Region — International. Neutral scientific reference — not offered for sale here.
Research reference — not for sale
Sermorelin
Blead outcome
Pediatric GH deficiency / growth failure…
grades vary by outcome ↓
Peptide⚠ WADA-banned
also called — sermorelin acetate · GHRH(1-29) · GRF(1-29) · GHRH(1-29)-NH₂ · brand names Geref (also Gerel). INCI: none · Semorelin
GH secretagogue / GHRH analog(approved historically: pediatric GHD + diagnostics)adult GH optimization (off-label)
Reference entry — not sold here. Note: unlike the gray-market GH peptides, sermorelin is a prescription compound with a real FDA-approval history — this is the "control" case in the register. No dosing/administration is published here; neutral reference only.
In brief
Sermorelin is GHRH(1-29), the shortest fully active fragment of GHRH, and the only GH secretagogue with a genuine FDA-approval history (as Geref, for pediatric GH deficiency and diagnostics, 1990–2008). It was withdrawn for commercial, not safety reasons and is now legally compounded. Its approved uses have real RCT support; its popular adult anti-aging use is off-label with thinner evidence. It is banned in sport.
Legal standing, by region
European Union
No current marketing authorisation
No current marketing authorisation; not a general OTC/cosmetic ingredient; compounding rules are member-state-specific.
United States
Compounded (Rx) where lawful
The contrast case: previously FDA-approved (Geref, 1990/1997), withdrawn 2008 for commercial reasons; no current approved product, but legally compounded (503A/503B) with a prescription. Not part of the gray-market Category-2 situation.
International
Status varies
Varies.
⚠ WADA-prohibited in sportSport: WADA-prohibited — GHRH and its analogs / GH-releasing factors fall under Section S2.2. Banned even though it is a legal medicine.
An honest grade per outcome — drawn from the evidence, not any catalogue. Hype and undemonstrated marketing claims grade low.
OutcomeEvidence base · effectGrade
Pediatric GH deficiency / growth failure (former approved indication)
Effect smaller than direct rhGH; historical approval
FDA-approved (NDA 20-443); published pediatric RCTs · Increased height velocity in GHRH-responders
BGH-stimulation diagnostic testing (approved use)
Established diagnostic role
FDA-approved (NDA 19-863); long clinical use · Reliable assessment of pituitary GH reserve
BRaises GH / IGF-1 (physiologically)
Works via the pituitary; self-limiting (see mechanism)
Well-characterised mechanism + studies · Yes, in a pulsatile, feedback-preserving way
BAdult anti-aging / body composition / sleep (the popular off-label use)
Thinner data than its pharmaceutical history implies; off-label
Limited RCTs; "mid-tier" evidence · Suggestive
CSafety
Considered among the safer GH-directed therapies; WADA-banned
Approved-drug safety record; self-regulating feedback · Favourable vs direct rhGH
—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 29-amino-acid peptide (< 40 aa → peptide) representing the 1–29 fragment of the 44-amino-acid GHRH — the shortest fully functional fragment, retaining complete activity at the GHRH receptor. Developed in the 1980s. (CJC-1295 is a longer-acting, substituted version of this same 1-29 sequence.)
Development & history
- FDA-approved twice: NDA 19-863 (Dec 1990) for diagnostic use — assessing pituitary GH reserve (the sermorelin stimulation test); then Geref under NDA 20-443 (Sept 1997) for treatment of idiopathic GH deficiency / growth failure in children.
- Withdrawn in 2008: the sole manufacturer (EMD Serono) voluntarily discontinued it for commercial, not safety or efficacy, reasons — recombinant human GH (rhGH) had come to dominate the pediatric-GHD market. No adverse-event or toxicity action was involved.
- Today: no FDA-approved branded product exists (the approval lapsed with the withdrawal), but sermorelin is legally compounded via 503A/503B pharmacies with a prescription — giving it the most defensible legal position of any GH secretagogue (prior FDA approval, no safety-related withdrawal). It sits outside the Category-2 / July-2026-PCAC uncertainty that surrounds CJC-1295/Ipamorelin.
Mechanism (as proposed)
a GHRH-receptor agonist on pituitary somatotrophs that stimulates GH release while preserving the normal hypothalamic–pituitary feedback loop — when GH/IGF-1 rise, somatostatin brakes the response, preventing the supraphysiologic levels seen with direct rhGH. The result is a pulsatile, self-limiting, more "physiological" GH signal (and a shorter half-life than CJC-1295-DAC).
Chemical identifiers
Cross-reference identifiers for the authoritative external databases — not a recipe, and nothing about how to use it.
InChIKeyWGWPRVFKDLAUQJ-MITYVQBRSA-N
SMILESCC[C@H](C)[C@@H](C(=O)N[C@@H](CC1=CC=CC=C1)C(=O)N[C@@H]([C@@H](C)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CO)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC2=CC=C(C=C2)O)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCCN)C(=O)N[C@@H](C(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)NCC(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CO)C(=O)N[C@@H](C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCCN)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(C)C)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCC(=O)N)C(=O)N[C@@H](CC(=O)O)C(=O)N[C@@H]([C@@H](C)CC)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCSC)C(=O)N[C@@H](CO)C(=O)N[C@@H](CCCNC(=N)N)C(=O)N)NC(=O)[C@H](C)NC(=O)[C@H](CC(=O)O)NC(=O)[C@H](C)NC(=O)[C@H](CC3=CC=C(C=C3)O)N
via PubChem exact-name match (Sermorelin) · high confidence
Sources — 3 cited
01FDA NDA 19-863 (1990, sermorelin diagnostic) and NDA 20-443 (1997, Geref, pediatric GHD).
02Pediatric GH-deficiency treatment trials supporting the original approval (peer-reviewed, 1990s).
03Sermorelin monograph / regulatory summaries (approval and 2008 commercial withdrawal).
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.
VallydiaA neutral reference and a lawful-lane shop. Information for those who seek it — never promotion.
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.