 2018 review states that long-term safety, including cancer incidence and mortality, still needs to be evaluated.⁷ A 2008 review concluded that the balance of benefits and risks in normal aging remained uncertain.⁸
• It is a recurring monthly cost, most often for an injection, and prices differ widely from one provider to the next.

If you are considering it

• Compare providers: monthly price, commitment and cancellation terms, read on each provider's own pages.
• What sermorelin costs once the first-month discount ends.
• The doses providers publish, next to the doses used in studies.
• Injections, dissolving tablets and nasal spray: what is known about each form.

Whether sermorelin is appropriate for you is a decision for a licensed clinician who knows your history.

Sources

1. 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):139-57. Read November 13, 2026.
2. FDA, Federal Register, March 4, 2013: Determination that Geref (sermorelin acetate) injection was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. Read November 13, 2026.
3. FDA, Compounding and the FDA: Questions and Answers. Read November 12, 2026.
4. Corpas E, et al. 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):530-5. Read November 12, 2026.
5. Vittone 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. Read November 12, 2026.
6. 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):1472-9. Read November 12, 2026.
7. Sigalos JT, Pastuszak AW. The Safety and Efficacy of Growth Hormone Secretagogues. Sex Med Rev. 2018;6(1):45-53. Read November 12, 2026.
8. Hersch EC, Merriam GR. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone and GH secretagogues in normal aging: Fountain of Youth or Pool of Tantalus? Clin Interv Aging. 2008;3(1):121-9. Read November 12, 2026.
9. Dominikowski A, et al. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating GH-IGF1 axis. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2026;17:1822475. Read November 12, 2026.