peptides for growth hormone

updated

the actual hormone, an approved IGF-1 replacement, then secretagogues with different evidence and regulatory records.

the growth-hormone conversation has a simple top of stack. recombinant hGH (somatropin) is the hormone itself. somatropin landed FDA approval in 1985 as Protropin, now ships under 11 brand names, and carries the deepest human trial record on this page. read what that record documents: liu 2008 (annals of internal medicine) pooled 27 randomised samples in young fit adults and found lean body mass up 2.1 kg (95% CI 1.3 to 2.9) with strength and exercise capacity unimproved. tesamorelin (falutz NEJM 2007, FDA november 2010, n>800 trial program, 15-18 percent VAT reduction) is the only approval-grade peptide GH-axis secretagogue. sermorelin held two FDA approvals (Geref diagnostic 1990, Geref pediatric GHD therapy 1997) until EMD Serono discontinued the product in december 2008 for commercial reasons.

ibutamoren, cjc-1295, ipamorelin, ghrp-2, and ghrp-6 are distinct secretagogue or ghrelin-mimetic records. approval, route, endpoint, and safety data do not transfer between them.

the fixed blends have component or acute hormone-response evidence, not a shared formulation, ratio, approval, or demonstrated clinical outcome.

recombinant growth hormone and indication-specific IGF-1 replacement lead the category.

somatropin is growth hormone; mecasermin is recombinant human IGF-1 for severe primary IGF-1 deficiency. mecasermin is not IGF-1 LR3, and neither record establishes a general height, muscle, or anti-aging use.

  • hgh (somatropin) (tier S) · recombinant human growth hormone. FDA-approved 1985 (Protropin), 11 brand names by 2026. the actual hormone. · the deepest human trial record on this page, and it documents lean mass rather than strength. FDA-approved across pediatric GHD, adult GHD, Turner syndrome, Prader-Willi, HIV wasting, and more. real medicine inside the approved indications, with extensive post-marketing safety data. in healthy adults liu 2008 (annals of internal medicine, 27 randomised samples) found lean body mass up 2.1 kg with strength and exercise capacity flat, and yarasheski 1992 traced that fat-free-mass gain to tissue other than skeletal muscle. off-label use in healthy adults sits outside the approved indications and the cancer-risk epidemiology.
  • tesamorelin (tier S) · GHRH analog, FDA-approved november 2010 as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy. · the only approval-grade peptide GH-axis secretagogue. falutz NEJM 2007, lipo phase-3 program (n>800), 15-18 percent VAT reduction at 26 weeks. the indication is narrow. HIV-associated visceral fat is not a general anti-aging indication. tesamorelin is the legal endocrinology-clinic alternative to recombinant HGH for body composition.
  • sermorelin (tier B) · GHRH(1-29) analog. FDA-approved twice: Geref diagnostic (1990, NDA 19-863) and Geref pediatric GHD therapy (1997, NDA 20-443). EMD Serono discontinued the product december 2, 2008 for commercial reasons. · the cleanest regulatory pedigree in the secretagogue class. the 2008 discontinuation traced to commercial unviability (recombinant somatropin produced bigger height-velocity gains in pediatric GHD), not safety. compounding pharmacies inherit standing from the dual-approval history. adult anti-aging use was never the approved indication.
  • Mecasermin (tier S) · Mecasermin is recombinant human IGF-1 approved as subcutaneous Increlex for a narrow pediatric severe-primary-IGF-1-deficiency indication. It is not a general height, adult-wellness, or muscle drug. · Subcutaneous mecasermin increases growth velocity in children who meet the severe-primary-IGF-1-deficiency or GH-antibody indication. The mostly open-label disease-specific evidence does not support ordinary short stature, adult height gain, bodybuilding, anti-aging, or IGF-1 LR3.

after sermorelin, the rest sits outside approval.

the october 2024 PCAC vote pulled ipamorelin and CJC-1295 out of routine 503A compounding. older GHRPs (GHRP-2, GHRP-6) are pharmacologically messier than ipamorelin, which is why the field moved past them.

