GH Secretagogues Compared: Tesamorelin, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295, MK-677
A side-by-side comparison of Tesamorelin, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295, MK-677 by independent evidence grade, FDA status, mechanism of action, key safety considerations, and which FDA 503B outsourcing facilities report compounding each.
| Tesamorelin | Ipamorelin | CJC-1295 | MK-677 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence grade | Grade A: Approved and proven | Grade C: Preliminary or limited human evidence | Grade B: Human evidence, not approved for this use | Grade B: Human evidence, not approved for this use |
| FDA status | FDA approved FDA-approved (Egrifta; Egrifta WR approved 2025) for reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy; not approved for any other indication. | Not FDA approved Not FDA-approved for any indication; banned from both 503A and 503B compounding as of April 2026. | Not FDA approved Not FDA-approved for any indication; removed from Category 2 compounding restriction April 2026, pending formal PCAC review and rulemaking for potential Category 1 placement. | Not FDA approved Not FDA-approved for any indication; FDA has specifically cited a congestive heart failure safety signal from a stopped clinical trial. |
| Mechanism | Synthetic analogue of endogenous growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) that binds pituitary GHRH receptors, stimulating pulsatile GH secretion and downstream IGF-1 production, which reduces visceral adiposity. | Ipamorelin binds selectively to the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR-1a), stimulating pulsatile GH release from the pituitary without substantially affecting cortisol or prolactin at tested doses. | CJC-1295 binds and activates the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotroph cells, stimulating pulsatile GH secretion; albumin binding via the DAC modification extends the half-life to approximately 8 days, producing sustained GH and downstream IGF-1 elevation. | MK-677 acts as a non-peptide agonist at the ghrelin receptor (GHSR-1a), stimulating pulsatile GH release from the pituitary and subsequently elevating circulating IGF-1. |
| Key safety | Tesamorelin is contraindicated in patients with active malignancy; any preexisting malignancy must be inactive and treatment complete before initiating... | Human safety data for ipamorelin is limited; the available studies were not designed primarily to characterize safety. GH secretagogues as a class elevate... | Long-term human safety data for CJC-1295 do not exist; the single published human RCT was short-duration and enrolled healthy volunteers only. Sustained,... | MK-677 carries a documented serious safety signal that must be prominently disclosed: a phase IIb clinical trial was stopped early after a higher rate of... |
What the evidence shows
Tesamorelin A
Tesamorelin (brand name Egrifta, Egrifta SV, and Egrifta WR) is an FDA-approved synthetic analogue of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) indicated specifically for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. The approval rests on well-conducted pivotal randomized controlled...
Compounding: Tesamorelin is FDA-approved (Egrifta/Egrifta SV/Egrifta WR) for HIV-associated lipodystrophy; the branded product is the appropriate source. FDA reclassified tesamorelin as a biologic, making 503A...
Ipamorelin C
Ipamorelin is a synthetic pentapeptide growth hormone secretagogue that stimulates GH release by acting as a selective ghrelin receptor agonist. Only small human studies have been completed, including a pharmacokinetic characterization in healthy volunteers and at least one efficacy trial that did not demonstrate a...
Compounding: The FDA placed Ipamorelin in Category 2 of its interim 503A/503B bulk-substances policy, the list of substances it has identified as presenting potential significant safety risks, so it is not...
CJC-1295 B
CJC-1295 (with DAC) is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) engineered with a drug affinity complex modification that enables albumin binding, extending its plasma half-life from minutes to days. The human evidence base is narrow: a single pharmacodynamic RCT in healthy adults (PMID 16352683)...
Compounding: The nomination to add CJC-1295 to the FDA 503A or 503B bulk-substances list was withdrawn; it is not on an active FDA bulks list and is not eligible for routine pharmacy compounding.
MK-677 B
MK-677 (ibutamoren) is a non-peptide small molecule that mimics ghrelin at the GH secretagogue receptor; it is orally bioavailable, which distinguishes it from peptide secretagogues. Multiple human RCTs have been conducted, including studies in older adults examining bone turnover, sleep quality, and GH-axis...
Compounding: The FDA placed MK-677 in Category 2 of its interim 503A/503B bulk-substances policy, the list of substances it has identified as presenting potential significant safety risks, so it is not eligible...
Where these are compounded
Tesamorelin: no FDA 503B facility in our directory currently reports compounding it.
Ipamorelin: no FDA 503B facility in our directory currently reports compounding it.
CJC-1295: no FDA 503B facility in our directory currently reports compounding it.
MK-677: no FDA 503B facility in our directory currently reports compounding it.
From the FDA Outsourcing Facility Product Report. PeptideGrids does not sell or source any compound.
Full profiles: Tesamorelin, Ipamorelin, CJC-1295, MK-677. Browse all GLP-1s and therapeutic peptides.