GHRH analog
Also called Growth hormone-releasing hormone analog, GRF analog
A GHRH analog is a lab-made version of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the signal the brain uses to tell the pituitary gland to release growth hormone. Instead of supplying growth hormone directly, it prompts the pituitary to release the body's own, in pulses that remain subject to the body's braking hormone, somatostatin. Growth hormone in turn drives the liver to make IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1), the marker usually measured to see whether the axis responded.
Tesamorelin (sold as Egrifta) is an FDA-approved GHRH analog, used to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV who have lipodystrophy. Sermorelin, a shortened fragment of natural GHRH, was once marketed as a branded drug and later withdrawn by its manufacturer. The sermorelin ACT 2 prescribes is a compounded preparation, and compounded medicines are not FDA-approved.
Why it matters after 45
Growth hormone release falls with age, and that decline is the reason adults in midlife come across this class, usually as an alternative to taking growth hormone itself. Because these drugs work only if the pituitary can still respond, the term tends to come up alongside an IGF-1 test.
Where it comes up
Related terms
References
- MedlinePlus. Tesamorelin Injection. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a611035.html
- Walker RF. Sermorelin: a better approach to management of adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency? Clin Interv Aging, 2006. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2699646/
- MedlinePlus. Aging changes in hormone production. U.S. National Library of Medicine. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004000.htm
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