Quick answer: Growth hormone peptides are a loose family, and their regulatory standing differs sharply. Tesamorelin is an FDA-approved drug with a narrow labelled use. Sermorelin once had an approved brand, Geref, which was withdrawn in 2009. Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 have never been approved drugs. Compounded products are not FDA-approved, so the first question for any of them is what source and status stand behind it.
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Status at a glance
| Substance | FDA status in one phrase | Whoosh offers it? | Page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sermorelin | Approved brand Geref withdrawn effective 2009-06-18; compounded versions are not FDA-approved | Yes, compounded, as stated by Whoosh | Sermorelin |
| Tesamorelin | Approved (Egrifta) for one narrow labelled use | No | Tesamorelin |
| Ipamorelin | Never an approved drug; on FDA's 503B list in Category 2 | No | Ipamorelin |
| CJC-1295 with ipamorelin | Neither part is an approved drug; no FDA finding on the pair | No | The blend |
Current as of 2026-10-06. Sources: FDA 503B list updated 2025-03-21, FDA's 2024 advisory committee briefings, the Egrifta labels on DailyMed, and the Federal Register notice of 2013-03-04.
Whoosh does not offer ipamorelin, CJC-1295 or tesamorelin. Our Whoosh review covers what it does offer and where its pages disagree with each other.
How to read a growth hormone peptide claim
Most claims you meet online fall into one of four kinds. Sorting them takes less than a minute.
1. A label statement. Only tesamorelin has a current label in this family, and it is indicated for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adult patients with lipodystrophy. The same label says it is not indicated for weight loss management. A label describes one product in one population, so it does not carry over to a different peptide or a healthy adult.
2. A human study. Ask who was enrolled, how many, for how long, and what was measured. Several adult studies of GHRH-(1-29) peptides enrolled fewer than twenty people and ran for weeks. A rise in growth hormone or IGF-I is a lab marker, not proof of a body change.
3. An animal or lab result. The paper that introduced ipamorelin, for example, reported swine and in vitro work. Useful for mechanism, silent on how it works in a person.
4. A marketing line. Clinic pages describe peptides as supporting sleep, recovery or body composition. FDA's briefing on ipamorelin lists such marketed uses and says it found no effectiveness data for the subcutaneous route those clinics describe. A claim with no cited study belongs in this bucket.
Two further checks. First, a peptide labelled for laboratory use does not become something else because of the label: FDA's August 2026 warning letters to NuScience Peptides and Royal Peptides say that products sold as research items were judged to be meant for human use, a conclusion FDA drew from how the sellers marketed them. Second, "compounded" describes how a drug is made, not whether FDA has reviewed it.
Pages in this guide
Profiles
- Sermorelin: what it is, the Geref history, and what the adult studies measured.
- Ipamorelin: why it has never been approved and what FDA has said about safety.
- CJC-1295 and ipamorelin: what the popular blend combines.
- Tesamorelin: the approved GHRH analogue and its narrow label.
Comparisons
- Sermorelin vs ipamorelin: the full side-by-side with the sourced fact table.
- Sermorelin vs tesamorelin: two releasers of the same family, one with a narrow label.
- Ipamorelin vs tesamorelin: never approved against approved.
- Sermorelin vs CJC-1295: same receptor family, different regulatory stories.
- CJC-1295 and ipamorelin vs sermorelin: a blend set against one peptide.
- Sermorelin vs tesamorelin vs ipamorelin: all three in one table.
- Sermorelin vs HGH: a releaser against the hormone itself.
What is the best growth hormone peptide?
There is no honest single answer, because "best" depends on the question. If the question is which one an FDA label covers, only tesamorelin has a current label, and its use is narrow. If the question is which has more published human data, the answer differs by outcome and none of them has FDA-cited evidence of muscle gain or weight loss in healthy adults. If the question is which is offered through a physician-supervised service we describe, that is compounded sermorelin through Whoosh, which is not FDA-approved.
Our situations table on the homepage sets those questions out one by one, with the page to read for each. We do not rank the peptides, because a ranking would imply a comparison the sources do not support.
FAQ
What are growth hormone peptides?
They are short chains of amino acids that prompt the body to release its own growth hormone, rather than supplying growth hormone itself. Sermorelin and tesamorelin are analogues of growth-hormone-releasing hormone; FDA describes ipamorelin as a ghrelin mimetic.
Which growth hormone peptides are FDA-approved?
Tesamorelin, under the Egrifta brand, for one labelled use. Sermorelin's brand Geref was approved but withdrawn effective 2009-06-18. Ipamorelin and CJC-1295 have never been approved.
Does FDA review compounded peptides before sale?
No. Compounded medications are not reviewed by FDA for safety or efficacy before sale, as Whoosh's own terms also state.
Are growth hormone peptides the same as HGH?
No. Approved somatropin products are recombinant growth hormone. These peptides act upstream and prompt release. We cover the difference on the sermorelin vs HGH page.
Are they allowed in competitive sport?
WADA's 2026 Prohibited List names sermorelin, tesamorelin, ipamorelin and CJC-1295 in section S2, which applies at all times.
Sources
- FDA: 503B bulk drug substances category list, updated 2025-03-21 read 2026-10-06
- FDA: bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks read 2026-10-06
- FDA: PCAC briefing on ipamorelin, 2024-10-29 read 2026-10-06
- FDA: PCAC briefing on CJC-1295, 2024-12-04 read 2026-10-06
- Federal Register: Geref determination, 2013-03-04 read 2026-10-06
- DailyMed: EGRIFTA WR label read 2026-10-06
- FDA warning letter: NuScience Peptides LLC, 2026-08-24 read 2026-10-06
- FDA warning letter: Royal Peptides LLC, 2026-08-24 read 2026-10-06
- WADA 2026 Prohibited List read 2026-10-06
- Whoosh Wellness: terms and conditions read 2026-10-06
Not medical advice. See the medical disclaimer.