What is sermorelin therapy, and what does the research show?

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product for any use, including anti-aging, longevity or adult growth hormone support (checked September 27, 2026). We do not sell or prescribe sermorelin. Providers listed on this site decide what they offer, and a licensed clinician decides whether any treatment is appropriate.

What sermorelin is

Sermorelin is a man-made peptide that copies part of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), a signal for the pituitary gland to release growth hormone.[1] Some research papers name sermorelin by its chemical description, such as GHRH 1-29, or only as GHRH, and the published summaries of the 1992, 1997 and 2006 studies described on this page do not use the word sermorelin.[2][3][4]

The 1992, 1997 and 2006 studies described on this page studied healthy older adults, with an average age of 68 in the 1992 and 2006 studies and an age range of 64 to 76 in the 1997 study.[2][3][4]

Hormone levels in adults

In the studies of sermorelin we read, growth hormone release in healthy older adults was higher during the injections than before them, IGF-1 rose in some studies and did not change in one, and none of these results is given as a comparison with a placebo group.[2][3][5] In a 1992 study, 10 healthy men with an average age of 68 injected GHRH 1-29 under the skin twice a day for 14 days at each of two dose levels, given in random order (Corpas 1992).[2] Compared with before treatment, the men's 24-hour growth hormone release and IGF-1 level were significantly higher only at the higher of the two dose levels (Corpas 1992).[2] In a 1997 study, 11 healthy men aged 64 to 76 with low IGF-1 levels injected GHRH 1-29 under the skin each night for 6 weeks (Vittone 1997).[3] Night-time growth hormone release rose during the 6 weeks, and levels of IGF-1 did not change (Vittone 1997).[3] The published summaries of the 1992 and 1997 studies describe no placebo group: each compares the older men's results with their own results before treatment, and the 1992 study also compares them with 9 healthy young men who did not take the injections (Corpas 1992; Vittone 1997).[2][3]

A 2001 report by researchers who ran them describes two University of Washington studies in which healthy older adults received either placebo or one evening injection under the skin of sermorelin acetate, which the report calls GHRH (Vitiello 2001).[5] One study, already completed, lasted 6 months, added an exercise program and enrolled women not taking estrogen; the other lasted 5 months, enrolled men and women, and was still under way (Vitiello 2001).[5] The report calls its results preliminary and its conclusions tentative, and it gives no count of the people enrolled in either study (Vitiello 2001).[5] The National Institutes of Health and the Department of Veterans Affairs funded the work, and Serono Laboratories supplied the drug and the placebo (Vitiello 2001).[5] The 2001 report says men doubled their 24-hour growth hormone release and had a rise of about 40% in IGF-1, women not taking estrogen had an average IGF-1 rise of about 30%, and women taking estrogen had IGF-1 rises averaging under 10% (Vitiello 2001).[5] The report gives no placebo-group figures for its hormone or body composition results (Vitiello 2001).[5] A rise in growth hormone or IGF-1 is a blood measurement, and it does not show a health benefit by itself.

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product (checked September 27, 2026).

Body composition and strength

The studies we read do not agree on body composition: a 6-week study found no change, and preliminary results from two longer studies describe less body fat and more lean body mass, with no placebo-group figures given.[3][5] In the 1997 study of 11 older men, 6 weeks of nightly injections did not change weight, body mass index, waist to hip ratio or DEXA scan measures of muscle and fat (Vittone 1997).[3] The 2001 report says DEXA scans showed a significant drop of about 5% in body fat percentage, with a matching rise in lean body mass, in men and in women not taking estrogen, and a weaker effect in women taking estrogen (Vitiello 2001).[5] The report gives no placebo-group figures for its hormone or body composition results (Vitiello 2001).[5] A 2003 review by three of the researchers concluded that the results so far 'do not yet support the routine use of GHRH or GHS in normal aging', where GHS stands for growth hormone secretagogues (Merriam 2003).[6]

