Region — International. Neutral scientific reference — not offered for sale here.
Research reference — not for sale
GHRP-2 (Pralmorelin)
Blead outcome
GH release (diagnostic)
grades vary by outcome ↓
Peptide⚠ WADA-banned
also called — GHRP-2 · Growth Hormone Releasing Peptide-2 · INN pralmorelin · developer codes KP-102 / GPA-748 · Japanese product GHRP Kaken 100 · sequence D-Ala-D-2-Nal-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH₂ (MW ~818 Da). INCI: none
GH secretagogue / ghrelin agonist(approved: GH-deficiency diagnostic)body composition (off-label)
Reference entry — not sold here. Notable as the only GHRP with a regulatory approval anywhere — but that approval is a diagnostic one (Japan), not a therapy. No dosing published here.
In brief
GHRP-2 (pralmorelin) is a ghrelin-receptor agonist and the only GHRP with a regulatory approval — in Japan, as a diagnostic agent for GH deficiency. It reliably raises GH (the most potent GHRP per microgram) with intermediate selectivity — moderate cortisol/prolactin and appetite effects (more than Ipamorelin, less than GHRP-6). But the approval is diagnostic-only; the popular anti-aging / body-composition use is untested in humans. It is banned in sport.
Legal standing, by region
European Union
Not approved
not approved.
United States
Not FDA-approved (gray-market)
not FDA-approved; has not been through the FDA drug-approval process (503A Category-2 / gray-market for off-label use).
⚠ WADA-prohibited in sportSport: WADA-prohibited at all times — Section S2.2 (GH secretagogues).
An honest grade per outcome — drawn from the evidence, not any catalogue. Hype and undemonstrated marketing claims grade low.
OutcomeEvidence base · effectGrade
GH release (diagnostic)
Real but narrow; diagnostic-focused; single company
Approved diagnostic (Japan) + ~4 human trials (~170) · Consistent dose-dependent GH elevation (peak 15–30 min)
BGH-deficiency diagnostic testing (approved, Japan)
Approved diagnostic use only
Kaken trials; accuracy competitive with the insulin-tolerance test · Reliable provocative test
BAnti-aging / body composition (the popular use)
Untested for these goals
None in humans · Not demonstrated
FSafety
Raises cortisol/prolactin (moderate) + appetite; long-term unknown; WADA-banned
Diagnostic use + PK data · Characterised (short-term)
—Disclosure
Vallydia sells its own cosmetic serums, and some ingredients graded here belong to the same categories as those products. Grades are drawn from the published evidence by the method we publish, and applied to our own ingredients on the same terms — our copper-peptide serum is graded no more kindly than the peptides it competes with. We disclose the interest so you can weigh it.
Trade names shown here (for example Matrixyl, Argireline, Syn-Ake) are the property of their respective owners and are used only to identify the ingredient under discussion. Their appearance implies no affiliation with, or endorsement by, the proprietor.
Evidence changes
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Identity
a synthetic hexapeptide (6 amino acids, < 40 aa → peptide), a ghrelin-receptor (GHS-R1a) agonist that stimulates GH release from the anterior pituitary. It is the most potent GHRP per microgram for GH release, with intermediate selectivity — sitting between the non-selective GHRP-6 (#24) and the highly selective Ipamorelin (#17).
Development & history
- Developed in the 1990s as a more potent evolution of GHRP-6 (Bowers' original GHRP).
- Approved in Japan (PMDA) as pralmorelin (GHRP Kaken 100) — a diagnostic agent for assessing GH deficiency (the GHRP-2 stimulation test), marketed by Kaken Pharmaceutical since ~2004. This makes GHRP-2 the only GHRP to achieve regulatory approval by any national authority.
- Its human evidence base is narrow but real: ~4 published trials (~170 participants), all from Kaken, focused on diagnostic accuracy.
Mechanism (as proposed)
a GHS-R1a (ghrelin-receptor) agonist on pituitary somatotrophs → GH release; it also suppresses somatostatin (a dual stimulatory mechanism) and is synergistic with GHRH (co-administration amplifies GH several-fold). Notably, GH release plateaus above ~ while cortisol and prolactin keep rising dose-dependently — the basis of its intermediate-selectivity profile.
Chemical identifiers
Cross-reference identifiers for the authoritative external databases — not a recipe, and nothing about how to use it.
InChIKeyHRNLPPBUBKMZMT-RDRUQFPZSA-N
SMILESC[C@H](C(=O)N[C@H](CC1=CC2=CC=CC=C2C=C1)C(=O)N[C@@H](C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC3=CNC4=CC=CC=C43)C(=O)N[C@H](CC5=CC=CC=C5)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCCN)C(=O)N)N
UNIIE6S6E1F19M
via PubChem exact-name match (GHRP-2) · high confidence
Sources — 2 cited
01Bowers CY, et al. — foundational GHRP characterisation (the class GHRP-2 descends from).
02Kaken Pharmaceutical pralmorelin (GHRP Kaken) diagnostic trials; PMDA approval (Japan).
Updated 2026-07-04
Grades reflect the published evidence, not our interest. No dosing, reconstitution, or administration is published for research compounds — that restraint is deliberate.
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Region — International
This site provides neutral scientific reference and sells only products lawful in your region. Nothing here is medical advice, a recommendation, or an offer to supply unapproved medicines. No dosing or administration is published for research compounds. Cosmetic peptides per Regulation (EC) 1223/2009. Unapproved injectable peptides are neither sold nor advertised in the EU (Directive 2001/83/EC, Title VIII). © 2026 Vallydia.