Khorram 1997 ran a 16-week placebo-controlled trial of nightly subcutaneous GHRH(1-29) in age-advanced men and women that produced significant increases in nocturnal GH, IGF-1, IGFBP-3, skin thickness, and (in men) lean body mass. Sermorelin was FDA-approved for pediatric GH deficiency from 1997 to 2008 — the only peptide GH secretagogue ever cleared by the FDA — before being voluntarily withdrawn for commercial reasons, not safety concerns.
8 human studies · 6 animal studies
Khorram 1997: significant increase in 12-hour integrated nocturnal GH, IGF-1, and skin thickness over 16 weeks.
Vittone 1997 (older men): IGF-1 elevated by 2 weeks, lean body mass +1.26 kg, improved insulin sensitivity.
Pediatric Geref formulation FDA-approved 1997-2008 for childhood GHD.
Effect attenuates over time — endogenous somatotrope reserve sets a ceiling no GHRH analog can exceed.
Top citations
Khorram 1997 — 16-week RCT in age-advanced adults
Vittone 1997 — Older men, IGF-1 / lean mass
Walker 2007 — Diagnostic / clinical use review
Our take
The most established GH secretagogue. Modest, real, ceiling-limited — not a replacement for therapeutic-dose hGH, but the safest entry to the GH axis.