For strength, 2 of 6 measures rose in the 6-week study, whose published summary describes no comparison group, and a 2008 review reports no gain in a 6-month study.[3][7] In the 1997 study of 11 older men, 2 of 6 strength measures and one endurance test improved after 6 weeks, and the study's published summary describes no comparison group (Vittone 1997).[3] A 2008 review co-written by one of the researchers says that a 6-month University of Washington study found no improvement in strength or aerobic fitness with GHRH injections (Hersch and Merriam 2008).[7] According to the 2008 review, scores on a physical function test that mimics daily activities did not change in the GHRH group and declined significantly in the placebo group (Hersch and Merriam 2008).[7] The 2001 report calls its physical function results very preliminary and says they varied by task: on some tasks the GHRH group improved and the placebo group did not change, and on others the GHRH group did not change and the placebo group got worse (Vitiello 2001).[5]

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product (checked September 27, 2026).

Sleep

The reports we read do not show better sleep with sermorelin: in early results from one study, self-rated sleep was slightly worse in the treated group, and two reviews by the researchers say sleep did not improve.[5][6][7] In early results from the 5-month study, self-rated sleep quality on a questionnaire was slightly but significantly worse than before treatment in 37 people given GHRH and did not change in 38 people given placebo (Vitiello 2001).[5] The authors wrote that the meaning of this small change was unclear until the full study sample and the objective sleep measurements had been analysed (Vitiello 2001).[5]

A University of Washington study of GHRH or placebo for age-related sleep problems, in older men and in older women taking estrogen, is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT00000380), and the record showed no posted results when we checked on October 8, 2026.[8] The registry record carries the National Institutes of Health grant number that the 2001 report gives for its 5-month study, and it lists the 2006 paper on cognitive tests as a publication of results (NCT00000380; Vitiello 2001).[8][5] A 2003 review by three of the researchers says that long-term treatment with a short-acting GHRH 'did not improve sleep, possibly due to lack of sustained activity throughout the night' (Merriam 2003).[6] A 2008 review co-written by one of the researchers says that GHRH 'failed to improve and may even have impaired deep sleep' in the 6-month study it describes (Hersch and Merriam 2008).[7]

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product (checked September 27, 2026).

Thinking and memory tests

In one placebo-controlled trial, healthy older adults given GHRH scored better than the placebo group on five reported cognitive test measures, and the trial's published summary reports no result for dementia or for daily functioning.[4] In a placebo-controlled trial, 89 healthy older adults with an average age of 68 received daily GHRH or placebo for 6 months (Vitiello 2006).[4] The GHRH group did better than the placebo group on five reported measures: WAIS-R performance IQ, WAIS-R picture arrangement, finding A's, verbal sets and a single-dual task (Vitiello 2006).[4]

The 2006 paper's published summary names the drug only as GHRH (Vitiello 2006).[4] A 2001 report by five of that paper's six authors says the drug in both of the studies it describes was sermorelin acetate, which it also writes as GHRH 1-29 (Vitiello 2001).[5] The 2008 review describes the cognitive result as better scores in several areas of fluid intelligence and not in crystallized intelligence (Hersch and Merriam 2008).[7] These results are test scores from one trial in healthy older adults, and the trial's published summary reports no result for a diagnosis such as dementia or for daily functioning (Vitiello 2006).[4]

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product (checked September 27, 2026).

Recovery, sexual function and aging

In searches of PubMed, Europe PMC and ClinicalTrials.gov on October 8, 2026, under sermorelin's drug name and its chemical names, we found no human trial that tested sermorelin for recovery from exercise or injury, athletic performance, sexual function, lifespan or death rates.

ClinicalTrials.gov records include two studies of nightly GHRH injections in older adults, with the form of GHRH not named, that were stopped after enrolling 5 and 13 people, and both records say no outcome data were collected (NCT00807365; NCT01410799).[9][10]

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product for any use, including anti-aging or longevity (checked September 27, 2026).

Evidence at a glance

Evidence levels in this table follow our grading key. Emerging means some controlled human evidence that falls short of consistent randomized trials, such as small or short trials, mixed results or trials funded by a maker. Experimental means we have read no controlled human comparison for the claim, only sources such as studies with no comparison group, preliminary results given without their placebo-group figures, case reports, or laboratory and animal studies. Not graded means we give no level because we have not read a full report of the final result. No support found means the searches named in that row found no study that supports the claim.

