Independent · non-commercial · publishes on a quarterly cycle|Current cycle 2026 Q3
Compound Evidence InstituteEvidence synthesis · established 2023Graded assessments of compounds, trials, methods and supply
Document set current to 30 July 2026
Indication assessment · Endocrine

Growth hormone deficiency and growth-hormone secretagogue pharmacology — indication assessment

Insufficient endogenous growth-hormone secretion, or the pharmacological stimulation of the growth-hormone axis, assessed here principally through provocative testing and IGF-1 response.

Document identifier
CEI-IN-21
Series
Indication assessment
Version
2.0
Published
29 Jul 2025
Last reviewed
29 Jul 2025
Next review
29 Jul 2027
Identifier
10.71829/cei.ind.21
Certainty
Not rated
Cycle
2025 Q3
ICD-11
5A60
Category
Endocrine

§1Assessment

§1.1Definition

Insufficient endogenous growth-hormone secretion, or the pharmacological stimulation of the growth-hormone axis, assessed here principally through provocative testing and IGF-1 response.

§1.2Anchor and additional outcomes

The Institute designates one anchor outcome per indication so that estimates for different compounds are reported on a common measure. The anchor for this indication is the first outcome below.

  1. Peak stimulated growth hormone
  2. Change in IGF-1 and IGFBP-3
  3. Body composition by DXA
  4. Glucose tolerance

§1.3State of the evidence

Distribution of certainty ratingsShare of assessed outcomes at each certainty level.10compounds
HighModerateLowVery low
Figure 1. Certainty ratings across the 10 compounds the Institute assesses for this indication. A high rating for one compound says nothing about another.

The Institute assesses 10 compounds in this indication, drawing on 57 trial records and 8 evidence syntheses. [1,2]

References cited on this page

References are numbered in order of first citation in this document. Each superscript in the text links to its entry below.

  1. Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, Thøgersen H, Madsen K, Ankersen M, Andersen PH. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. European Journal of Endocrinology 1998;139(5):552–561. doi:10.1530/eje.0.1390552 · PMID 9849822
  2. Teichman SL, Neale A, Lawrence B, Gagnon C, Castaigne JP, Frohman LA. Prolonged stimulation of growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor I secretion by CJC-1295, a long-acting analog of GH-releasing hormone, in healthy adults. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 2006;91(3):799–805. doi:10.1210/jc.2005-1536 · PMID 16352683

Identifiers are reproduced only where the Institute holds them. Where a digital object identifier or PubMed identifier is not shown, the Institute has recorded the journal and year and has not constructed an identifier.

Nothing published by the Institute is medical advice, a diagnosis, a prescription, a treatment recommendation or a purchasing recommendation. Compounds supplied for research use are not approved for human or veterinary use in any jurisdiction, and a favourable analytical assessment of a supplier is not a statement that any product is safe or effective. The Institute publishes certainty ratings and never recommendations. No telephone number, messaging handle or ordering channel appears anywhere on this site.