peptides for growth hormone

the actual hormone, then the peptide secretagogues that try to imitate it. one approval-grade peptide on the list. the rest is community practice with a paper trail.

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 remains the most-documented muscle effect in the human literature. 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.

everything else (cjc-1295, ipamorelin, ghrp-2, ghrp-6) is community-grade compounding pharmacy or research-chemical territory. the FDA Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (PCAC) voted against 503A inclusion for ipamorelin on october 29, 2024; CJC-1295 followed the same pathway. sermorelin and tesamorelin kept the legitimate clinical lanes.

recombinant growth hormone leads the category.

the hormone every peptide secretagogue on this list tries to imitate. real FDA approval, real efficacy, decades of post-marketing surveillance.

hgh (somatropin) (tier S) — recombinant human growth hormone. FDA-approved 1985 (Protropin), 11 brand names by 2026. the actual hormone.
tesamorelin (tier S) — GHRH analog, FDA-approved november 2010 as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy.
sermorelin (tier A) — 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.

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 A) — selective ghrelin-receptor agonist, lars hansen et al at novo nordisk, 1998.
cjc-1295 (tier A) — long-acting GHRH analog from conjuchem montreal, MPA albumin handle, ~8-day half-life with DAC.
cjc-1295 + ipamorelin (tier A) — GHRH analog plus ghrelin-receptor agonist, dual-receptor stack.
ghrp-2 (tier D) — older ghrelin-receptor agonist, cyril bowers lab, 1980s. approved in japan as pralmorelin (PMDA october 2004) for GH stim testing.
ghrp-6 (tier D) — older GHRP from bowers at tulane, 1984. notable for accidental appetite stimulation via NPY-Y1 in rats.

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.