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GHRP-2

GHRP-2 (pralmorelin) is a lab-made peptide of six amino acids that acts on the ghrelin receptor, making the pituitary release growth hormone. It also raises appetite and briefly raises cortisol and prolactin. In Japan it is an approved diagnostic agent used to test for growth hormone deficiency.

Approved in some countriesWADA Prohibited at all times (S2, named as GHRP-2/pralmorelin)Checked October 2026
Open the GHRP-2 calculatorSources

Approval status

Approved in Japan in 2004 (brand name GHRP, Kaken Pharmaceutical) as a diagnostic agent for growth hormone deficiency. In the US, FDA lists injectable and nasal GHRP-2 as a significant safety risk for outsourcing facilities (503B Category 2), and its nomination for pharmacy compounding lacked adequate support (503A Category 3).21210456

What it’s used or studied for

  • Approved use

    Diagnosing growth hormone deficiency in adults and children aged 4 and over (approved in Japan): growth hormone is measured in the blood after a single intravenous injection.2123

  • Human studies

    Prolonged critical illness: in intensive-care patients, an infusion with TRH restarted growth hormone and thyroid hormone release and shifted metabolism toward tissue building.7

  • Human studies

    Growth in children with growth hormone deficiency: a 48-week placebo-controlled trial of a nasal spray in 126 children found no improvement in growth.8

  • Human studies

    Appetite: in healthy men, an infusion increased how much they ate at a buffet meal by about a third.9

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

Common

  • Feeling of warmth
  • Stomach rumbling, nausea or bloating
  • Raised white blood cell count
  • Drowsiness
  • Sweating
  • Low blood pressure
  • Increased appetite and hunger
  • Short-lived rises in cortisol and prolactin

Serious or rare

  • Higher insulin needs to control blood sugar
  • Infection
  • Pancreatitis
  • Deaths among critically ill study patients

The Japanese label for the single diagnostic injection lists a feeling of warmth as the most common effect; small studies found it generally well tolerated in the short term. FDA lists the serious events above as reported in people who received GHRP-2, but says a causal link has not been established.129104

Cautions

  • The Japanese label says not to use it in pregnancy.12
  • FDA says compounded injectable or nasal GHRP-2 may provoke immune reactions because of clumping (aggregation) or impurities.4
  • A forensic lab found seized doping products that held an altered version of GHRP-2 with an extra amino acid (glycine).11

Sources

  1. PubChem: Pralmorelin (CID 6918245)
  2. KEGG DRUG: Pralmorelin dihydrochloride (D02040), incl. new drug approvals in Japan
  3. Chihara K et al. A simple diagnostic test using GH-releasing peptide-2 in adult GH deficiency (Eur J Endocrinol, 2007)
  4. FDA: Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (Category 2)
  5. FDA: Bulk drug substances nominated for use in compounding under section 503A (categories 1–3, updated May 14, 2026)
  6. WADA 2026 Prohibited List
  7. Van den Berghe G et al. Reactivation of pituitary hormone release by GHRP-2 and TRH infusion in protracted critical illness (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 1999)
  8. Tanaka T et al. Intranasal GHRP-2 spray does not promote growth in short children with GH deficiency (Clin Pediatr Endocrinol, 2014)
  9. Laferrère B et al. GHRP-2, like ghrelin, increases food intake in healthy men (J Clin Endocrinol Metab, 2005)
  10. Dominikowski A et al. Performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis: clinical evidence vs self-administration (Front Endocrinol, 2026)
  11. Gajda PM et al. Glycine-modified growth hormone secretagogues identified in seized doping material (Drug Test Anal, 2019)
  12. PMDA: Japanese package insert, GHRP Kaken 100 for injection (pralmorelin hydrochloride), revised July 2025

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