As of September 2026, sermorelin is no longer sold as an approved medicine in the US. The FDA approved it in 1997 as Geref for children with growth hormone deficiency, and its maker stopped selling it in 2008 for business reasons. It now comes only from compounding pharmacies. The trials on this record tested Geref, and you cannot tell from the outside what a compounded vial holds.
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What is sermorelin?
Sermorelin is a lab-made copy of the first 29 amino acids of GHRH, the hormone that tells the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. The FDA approved it in 1997 as Geref, to diagnose and treat growth hormone deficiency in children. The maker stopped selling it in 2008, and it has since been used through compounding pharmacies.
Does sermorelin work?
The FDA reviewed the trials and approved it in 1997 for diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency in children. For the adult uses marketed today, the record finds no current FDA-reviewed trial evidence.
What we found. 1 completed randomized trial counted on the record. 1 study row listed below, for the trials in children behind the 1997 approval.
| Study | Tested in | Status | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geref approval trials in children | People | Completed. They led to the 1997 approval | They supported the approval for diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency in children |
The record lists no trial in adults.
How we count a trialIs sermorelin safe?
The trials behind the 1997 approval covered safety in children with growth hormone deficiency. In 2013 the FDA confirmed that Geref was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness. For the adult uses marketed today, nobody knows: no current FDA-reviewed trial evidence covers them. The record names no side effects. All of that is about Geref, the product that left the market. What a compounding pharmacy puts in a vial today is taken up further down.
Is sermorelin legal?
- United States
- Formerly approved. The FDA approved it in 1997 as Geref for growth hormone deficiency in children. The maker took it off the market in 2008 for business reasons, and the record says safety was not the cause.
- Withdrawal
- In 2013 the FDA published a determination in the Federal Register. It confirmed that Geref was withdrawn from sale for reasons unrelated to safety or effectiveness.
- Compounding
- Now used only through compounding pharmacies. That use sits outside FDA approval.
- European Union
- No current EMA marketing authorisation.
- Sport
- Banned in sport. The record gives no class and no timing.
Not medical advice. Approval and sport status as of . Medical disclaimer
What is in a vial sold as sermorelin?
Since Geref left the market in 2008, sermorelin has reached people only through compounding pharmacies. The record says it is often marketed to adults for anti-aging, which was never part of its approval. The approval trials tested Geref, and this record lists no test of a compounded vial. A certificate of analysis counts only if it names your lot number, a lab with no stake in the result, and the method used. Purity and identity are separate tests.
Three questions to ask the seller:
- Which lot number is this certificate for?
- Who ran the test, and are they independent of you?
- Does the report confirm identity by mass spectrometry, or purity alone?
What don't we know?
- Whether it does anything for the adult anti-aging uses it is marketed for. They were never part of its approval.
- Whether it is safe for adults. No current FDA-reviewed trial evidence covers the adult uses.
- What decades-old trials in children can tell an adult today. The approved evidence is specific to children.
- What is in any compounded vial.
The other side
Sermorelin was an approved medicine, and the FDA confirmed it was not withdrawn over safety or effectiveness. People who use it today can fairly point to that. The approval covered Geref and children with growth hormone deficiency, so adult use and compounded vials sit outside it.
What would change this record?
- A modern, controlled trial in adults that tests safety and benefit for the uses now marketed.
Three questions to ask next
- What does 'research use only' actually mean?
- How can you tell if a peptide vendor is legitimate?
- How do you read a certificate of analysis?
Ask better questions.
More questions about sermorelin
Is sermorelin still approved by the FDA?
- Not as a product on sale. The FDA approved it in 1997 as Geref, the maker stopped selling it in 2008, and no product with FDA approval has been sold in the US since.
Why was sermorelin discontinued?
- For business reasons, the record says. In 2013 the FDA confirmed that Geref was withdrawn for reasons unrelated to safety or effectiveness.
What was sermorelin approved for?
- Diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency in children. Adult anti-aging use was never part of that approval.
Is sermorelin banned in sport?
- Yes. The record marks it as prohibited by WADA and gives no class or timing.
Is sermorelin the same as Geref?
- Geref was the brand name of the approved sermorelin product. The record also lists GHRH 1-29 as another name.
THE PEPTIDE TABLE
RECORD · SERMORELIN
- Checked
- 22 SEP 2026
- Sources read
- 2
- Approved?
- FORMERLY
- Sport (WADA)
- BANNED
- COMPLETED RANDOMIZED TRIALS
- 1
- GRADE
- B
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thepeptidetable.com/table/sermorelin
The record on one slip. Save it as a picture and send it to whoever asked you about sermorelin.
Record checked on . Each source shows the date it was checked.
In the same group
- Tesamorelin (Egrifta)Grade A4+ completed randomized trials
- CJC-1295Grade C1 completed randomized trial
- GHRP-2 (pralmorelin)Grade C1 completed randomized trial
- GHRP-6Grade C4+ completed randomized trials
- HexarelinGrade C3+ completed randomized trials
- Ibutamoren (MK-677)Grade B3 completed randomized trials