Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Informational only. Not medical advice.INFORMATIONAL PLATFORM ONLY — NOT MEDICAL ADVICE, DIAGNOSIS, OR TREATMENT
Head-to-head comparison of Capromorelin and Sermorelin — mechanism, side effects, legal status, and pricing.
Capromorelin is a non-peptide, orally active pyrazolinone-piperidine dipeptide-mimetic that functions as a growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a (GHS-R1a) agonist, mimicking the endogenous hormone ghrelin. It is NOT approved for human use anywhere; a Pfizer Phase II trial in 395 older adults showed positive signals for lean body mass, body weight, and physical function but was terminated early and never advanced to approval. Capromorelin is FDA-approved as a veterinary drug (Entyce for dogs, Elura for cats) and is explicitly named on the WADA Prohibited List under S2 (growth hormone secretagogues), prohibited at all times in competitive sport.
Sermorelin is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) consisting of the first 29 amino acids of the 44-aa native hormone — the shortest fragment that retains full biological activity. It was FDA-approved in the 1990s as Geref (EMD Serono) for diagnostic testing of pituitary GH reserve and later for pediatric idiopathic GH deficiency, but was withdrawn from the US market in 2008–2009 at the manufacturer's request for commercial reasons (not safety or efficacy). It remains on the FDA Category 1 list of bulk substances nominated for use in 503A compounding, where it is now widely prescribed off-label for adult GH insufficiency and "anti-aging" indications.
Capromorelin
Sermorelin
Category
Legal Status
Mechanism
Half-life
Side Effects
COA-verified vendors · trust score ≥70 required · single-vial price — bulk/bundle deals may be lower
Capromorelin
Sermorelin
COA corpus from Disclosed Labs — independently tested batches only.
Capromorelin
No COA data yet.
Submit testing data →Sermorelin
72
COAs
99.4%
Avg purity
10
Labs
Sermorelin is among peptides under FDA review for the Category 1 (503A) list; if added, it would require a prescription to be compounded by registered 503A/503B pharmacies — not yet authorized. Capromorelin remains research-only. In April 2026 the FDA removed 12 peptides from Category 2, which does not place them on the Category 1 list or authorize compounding. The FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee is advisory and meets July 23–24, 2026 to review nominations and make recommendations to the FDA.
Capromorelin has human clinical trial data but is not an approved human drug. A Pfizer-sponsored Phase II trial randomized 395 adults aged 65–84 at risk of functional decline to oral capromorelin or placebo for up to 2 years (315 completed 6 months; 284 completed 12 months). The trial reported increased lean body mass (+1.4 vs 0.3 kg, P=0.001), body weight (+1.4 kg, P=0.006), improved tandem walk (P=0.02), and improved stair climb (P=0.04), concluding capromorelin "may improve body composition and physical function." The study was terminated early according to predetermined treatment effect criteria; no human product was ever approved. Preclinical studies in rats showed an ED50 <0.05 mg/kg IV for plasma GH elevation; in healthy Beagle dogs, oral capromorelin increased food consumption and body weight in a 4-day randomized, masked, placebo-controlled trial. In healthy cats, capromorelin altered glucose-metabolism parameters. In broiler chickens, it increased feed intake and body-weight gain.
Key references
Sermorelin was FDA-approved in the 1990s as Geref for the GHRH stimulation test of pituitary function and, at higher doses, for pediatric idiopathic GHD. The principal review of pediatric Geref data is Prakash & Goa (BioDrugs 1999; PMID 18031173). In adults, Vittone et al. (Metabolism 1997; PMID 9005976) showed nightly sermorelin in healthy elderly men raised IGF-1 and modestly increased lean mass, and Khorram, Laughlin & Yen (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1997; PMID 9141536) demonstrated that 16 weeks of nightly [Nle27]GHRH(1-29) in 19 subjects aged 55-71 restored GH/IGF-1 toward young-adult levels with small gains in lean mass and skin thickness. Walker (Clin Interv Aging 2006; PMID 18046908) reviewed the rationale for sermorelin as a more physiologic alternative to rhGH in adult GH insufficiency. EMD Serono discontinued Geref in 2008; FDA withdrew NDA approvals in 2009 and affirmed in 2013 that this was for commercial — not safety or efficacy — reasons. Unlike exogenous GH, sermorelin has not been associated with reports of acromegaly because endogenous feedback limits peak GH.
Capromorelin (Hormone) and Sermorelin (Performance) are in different categories and target different biological pathways. This is a common pattern in multi-compound research protocols. Researchers should monitor the biomarkers from both profiles and watch for interactions listed in each compound’s contraindications. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before combining any research compounds.
This platform provides informational tools only, not medical advice. This comparison is for educational purposes only. Consult a licensed provider.
Contraindications
Lab Testing
Key references
Disclosed Labs