Peptides for Growth Hormone Axis

Growth hormone peptides are the most lopsided category on PeptideTrace. Five compounds hold regulatory approval — somatropin, somapacitan, somatrogon, tesamorelin, and vosoritide — while 16 exist exclusively as research compounds with no active clinical trials. That 16-to-0 ratio between research compounds and the clinical pipeline tells you something about this space: it’s heavily used in grey-market channels but almost entirely absent from formal drug development.

The approved compounds serve specific clinical needs. Somatropin is the foundational recombinant growth hormone. Somapacitan and somatrogon are long-acting formulations designed to reduce injection frequency. Tesamorelin is approved specifically for HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Vosoritide treats achondroplasia in children.

The research tier — CJC-1295, ipamorelin, GHRP-2, GHRP-6, hexarelin, sermorelin, MK-677, and the various IGF-1 and follistatin variants — is where the gap between community use and clinical evidence is widest. These are among the most commonly discussed peptides in bodybuilding and anti-ageing forums, yet none have advanced beyond early-phase research. Sermorelin had FDA approval historically but was withdrawn from the US market; it now circulates as a compounding pharmacy and research product.