# GHRP-2 GHRP-2 has no approved use in the US, and no pharmacy may lawfully make it. Its shots and nasal sprays are on FDA's Category 2 list. The evidence grade is limited-human: small studies show it raises growth hormone and hunger, but none tested it for muscle or recovery. Status checked: 2026-10-26. Last verified: 2026-10-26. Primary source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 This page has not been individually reviewed by a clinician. Information, not medical advice. | Fact | Value | Tier | Checked | Source | |---|---|---|---|---| | Also called | pralmorelin, growth hormone releasing peptide-2, GHRP 2, KP-102, GPA 748 | peer-reviewed | 2026-10-26 | [source](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/) | | Class | growth-hormone-axis | peer-reviewed | 2026-10-26 | [source](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/) | | Regulatory status | no-approved-use | primary | 2026-10-26 | [source](https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019) | | Status source read | 2026-10-25 | primary | 2026-10-26 | [source](https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download) | | Evidence grade | limited-human | our assessment | 2026-10-26 | [source](https://peptideindex.ai/methodology#evidence-grade) | ## Name GHRP-2 Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/ ## Summary A lab-made peptide that copies ghrelin and makes the body release growth hormone. US drug testing of it appears to have stopped. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/ ## Short answer GHRP-2 has no approved use in the US, and no pharmacy may lawfully make it. Its shots and nasal sprays are on FDA's Category 2 list. The evidence grade is limited-human: small studies show it raises growth hormone and hunger, but none tested it for muscle or recovery. Source: https://peptideindex.ai/methodology#short-answer ## Status by route Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks ### Shots and nasal sprays Status: category-2 Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks ### Other forms, such as by mouth Status: no-approved-use Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ## Known risks - FDA warns that GHRP-2 shots and nasal sprays made by a compounder may set off the immune system. The peptide can clump and carry impurities [^1]. - FDA knows of serious harms in people given GHRP-2: higher insulin needs to control blood sugar, infection, pancreatitis (a swollen pancreas) and deaths of very ill study subjects. FDA says it has not shown that GHRP-2 caused them [^1]. - GHRP-2 raises hunger. In a small study, adults given it ate up to a third more food at a meal [^11]. - A 2026 review lists harms in people who used peptides like GHRP-2 on their own. These include hormone and blood sugar changes, fluid build-up, muscle and joint pain, and skin reactions where the needle went in [^17]. Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks ## What nobody knows yet - None of the human studies we cite tested GHRP-2 for muscle or recovery in healthy people [^9] [^10] [^11] [^12]. - A rise in growth hormone on a blood test is a lab marker. Nobody knows if that rise leads to the gains GHRP-2 is sold for [^12] [^17]. - Nobody knows what years of use do. The longest study in our sources lasted one year, in ten children [^10]. - The muscle results come from rats and lab-grown cells. Nobody knows if they hold in people [^13] [^14] [^16]. - FDA has not found whether GHRP-2 caused the serious harms reported in people who received it [^1]. Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks ## What it is GHRP-2 is a lab-made chain of six amino acids [^13]. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. It copies ghrelin, a hormone that tells the body to release growth hormone [^18]. Its drug name is pralmorelin [^18]. One of its amino acids is not found in nature, which makes a product harder to check [^1]. Researchers at a US university made GHRP-2 and related peptides [^18]. A drug company tested it in the US for growth hormone shortage, but that work seems to have stopped [^18]. A 2004 drug profile says it was awaiting approval in Japan as a test of the pituitary gland [^18]. That is a gland at the base of the brain that makes growth hormone. Today GHRP-2 is sold online as a research compound for body shape and sports [^17]. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/ ## Where it stands legally GHRP-2 has no approved use in the US: FDA says it is in no approved drug and does not meet the rules for pharmacy compounding [^6] [^2]. That means no pharmacy may lawfully make it. Work on it as a test in Japan does not change its US status [^18]. Its shots and nasal sprays are also on Category 2, FDA's list of substances that may present significant safety risks [^1]. Checked 25 October 2026. FDA keeps lists for two kinds of compounders. A pharmacy is covered by section 503A of the law. An outsourcing facility is covered by section 503B [^3] [^5]. On FDA's pharmacy list of 14 May 2026, GHRP-2 is in Category 3 [^2]. That category holds substances nominated without enough support for FDA to review them [^2]. FDA says it may act against a pharmacy that compounds one [^3]. On FDA's outsourcing list of 21 March 2025, GHRP-2 shots and nasal sprays are in Category 2 [^4]. FDA added them on 29 September 2023 [^1]. Other forms are in Category 1 on that list [^4]. FDA says it does not plan to act against an outsourcing facility that makes a Category 1 substance under the policy's conditions [^5]. That is a choice not to act, not approval [^5]. GHRP-2 was studied as a test for growth hormone shortage [^18]. It is sold to build muscle and change body shape [^17]. A law firm and a pharmacy magazine expected it to stay restricted after a February 2026 federal announcement on peptides [^8] [^19]. Neither changes FDA's own lists, which this page follows [^2] [^4]. Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ## What the evidence shows The evidence grade is limited-human: small studies in people show GHRP-2 raises growth hormone and hunger, but none tested the uses it is sold for [^10] [^11] [^12] [^17]. In eight people, GHRP-2 raised growth hormone far more than arginine, a standard test, both before and during treatment with prednisone, a steroid [^12]. In 19 healthy adults, lean and obese, GHRP-2 given under the skin raised growth hormone and made them eat more at lunch [^11]. In ten children short of growth hormone, GHRP-2 by mouth for a year raised appetite in seven of them early on [^10]. Their weight for their height did not change by a meaningful amount [^10]. In 33 men with long critical illness, GHRP-2 alone did not bring the helpful effects on body breakdown that a mix of three hormones brought [^9]. In rats, GHRP-2 slowed muscle breakdown after burns [^13]. In rats with arthritis, it blocked genes tied to muscle wasting [^14]. In rats with lung injury, it reduced lung swelling [^15]. In rat muscle and in muscle cells grown in a lab, it lowered two genes tied to muscle wasting [^16]. These are animal and lab results, not results in people. A rise in growth hormone on a test is a lab marker. It does not show more muscle or faster recovery [^17]. A 2026 review says the benefits for sports and body shape are uncertain [^17]. Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42395176/ ## Legitimate ways to get it No approved drug in the US contains GHRP-2, and no pharmacy may lawfully make it [^6] [^3]. No shot or nasal spray of GHRP-2 has a legal route [^1] [^4]. One narrow route exists. An outsourcing facility may make GHRP-2 in forms other than shots and nasal sprays, if it meets the conditions of FDA's policy [^4] [^5]. That does not make GHRP-2 approved, and FDA may take a substance off Category 1, for example over safety [^5]. Any open trial would appear in the trials block below, with the date the official registry was last checked. Source: https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download ## How people are getting it anyway This section describes what happens and is not a recommendation. Two ways of getting GHRP-2 show up in the records [^6] [^17]. The first is pharmacies that make it although the law does not allow it. FDA has sent warning letters to pharmacies that made drugs from GHRP-2 [^6] [^7]. One pharmacy told FDA it had dropped GHRP-2 from its products [^7]. The second is online sellers that market it as a research compound. A 2026 review says what these products hold, and how strong they are, is uncertain [^17]. FDA says a product meant to affect the body is a drug, and a new drug needs FDA approval [^6]. No GHRP-2 product has it [^6]. FDA warns that compounded GHRP-2 shots may carry impurities that set off the immune system [^1]. FDA also knows of serious harms in people given GHRP-2, though it has not shown that GHRP-2 caused them [^1]. Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ## Access routes Source: https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download ### Lawful compounding Detail: For forms other than shots and nasal sprays, GHRP-2 is in Category 1 of FDA's outsourcing list. An outsourcing facility may make it while FDA decides, if it meets the policy's conditions. No pharmacy may make it, and no shot or nasal spray has a legal route. Source: https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download ## Unofficial channels Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ### Compounding outside the rules What it is: Made by a pharmacy from bulk GHRP-2 powder, although it does not meet the rules for pharmacy compounding. Legal position: FDA says drugs made from GHRP-2 do not qualify for the compounding exemptions. It is in no approved drug and is not on the federal list. (source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019) Documented risks: - FDA warns that compounded GHRP-2 shots and nasal sprays may set off the immune system, because the peptide can clump and carry impurities. (source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks) - FDA knows of serious harms in people given GHRP-2, including infection and a swollen pancreas, though FDA has not shown that GHRP-2 caused them. (source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks) Enforcement: - 2019-02-05: FDA warning letter to an Alabama compounding pharmacy that made drugs from GHRP-2. (source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019) - 2020-04-01: FDA warning letter to a Kentucky compounding pharmacy that made drugs from GHRP-2 and other peptides. (source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/tailor-made-compounding-llc-594743-04012020) Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ### Research use seller What it is: Sold online as a research compound, often to people seeking muscle or a change in body shape. Legal position: FDA says a product meant to affect the body is a drug, and a new drug needs FDA approval. No GHRP-2 product is approved. (source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019) Documented risks: - A 2026 review says what these products hold, and how strong they are, is uncertain. (source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42395176/) - The same review lists hormone and blood sugar changes, fluid build-up and needle-site reactions in people using these peptides. (source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42395176/) Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ## Recruiting trials Snapshot date: 2026-10-26. A listing is not a recommendation. Trials have strict eligibility rules. Talk to your doctor and read the official record. None in this snapshot. Source: https://clinicaltrials.gov/api/v2/studies?query.intr=GHRP-2+OR+pralmorelin&filter.overallStatus=RECRUITING%2CNOT_YET_RECRUITING&pageSize=50&sort=StartDate%3Adesc&countTotal=true&fields=NCTId%2CBriefTitle%2COverallStatus%2CPhase%2CLeadSponsorName%2CStartDate%2CLocationCountry%2CLocationState ## Sources Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks ### 1. FDA: bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks, with GHRP-2 shots and nasal sprays added in 2023 Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks ### 2. FDA: bulk drug substances nominated under section 503A, list updated 14 May 2026 Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download ### 3. FDA: bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503A Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503a-fdc-act ### 4. FDA: bulk drug substances nominated under section 503B, list updated 21 March 2025 Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download ### 5. FDA: bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503B Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503b-fdc-act ### 6. FDA warning letter to a compounding pharmacy that made drugs from GHRP-2, 5 February 2019 Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 ### 7. FDA warning letter to a compounding pharmacy that made drugs from GHRP-2 and other peptides, 1 April 2020 Type: regulatory Tier: primary Source: https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/tailor-made-compounding-llc-594743-04012020 ### 8. Holt Law: the 2026 federal rules on peptides and the risks for prescribers Type: legal-analysis Tier: legal-analysis Source: https://djholtlaw.com/navigating-the-2026-peptide-regulatory-landscape-federal-compliance-state-enforcement-and-the-legal-liabilities-of-healthcare-providers/ ### 9. GHRP-2 alone and with two other hormones in men with long critical illness, 2002 Type: human-trial Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12030918/ ### 10. GHRP-2 by mouth, appetite and weight in children short of growth hormone, 2003 Type: human-trial Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14513874/ ### 11. GHRP-2 and how much lean and obese people ate, 2006 Type: human-trial Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16861611/ ### 12. Growth hormone release after GHRP-2 before and during prednisone, 1999 Type: human-trial Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10337858/ ### 13. GHRP-2 and muscle breakdown in rats with burns, 2009 Type: animal Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19577604/ ### 14. GHRP-2 and muscle-wasting genes in rats with arthritis, 2005 Type: animal Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16030067/ ### 15. GHRP-2 and lung injury in rats, 2010 Type: animal Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20805679/ ### 16. GHRP-2 in rat muscle and in lab-grown muscle cells, 2008 Type: in-vitro Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18191156/ ### 17. Review: peptides sold to raise growth hormone, including GHRP-2, and their reported harms, 2026 Type: reference Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42395176/ ### 18. Drug profile of pralmorelin, the drug name for GHRP-2, 2004 Type: reference Tier: peer-reviewed Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/ ### 19. Pharmacy Times: a pharmacist on the February 2026 peptide announcement Type: reference Tier: established-news Source: https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/the-peptide-reclassification-everyone-s-talking-about-a-pharmacist-s-take-on-what-rfk-jr-s-announcement-actually-means Last verified: 2026-10-26. Sources: - https://clinicaltrials.gov/api/v2/studies?query.intr=GHRP-2+OR+pralmorelin&filter.overallStatus=RECRUITING%2CNOT_YET_RECRUITING&pageSize=50&sort=StartDate%3Adesc&countTotal=true&fields=NCTId%2CBriefTitle%2COverallStatus%2CPhase%2CLeadSponsorName%2CStartDate%2CLocationCountry%2CLocationState - https://peptideindex.ai/methodology#evidence-grade - https://peptideindex.ai/methodology#short-answer - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/ - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42395176/ - https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks - https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 - https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download - https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download [^1]: FDA: bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks, with GHRP-2 shots and nasal sprays added in 2023 https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks [^2]: FDA: bulk drug substances nominated under section 503A, list updated 14 May 2026 https://www.fda.gov/media/94155/download [^3]: FDA: bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503A https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503a-fdc-act [^4]: FDA: bulk drug substances nominated under section 503B, list updated 21 March 2025 https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download [^5]: FDA: bulk drug substances used in compounding under section 503B https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/bulk-drug-substances-used-compounding-under-section-503b-fdc-act [^6]: FDA warning letter to a compounding pharmacy that made drugs from GHRP-2, 5 February 2019 https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/triad-rx-inc-569659-02052019 [^7]: FDA warning letter to a compounding pharmacy that made drugs from GHRP-2 and other peptides, 1 April 2020 https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/tailor-made-compounding-llc-594743-04012020 [^8]: Holt Law: the 2026 federal rules on peptides and the risks for prescribers https://djholtlaw.com/navigating-the-2026-peptide-regulatory-landscape-federal-compliance-state-enforcement-and-the-legal-liabilities-of-healthcare-providers/ [^9]: GHRP-2 alone and with two other hormones in men with long critical illness, 2002 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12030918/ [^10]: GHRP-2 by mouth, appetite and weight in children short of growth hormone, 2003 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14513874/ [^11]: GHRP-2 and how much lean and obese people ate, 2006 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16861611/ [^12]: Growth hormone release after GHRP-2 before and during prednisone, 1999 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10337858/ [^13]: GHRP-2 and muscle breakdown in rats with burns, 2009 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19577604/ [^14]: GHRP-2 and muscle-wasting genes in rats with arthritis, 2005 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16030067/ [^15]: GHRP-2 and lung injury in rats, 2010 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20805679/ [^16]: GHRP-2 in rat muscle and in lab-grown muscle cells, 2008 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18191156/ [^17]: Review: peptides sold to raise growth hormone, including GHRP-2, and their reported harms, 2026 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42395176/ [^18]: Drug profile of pralmorelin, the drug name for GHRP-2, 2004 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15230633/ [^19]: Pharmacy Times: a pharmacist on the February 2026 peptide announcement https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/the-peptide-reclassification-everyone-s-talking-about-a-pharmacist-s-take-on-what-rfk-jr-s-announcement-actually-means