In this table, Not published means the searches named in the same row found no published human trial for that cell.

Other growth hormone-releasing drugs

Studies of other growth hormone-releasing drugs, such as tesamorelin, CJC-1295, ipamorelin or MK-677, do not show what sermorelin does.

A 1997 randomized, placebo-controlled trial tested a different peptide, a GHRH analog that the paper names Nle27 GHRH 1-29, given by nightly injection for 16 weeks to 19 adults aged 55 to 71, and its findings are not findings about sermorelin (Khorram 1997).[11] The 1997 trial of the Nle27 analog reported higher lean body mass in men only, better well-being and libido scores on questionnaires in men and not in women, no change in sleep quality in either sex, and a temporary rise in blood fats as its only side effect (Khorram 1997).[11]

Reported side effects and risks

A 1999 review of sermorelin in children with growth hormone deficiency and in pituitary testing reported that brief facial flushing and pain at the injection site were the most commonly reported side effects (Prakash and Goa 1999).[1]

In the 1997 study of 11 older men treated for 6 weeks, the authors reported that no significant adverse effects were observed (Vittone 1997).[3] In the 1992 study of 10 older men, treatment did not affect fasting blood sugar, blood pressure or routine blood test results, and blood phosphate rose (Corpas 1992).[2] Studies of 10 and 11 people that last 6 weeks or less cannot show uncommon side effects or effects that appear after long use.

The preliminary 2001 report of two studies lasting 5 and 6 months says that swelling in the limbs and joint pain were very uncommon and that people given GHRH rarely reported redness or swelling where the injection was given; it gives no counts (Vitiello 2001).[5] The longest study of sermorelin in adults described on this page lasted 6 months. A 2026 narrative review lists as safety signals for sermorelin injection-site pain, short-term flushing, nausea, dizziness and headache, rare allergic reaction and a reported short-lived rise in the hormone prolactin, and it states 'No long term safety data available' (Dominikowski 2026).[12] The 2026 review calls cancer a 'theoretical oncologic concern' for sermorelin, because growth hormone and IGF-1 signals promote cell growth, and it reports 'no established clinical carcinogenic signal' (Dominikowski 2026).[12] The authors of the 2026 review report no external funding and no competing interests, and they state that generative AI tools were used for language editing and initial literature screening (Dominikowski 2026).[12]

Talk to a licensed clinician about whether sermorelin is appropriate for you.

If you have severe symptoms, call 911 or seek emergency care. Report side effects to FDA MedWatch.

Is sermorelin FDA-approved?

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product (checked September 27, 2026).

We did not find a currently FDA-approved sermorelin drug product (checked September 27, 2026). FDA withdrew the approvals of the Geref sermorelin products effective June 18, 2009, after the manufacturer discontinued the products and requested withdrawal. In 2013, based on the information it had at that time, FDA determined the products were not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness.

Compounded sermorelin is not FDA-approved. FDA states: 'Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. This means that FDA does not verify the safety, effectiveness or quality of compounded drugs before they are marketed.' As of FDA's list updated March 21, 2025, sermorelin acetate is on FDA's list of substances under evaluation for use by outsourcing facilities (503B Category 1), and this listing is not an FDA approval of any compounded product.

In a Federal Register notice published March 4, 2013, FDA described the former Geref products as indicated 'for the treatment of idiopathic growth hormone deficiency (GHD) in children with growth failure' and 'for evaluating the ability of the somatotroph of the pituitary gland to secrete growth hormone.' FDA had withdrawn their approvals effective June 18, 2009, after the manufacturer discontinued the products and requested withdrawal. Neither indication concerned aging or longevity.

Federal Register notice

Regulatory status checked September 27, 2026. Sources: www.govinfo.gov/…/2013-04827.pdf; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/download; www.fda.gov/…/compounding-and-fda-questions-and-answers