SoluneFit

Peptide library

Hexarelin

Not FDA-approved Evidence grade C — small or uncontrolled human studies / case series Updated 2026-10-20

This page describes published research and public regulatory records. It is not medical advice. SoluneFit does not sell, supply, or recommend any compound. The SoluneFit app includes a private, on-device tracker for people who want a record of what they and their clinician have already decided — the app neither suggests compounds nor doses.

Also known as: examorelin, His-D-2-methyl-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2.

Regulatory status

Not approved: Drugs@FDA lists no application for hexarelin/examorelin [7]; it does not appear on FDA's category-2 (safety-risk) bulk-substance list [8]. Prohibited at all times by WADA under S2.2.4 GH-releasing peptides, named as examorelin (hexarelin) [6].

What it is

Synthetic growth hormone-releasing hexapeptide (GHRP-6 analogue; ghrelin receptor agonist).

A six-amino-acid synthetic peptide that makes the pituitary release a strong pulse of growth hormone. It was studied in the 1990s in healthy volunteers, children and adults with GH deficiency, and for direct heart effects, but was never approved anywhere.

What the published research shows

Small human pharmacology studies: single-dose studies in 12 healthy men (IV, SC, intranasal, oral), a 16-week twice-daily SC study, and acute heart studies in 13 cardiomyopathy patients; no outcome trials.

Published human studies and reports (these describe trial populations, not SoluneFit claims):

  • GH release in healthy young volunteers, by route (Ghigo 1994): Single doses of 1 and 2 µg/kg IV, 1.5 and 3 µg/kg SC, 20 µg/kg intranasal, and 20 and 40 mg by mouth in 12 volunteers. Biological bioavailability relative to IV was about 77 % SC, 4.8 % intranasal and 0.3 % oral; 1 µg/kg IV released about twice as much GH as 1 µg/kg GHRH.
  • Dose-response in healthy men (Imbimbo 1994): Single IV boluses of 0.5, 1 and 2 µg/kg in 12 men; mean peak GH 26.9, 52.3 and 55.0 ng/mL versus 3.9 ng/mL on placebo, so 2 µg/kg is close to the maximal response.
  • Long-term use (Rahim 1998): 1.5 µg/kg SC twice daily for 16 weeks: the GH response to a test dose (area under the curve) fell from 19.1 to 10.5 µg/L·h by week 16, a partial desensitisation that reversed within 4 weeks of stopping. IGF-1, body fat, lean mass and bone density did not change significantly.
  • Severe heart failure (Imazio 2002): Single IV dose in 8 dilated and 5 ischaemic cardiomyopathy patients: ejection fraction rose in the ischaemic group (22.6 % to a peak of 26.2 %) but not in dilated cardiomyopathy, despite similar GH release.

Mechanism, as reported

Activates the growth hormone secretagogue (ghrelin) receptor on the pituitary and hypothalamus, triggering GH release that is larger than with GHRH. Acutely it also raises prolactin, ACTH and cortisol, and in small human studies it raised heart ejection fraction independently of GH.

Practical record

  • Elimination half-life: 2.0 h (confidence: low). Terminal half-life 120 min after an IV bolus in DOGS (radioimmunoassay study). Human plasma half-life of the peptide itself was not found in a primary source; in humans the GH response it triggers peaks at about 30 min and decays with a half-life of about 55 min (that is the GH curve, not the drug). The app uses the dog value; treat the curve as a guess.
  • Studied routes: intravenous, subcutaneous, intranasal, oral.
  • Typical supply: Sold as lyophilised vials on the research-chemical market; no licensed product exists.

Safety signals on record

  • Reported adverse events: Acute doses raise prolactin, ACTH and cortisol as well as GH; in the 16-week study the cortisol response to a dose actually fell and 24-h urinary cortisol and prolactin did not change. Repeated dosing blunts the GH response. No large safety dataset exists.
  • Contraindications: None established (no label).
  • Interactions: None documented.
  • Notes: Banned in sport at all times (WADA S2.2.4). Research-market vials are unregulated, so identity, purity and sterility are unknown.

Sources

  1. Ghigo E et al. Growth hormone-releasing activity of hexarelin, a new synthetic hexapeptide, after intravenous, subcutaneous, intranasal, and oral administration in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994;78(3):693-8 (1994)
  2. Imbimbo BP et al. Growth hormone-releasing activity of hexarelin in humans. A dose-response study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 1994;46(5):421-5 (1994)
  3. Roumi M et al. Radioimmunoassay for hexarelin, a peptidic growth hormone secretagogue, and its pharmacokinetic studies (dogs). Peptides 1995;16(7):1301-6 (1995)
  4. Rahim A, O'Neill PA, Shalet SM. Growth hormone status during long-term hexarelin therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998;83(5):1644-9 (1998)
  5. Imazio M et al. GH-independent cardiotropic activities of hexarelin in patients with severe left ventricular dysfunction due to dilated and ischemic cardiomyopathy. Eur J Heart Fail 2002;4(2):185-91 (2002)
  6. World Anti-Doping Agency. The 2026 Prohibited List (S2.2.4 Growth hormone releasing factors) (2026)
  7. Drugs@FDA: FDA-Approved Drugs database (no application for hexarelin or examorelin; searched 2026-10-20) (2026)
  8. FDA. Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (category 2 list; content current as of 04/22/2026) (2026)

General wellness education, not medical advice. Unapproved compounds have no established dosing, purity standard, or safety profile.

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