# onlinesermorelin — sermorelin(7) — synthetic 29-residue GHRH analog > Manpage-style reference on sermorelin (GHRH 1-29 NH2): mechanism, half-life, FDA history, current US compounding status. Independent editorial summaries of the published record. sermorelin — synthetic 29-residue GHRH analog; growth-hormone-releasing factor (GRF) (1-29) amide. ## TLDR Sermorelin is a synthetic copy of the first 29 amino acids of the hypothalamic hormone that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone (GH). It does not supply GH directly. It signals the pituitary, which keeps the body's own feedback brakes — somatostatin and IGF-1 (a downstream hormone the liver makes in response to GH) — operating normally. It was once an FDA-approved drug (Geref, NDA 20-443) for children with a diagnosed GH shortage. That product was pulled from the US market in 2008 for commercial reasons, not safety concerns. It is now compounded prescription-only [1][2]. Adult anti-aging and body-composition use is off-label; the evidence base for those goals is thin and has been publicly called "not yet ready for prime time" [20]. It is prohibited in sport under WADA S2 [13]. What people anecdotally report — including the downsides — is on [the effects page](/effects). ## SYNOPSIS Compound: sermorelin. Class: GHRH receptor agonist. Form: hGRF(1-29)NH2, acetate salt. Length: 29 amino acids. Molecular weight: 3357.93 Da. Molecular formula: C149H246N44O42S. Plasma half-life: 11-12 min [10]. Route in published trials: subcutaneous (treatment); intravenous (diagnostic) [3][4][10]. US regulatory status: previously approved as two finished-drug formulations — diagnostic 0.05 mg (NDA 19-863, 1990) and therapeutic 0.5/1.0 mg (NDA 20-443, 1997) [1]. Both formulations were voluntarily withdrawn by the sponsor in 2008 [2]. The FDA determined in 2013 that the withdrawals were for commercial reasons, not safety or efficacy [2]. As of 2025, sermorelin acetate is available only as a compounded preparation through state-licensed 503A pharmacies and 503B outsourcing facilities, under the FDA's January 2025 interim policy on 503A bulk drug substances [16][17]. ## DESCRIPTION Sermorelin is the 29-residue N-terminal fragment of native human growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-44), C-terminally amidated. The (1-29) fragment retains essentially full biological activity at the pituitary GHRH receptor — the shortest GHRH segment that still triggers somatotroph activation [3]. Because sermorelin is a secretagogue and not a hormone replacement, it acts on the pituitary's own GH machinery rather than supplying GH directly. The pituitary remains the source. Normal feedback by somatostatin and IGF-1 is preserved. The GH pulse it triggers is bounded by the body's physiological ceiling [3][7][10]. The most widely cited human dataset is the 1990s FDA-approval-supporting pediatric trials — 30 μg/kg subcutaneous nightly in children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency, sustained increase in height velocity through 12-36 months [3]. A smaller but well-characterized aging-population literature followed: 10 μg/kg nightly for 16 weeks in adults 55-71 produced gains in skin thickness, lean body mass (+1.26 kg in men), and insulin sensitivity [6]; 2 mg nightly for 6 weeks in elderly men produced IGF-1 elevation by 2 weeks, sustained through 12 weeks [7]. ## WHY THIS SITE EXISTS Search for sermorelin online and the first ten results are clinics. This site is not one. It is an editorial reading room — a terminal-style summary of the published peer-reviewed and regulatory record, written for researchers, clinicians, science writers, and anti-doping analysts who want the primary sources without the upsell. The organization follows the structure of a Unix manpage. NAME, SYNOPSIS, DESCRIPTION, MECHANISM, PHARMACOKINETICS, HISTORY, SEE ALSO, BUGS, REFERENCES. Each quantitative claim cites a real trial or regulatory document. The references page lists all 19 sources with DOIs and PubMed/PMC URLs. What is here: mechanism, pharmacokinetics, the pediatric and aging-population trial record, the FDA approval-and-withdrawal sequence, the current 503A compounding status, the WADA prohibition, and the analytical methods used in doping control. What is not here: dosing recommendations, supplier links, comparisons to current peptide products, or any claim about how sermorelin should be used outside research and historical clinical contexts. ## SEE ALSO [research](/research) — full mechanism, pediatric trials, aging-population studies, and the GHRH+GHRP synergy literature. [dosage](/dosage) — research-context dose ranges from the FDA-approved pediatric regimen, the adult diagnostic provocation, the Khorram aging study, and the Vittone elderly-men pharmacodynamic study. [faq](/faq) — short answers to common questions about sermorelin, its history, and its current status. [references](/references) — full numbered citation list with DOIs. [about](/about) — editorial standards, what this site is and is not. [contact](/contact) — corrections, source submissions, takedown requests. --- A terminal-style digest of the peer-reviewed and regulatory record — not a clinic, not a prescription, not a protocol.