Growth and safety in children
Sermorelin Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency: child results
Children grew faster in the main test. You'll also see the harms, the limits, and the business reason the US drug left the market.
What the makers hoped Sermorelin would change
Scientists made Sermorelin for short children whose bodies sent out too little growth hormone. They hoped a copy of the brain's own order would help each child gain height faster. These children had been growing far more slowly than expected. In the main test, a bedtime shot raised yearly growth from about 4.1 centimeters toward 7-8 centimeters [1]. That work led to a US drug for children. The company ended US sales in 2008 for business reasons. Researchers had not found that the drug stopped working or brought a new safety problem. Today, certain pharmacies prepare it with a doctor's prescription. The small number after each finding matches the paper that reported it.
How much the children's growth changed
The main result in sermorelin pediatric growth hormone deficiency research was faster growth. The children had not yet reached puberty. Their yearly growth rose from about 4.1 centimeters to roughly 7-8 centimeters [1]. IGF-1, another hormone made by the liver, stayed below an excess. That result suggests the body's brake still worked.
Yearly growth gives families an answer before adult height is known. A rise from about 4.1 to 7-8 centimeters a year is close to twice the old pace. The test did not prove each child's final height. It also did not prove that more drug always worked better. IGF-1 stayed in check [1], which mattered for safety.
A second test included 43 children. Researchers compared 30 and 60 millionths of a gram per kilogram of body weight daily with growth hormone. That tiny unit is called a microgram. After six months, the children given the smaller amount grew least. Those given the larger amount grew about as fast as the growth-hormone group [10]. One result still favored growth hormone. In that study, doctors used a hand and wrist X-ray to judge bone age, then compared each child's height with children whose bones had matured to the same point [10]. That is not the same as growth speed, which counts centimeters gained over time. Only the growth-hormone group improved against peers at the same bone age. The treatments were close in growth speed, but not in every result.
What happened during the longer child tests
The longest child test ran for many months. Each child received 30 micrograms—millionths of a gram—for every kilogram of body weight daily. Some children made antibodies, immune-system proteins that may react to a drug. The antibodies didn't seem to slow growth. Blood sugar and blood fat didn't change [7].
Another small test gave six children a steady supply under the skin. Growth hormone rose at first, then fell during later months. In one child, the rise stopped [9]. Researchers considered three reasons. Antibodies may have blocked Sermorelin. The body's brake may have become stronger. Or the pituitary gland may have stopped answering as well [9]. The test can't tell which reason was right. A constant supply clearly didn't act like one short daily call.
Why the US Sermorelin brand stopped selling
Sermorelin had FDA approval to test and treat some growth problems in children. The company stopped selling the US brand in 2008 for business reasons. Sales did not end because the drug had been found unsafe or unable to work. While sold, its label called it safe and effective for the approved child use.
The reason sales ended matters to you. A drug that fails or harms people differs from a brand a company quits selling. After sales ended, pharmacies could still make Sermorelin for one patient with a doctor's order.
The current FDA policy has firm limits. The agency calls Sermorelin Category 1, its name for a long-used drug ingredient still being reviewed for pharmacy use. FDA issued final guidance in January 2025. Under the same temporary policy, the agency says it generally will not act solely because a pharmacy makes this Category 1 ingredient for one patient while the review continues. That policy does not give each pharmacy-made product FDA approval. Other growth-hormone drugs may fall under different rules. This is not legal or medical advice for you. Business ended the old brand; a new finding of harm did not.
Which hormones moved after one test amount
One quick test included 20 short children who had not reached puberty. Each child received 1 microgram, or one millionth of a gram, for every kilogram of body weight through a vein. Growth hormone rose about as much as it did after the full hormone from the brain. Prolactin, which helps mothers make milk, rose a little [8]. Luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone, which direct the sex glands, also rose briefly. The changes show that the drug touched more than the growth-hormone system for a short time. The test didn't find a lasting effect, and it can't predict what would happen over months.