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Updated October 9, 2026 · 6 min read

Sermorelin:
what the research shows

Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone-releasing hormone. The human evidence comes from three small trials in older adults, published from 1992 to 1997, that measured growth hormone, IGF-I and a few body measures. Two used the same 29-amino-acid chain; one used a modified version. None measured a clinical outcome.

What the FDA approved, and when

FDA approved GEREF (sermorelin acetate) for diagnosis in 1990, when a 0.05 mg vial was approved to test the pituitary's ability to secrete growth hormone. The 0.5 and 1.0 mg vials were approved on September 26, 1997, to treat idiopathic growth hormone deficiency in children with growth failure. EMD Serono notified FDA in 2008 that it was discontinuing the product. In 2013 FDA determined that it was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness; it remains on the discontinued list.

Corpas, 1992: older men

Corpas and colleagues gave 10 older men (mean age 68) and 9 younger men a 0.5 mg and a 1 mg dose of GHRH(1-29), each given twice daily under the skin for 14 days, with a 14-day break between them. Growth hormone release and IGF-I rose only at the higher dose, and at that dose the older men reached levels not significantly different from the younger men. Fasting glucose, blood pressure and blood chemistry were not affected.

Vittone, 1997: six weeks at home

Vittone and colleagues treated 11 healthy, non-obese men aged 64 to 76 with 2 mg of GHRH(1-29) under the skin each night at home for 6 weeks. Nocturnal growth hormone release rose, and two of six strength tests (upright row and shoulder press) improved, along with abdominal crunch endurance. IGF-we did not change significantly. Weight and DEXA body composition did not change, and neither did glucose or insulin.

Khorram, 1997: a close analogue for longer

Khorram, Laughlin and Yen used [Nle27]GHRH(1-29)-NH2, a modified version of the same chain rather than sermorelin itself. Ten women and nine men aged 55 to 71 took placebo for 4 weeks and then 10 micrograms per kilogram nightly for 16 weeks. IGF-I and IGFBP-3 rose within two weeks. Lean body mass and insulin sensitivity improved in men only, and men reported better well-being and libido. The only side effect was a transient rise in lipids that resolved by the end of the study.

Children: where it was approved

The FDA-approved use was for children with growth failure from idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. A 1999 review of the pediatric trials reports that height velocity increased during treatment, and that most of the children showed catch-up growth. That review is the best summary of the pediatric data here; the trials themselves are not reproduced in this article.

What this does not say

  • No adult trial found measured fractures, function over years, heart events or survival. The adult trials lasted 2 to 16 weeks.
  • Hormone levels are not health outcomes. Raising growth hormone and IGF-I for a few weeks does not show that anything in health changes.
  • No human study of the sublingual troche was found in a search of Europe PMC in October 2026, so nothing here applies to that form.
  • The compounded product sold today was not the product studied in these trials, and its quality and dose accuracy are not verified.

How we use this

We do not use sermorelin as a treatment for aging. The adult trials show that it raises growth hormone and IGF-I for a few weeks, in small groups; they do not show that this improves health.

If it is considered for a patient, the physician explains the level of evidence, the fact that the product is compounded and its quality is not verified, and the limits above before anything starts.

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Sources

  1. 1.Corpas E, Harman SM, Piñeyro MA, 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):530-535. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
  2. 2.Vittone J, Blackman MR, Busby-Whitehead 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. Metabolism
  3. 3.Khorram O, Laughlin GA, Yen SS. Endocrine and metabolic effects of long-term administration of [Nle27]GHRH-(1-29)-NH2 in age-advanced men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82(5):1472-1479. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
  4. 4.Beyond the androgen receptor: the role of growth hormone secretagogues in the modern management of body composition in hypogonadal males. Transl Androl Urol. 2020 (review; sermorelin trials summarized). Translational Andrology and Urology
  5. 5.Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. 1999. Adis (Springer)
  6. 6.Determination That GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection Was Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness. Federal Register, March 4, 2013 (Docket FDA-2012-P-1071). U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  7. 7.Walker RF. Sermorelin: a better approach to management of adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency? Clin Interv Aging. 2006;1(4):307-308. Clinical Interventions in Aging

All research