Compound family

GHRH analogues

In one sentenceSynthetic versions of the hypothalamic hormone that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone. One narrow approval; one withdrawn diagnostic; one abandoned programme.
Compounds3
Best gradeB Tesamorelin
Approved medicines1 of 3
Prohibited in sport3 of 3

What this family is

Growth-hormone-releasing hormone is the signal from the hypothalamus that makes the pituitary secrete growth hormone. These three compounds are fragments or modified versions of it. They only work through a functioning pituitary, and they preserve the natural pulsatile pattern of release — which is the argument made for them over injecting growth hormone itself.

Tesamorelin is the only one with an approval and an outcome: in people with HIV-associated lipodystrophy it reduces visceral fat by about 15% over six months, and the fat returns when treatment stops. Sermorelin was approved in 1990 as a diagnostic test in children and withdrawn in 2008 for commercial reasons; it raises growth hormone reliably, but the adult anti-ageing claims rest on small open-label studies. CJC-1295 was engineered to bind albumin and last days rather than minutes — early trials showed sustained rises in growth hormone and IGF-1 — and then development stopped, with no trial ever measuring a clinical outcome.

The common gap is the same across all three: raising a hormone is measurable, and measured; whether that changes body composition, strength or ageing in healthy adults has not been tested. Every member is prohibited in sport under WADA's S2 category, and the popular 'stack' with a GH secretagogue has never been studied as a combination.

Grade counts across the family: 0 × A · 1 × B · 2 × C · 0 × D. The best grade here, B, means probable, not settled. How LYO grades →

The compounds, graded

Every member with its best-supported outcome grade, human-trial count and regulatory status. Each opens the full evidence page.

Tesamorelin

B

GHRH analogue. Approved for one narrow indication; the general-population claims are extrapolation.

Human trialsSeveral RCTs
StatusApproved (Rx, US)

Sermorelin

C

Was an approved medicine for diagnosing growth-hormone deficiency in children. Withdrawn commercially; adult use is off-label with thin data.

Human trialsApproved paediatric use; small adult studies
StatusWithdrawn (US brand)

CJC-1295

C

Long-acting GHRH analogue. Raises growth hormone for days; development stopped and no outcome trial exists.

Human trialsEarly-phase only; programme discontinued
StatusNot approved

Comparisons

Questions

What is the difference between a GHRH analogue and a GH secretagogue?
Different receptors. GHRH analogues act on the GHRH receptor in the pituitary; secretagogues such as ipamorelin act on the ghrelin receptor. Both end in a growth-hormone pulse. Combining the two is common in the grey market and has never been tested in a controlled trial.
Is tesamorelin approved for fat loss?
Only for excess abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy, in the United States. There are no trials in healthy adults, and it is not authorised in the EU.
Does CJC-1295 raise growth hormone?
Yes, and for days: a single injection raised growth hormone two- to ten-fold for six days or more in early trials. What that does to anything a person can feel or measure was never studied.

Written and maintained by LYO Research — how pages are written and checked. Reviewed 23 September 2026. Grades count human evidence only. Not medical advice. Correct this page →