  • ipamorelin (tier C) · selective ghrelin-receptor agonist, lars hansen et al at novo nordisk, 1998. · purpose-built to release GH without the ACTH, cortisol, or prolactin spike that GHRP-6 produced. the community-standard GHRP for a reason. zero FDA approvals for any indication. the october 2024 PCAC vote pulled it from routine 503A compounding.
  • cjc-1295 (tier A) · long-acting GHRH analog from conjuchem montreal, MPA albumin handle, ~8-day half-life with DAC. · the argentine phase-2 program was halted in 2006 after a participant fatality. that event did not prove causation but it ended the regulated development path. DAC vs no-DAC is mostly a half-life question. the safety footnote is the program halt. october 2024 PCAC vote pulled it from routine 503A compounding.
  • cjc-1295 + ipamorelin (tier A) · GHRH analog plus ghrelin-receptor agonist, dual-receptor stack. · the most common clinic stack because the two receptor systems synergize on GH pulse amplitude. zero published combination outcome data at trial scale. common is not approved.
  • ghrp-2 (tier D) · older ghrelin-receptor agonist, cyril bowers lab, 1980s. approved in japan as pralmorelin (PMDA october 2004) for GH stim testing. · real GH secretagogue, real off-target ACTH and prolactin signal. has a regulatory life as a diagnostic in japan. ipamorelin displaced it for serious chronic-use discussion.
  • ghrp-6 (tier D) · older GHRP from bowers at tulane, 1984. notable for accidental appetite stimulation via NPY-Y1 in rats. · historically important. pharmacologically dirty: ACTH, cortisol, prolactin, and hunger all move with the GH pulse. the appetite finding was a rodent accident, not a designed indication.
  • Ibutamoren (tier D) · Ibutamoren is an unapproved oral ghrelin-receptor agonist that raises endogenous GH and IGF-1. Older-adult trials found a lean-mass signal without a reliable strength or function benefit. · Oral MK-677 increased GH, IGF-1, and fat-free mass in selected older adults, but strength and most function measures did not improve. The record does not establish athletic, recovery, anti-aging, or longevity benefit.
  • tesa+ipa blend (tier A) · the GH-axis pairing built on the one GHRH leg that carries an FDA approval, tesamorelin, run alongside ipamorelin. the components are strong, the use is off-label, and the blend itself has no trial. · GHRH-plus-GHRP pharmacology where the GHRH half is the only one in its class with a full FDA approval. that approval covers HIV-associated visceral fat, not this blend and not this use.
  • sermorelin + GHRP-2 (tier D) · This is a two-peptide combination of sermorelin and GHRP-2. One acute IV crossover found an additive GH response, not demonstrated synergy. · The exact human study measured a single IV hormone response in eight men. The combination was additive and did not establish sleep, recovery, body composition, repeated-subcutaneous safety, or a fixed product ratio.
  • tesamorelin + CJC-1295 + ipamorelin (tier F) · a three-peptide GH-axis blend with no located direct study, whose CJC variant, component forms, and ratio must be known before even its duration can be described. · three characterized component mechanisms do not create a characterized product. until the CJC variant, tesamorelin formulation, ipamorelin form, and per-vial ratio are verified, the blend's PK and outcome claims stay blocked.

specific-question reference.

which growth-hormone peptide has the strongest approval-grade dataset?

for the peptide secretagogues specifically, tesamorelin. falutz NEJM 2007, lipo phase-3 program (n>800), 15-18 percent visceral fat reduction, FDA approval november 2010. for the broader growth-hormone category, recombinant hGH (somatropin) holds the deepest evidence base. 40 years of FDA approval across pediatric GHD, adult GHD, Turner, Prader-Willi, and HIV wasting. sermorelin had FDA approval as a diagnostic in 1990 and for pediatric GHD from 1997 to 2008 but the trial record was much smaller. none of those indications transfers to general adult anti-aging.

what is the difference between ghrh analogs and ghrps?

ghrh analogs (tesamorelin, sermorelin, cjc-1295) act through the ghrh receptor. ghrps and ghrelin mimetics (ipamorelin, ghrp-2, ghrp-6) act through ghs-r 1a. the receptor difference explains the different half-lives, pulse patterns, and off-target profiles.

why does ipamorelin usually rank above ghrp-2 and ghrp-6?

novo nordisk designed it that way. lars hansen's 1998 screen selected for gh release with no measurable acth, cortisol, or prolactin spike. ghrp-2 raises prolactin and acth. ghrp-6 raises everything plus hunger. ipamorelin keeps the signal clean.

is direct hGH the same category?

same axis, different pharmacology. recombinant hGH IS growth hormone. the peptide secretagogues on the rest of this page trigger natural pulse via GHRH-R or GHS-R 1a, which is a different mechanism entirely. hGH carries decades of FDA-approved use across documented endocrine indications. the secretagogues sit upstream and produce smaller, more pulsatile effects.

what the safety literature reports.

what safety issues show up across gh-axis compounds?

water retention, edema, joint discomfort, sleep changes, insulin-sensitivity effects, and igf-1 elevation. magnitude depends on compound, dose, duration, and baseline endocrine status. tesamorelin trials documented all of these at lipo-treatment doses.

why does igf-1 matter?

igf-1 is part of normal growth signaling. sustained elevation correlates with cancer-risk biology in epidemiology. direct igf-1 analogs (igf-1-lr3, gropep adelaide 1992) carry a different concern level than upstream secretagogues because they bypass the pulse and the normal igf-binding-protein buffer.

what happened with cjc-1295 in argentina?

the conjuchem-sponsored phase-2 program in argentina was halted in 2006 after a participant fatality. the relationship to study drug was not established, but the program did not resume. this is the gap in the regulated cjc-1295 record.

what is the biggest evidence gap?

long-term healthy-adult use outside approved indications. the published record does not characterize that population.

claim checks

related comparisons

reptides grades the research record and cites the literature behind every call. research reference only; not medical advice.