The 29-residue fragment that reached the market in 1997, left it in 2008, and showed what a releasing-hormone drug could and could not do

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Sermorelin is the amino-terminal 29 residues of growth hormone-releasing hormone, shown in the 1980s to carry the full receptor activity of the 44-residue hormone. It was approved in the United States in 1997 as Geref, for growth hormone deficiency in children and as a diagnostic agent for pituitary reserve, and the manufacturer discontinued it in 2008 citing commercial rather than safety reasons. It shares the native amino terminus and is inactivated by dipeptidyl peptidase 4 within minutes. Tesamorelin kept the full 44 residues and protected the terminus, which is the difference between the two.

Why 1-29

Structure-activity work after the 1982 isolation showed that successive truncation of the carboxyl terminus left activity intact down to residue 29 and lost it rapidly thereafter. A 29-residue peptide is cheaper to make than a 44-residue one and was the obvious drug candidate. Residues 30 to 44 contribute stability and binding affinity rather than activation.

The acetate salt of the 1-29 amide is the molecule sold as sermorelin to this day in research and compounding contexts.

The market history

Approved for children with deficiency on the reasoning that stimulating the pituitary was more physiological than replacing the hormone; in practice recombinant growth hormone was more predictable and sermorelin had a small share. The diagnostic use, provoking a growth hormone pulse to test the pituitary, was its more durable role. Discontinuation in 2008 reflected low sales. It remains approved in no major market as a medicine.

The gap it left is one reason tesamorelin, approved two years later, was received as a new class rather than a successor.

What tesamorelin changed

The hexenoyl group on tyrosine 1 defeats the enzyme that inactivates sermorelin and native hormone alike, and retaining residues 30 to 44 restored the affinity the fragment gave up. The result is a molecule with a usable half-life from the same receptor pharmacology.

Tesamorelin is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity by mass spectrometry and purity by HPLC for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
Tesamorelin Pack20 mgAED 1010In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

Why 1-29?

Structure-activity work after the 1982 isolation showed that successive truncation of the carboxyl terminus left activity intact down to residue 29 and lost it rapidly thereafter. A 29-residue peptide is cheaper to make than a 44-residue one and was the obvious drug candidate. Residues 30 to 44 contribute stability and binding affinity rather than activation.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

Tesamorelin Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.