Also referred to as Examorelin
A potent secretagogue notable for rapid desensitisation and for effects on cortisol and prolactin that ipamorelin was designed to avoid.
Mechanism
GHS-R1a agonist; also reported to interact with CD36 in cardiovascular models.
Evidence
Each statement below carries its own evidence level, its own confidence rating, and its own account of what remains unestablished. A compound does not have a single grade.
Hexarelin produces growth hormone release that desensitises rapidly with continued administration.
What is not established
Short human studies only. Desensitisation is a well-described limitation of this compound.
Last evidence review: 2026-08-23
Human evidence
Human and non-human evidence are kept strictly separate. They are never pooled, averaged, or presented as a single body of support.
No human evidence on file
Pharmacology
Routes studied
Evidence from one route does not transfer to another. Topical, oral, and injected administration can produce entirely different exposure from the same quantity.
Regulatory status
Not approved for human use. Prohibited in sport.
Storage as documented
No approved labelling exists.
Safety
This lists what has been reported. It is not a complete safety profile, and for several compounds in this catalogue no systematic safety surveillance exists at all.
Limitations
Given as much prominence as the findings, because for most compounds in this category it is the more important half.
Reference
Multiple high-quality human trials, or strong systematic-review or meta-analytic evidence.
Human controlled evidence exists, but replication or sample size is limited.
Small human studies, observational evidence, or early-phase clinical work.
Predominantly animal or in-vitro evidence. No adequate human outcome data.
Biological plausibility or mechanistic reasoning without adequate outcome evidence.
Evidence is absent, irreconcilable, or too weak to support any directional statement.
Related
Tesamorelin
A GHRH analogue with phase 3 randomised evidence in one specific population: adults with HIV-associated abdominal lipodystrophy.
Ipamorelin
A GH secretagogue reported as more selective than earlier compounds in the class. The evidence is pharmacodynamic, not outcome-based.
CJC-1295
Early-phase human pharmacokinetic work exists. The DAC and non-DAC forms behave very differently and are routinely conflated in commercial material.
Sermorelin
Historically approved in a paediatric growth-hormone-deficiency population and used diagnostically. Not studied as a wellness intervention in adults.