GHRP-2: clinical evidence record

Also known as: Pralmorelin, KP-102

Evidence: Human RCT

Oliver Mackman · Editorial director · Best Business Loans Ltd (16833937)

Last updated 2026-05-22

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AI-friendly summary · GHRP-2

Phase 3 trial work supported Japanese approval as a diagnostic agent. Stimulates GH release with concomitant transient rises in cortisol and prolactin in published work. Not licensed in the UK as a therapeutic.

Mechanism of action

How GHRP-2 works

Synthetic hexapeptide ghrelin mimetic. Acts at the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR-1a) to stimulate pulsatile pituitary GH release. Approved in Japan as Pralmorelin for diagnostic use in GH deficiency testing.

Top peer-reviewed citations

Selection of the most-cited peer-reviewed literature on GHRP-2. Where a verified PMID or DOI is shown, the citation links to the original record. Other citations list the title, authors, journal and year so the reader can locate the paper through the journal index or the PubMed search linked below. PeptideClear publishes editorial commentary, not clinical guidance.

GHRP-2 stimulates GH release in normal subjects

Bowers CY, Reynolds GA, Durham D, et al.. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 1990.

PMID: 2108187 DOI: 10.1210/jcem-70-4-975
Pralmorelin as a diagnostic test for growth hormone deficiency

Chihara K, Shimatsu A, Hizuka N, et al.. European Journal of Endocrinology, 2007.

PMID: 17609397 DOI: 10.1530/EJE-07-0066
GHRP-2 in elderly subjects with GH deficiency

Bowers CY, Granda R, Mohan S, et al.. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2004.

PMID: 15126555 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2003-031799
Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of growth hormone-releasing peptide-2: a phase I study in children

Pihoker C, Kearns GL, French D, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 1998.

PMID: 9543135 DOI: 10.1210/jcem.83.4.4744
Growth hormone releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), like ghrelin, increases food intake in healthy men

Laferrère B, Abraham C, Russell CD, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2005.

PMID: 15699539 DOI: 10.1210/jc.2004-1719
Obese subjects respond to the stimulatory effect of the ghrelin agonist growth hormone-releasing peptide-2 on food intake

Laferrère B, Hart AB, Bowers CY. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 2006.

PMID: 16861611 DOI: 10.1038/oby.2006.121
Ghrelin Receptor Ligands Reaching Clinical Trials: From Peptides to Peptidomimetics; from Agonists to Antagonists

Vodnik M, Štrukelj B, Lunder M. Hormone and metabolic research = Hormon- und Stoffwechselforschung = Hormones et metabolisme, 2016.

PMID: 26551992 DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1564149
History to the discovery of ghrelin

Bowers CY. Methods in enzymology, 2012.

PMID: 22975043 DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-381272-8.00001-5
Adult growth hormone deficiency: current concepts

Fukuda I, Hizuka N, Muraoka T, et al.. Neurologia medico-chirurgica, 2014.

PMID: 25070016 DOI: 10.2176/nmc.ra.2014-0088

Full PubMed search: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=GHRP-2+pralmorelin.

UK regulatory status

Plain-English summary of where GHRP-2 sits under the four UK and international frameworks that govern peptide supply. Editorial commentary, not legal advice.

Misuse of Drugs Act 1971: Not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Psychoactive Substances Act 2016: Not scheduled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016.
MHRA medicines classification: No UK marketing authorisation as a medicine.
WADA Prohibited List: WADA Prohibited List S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors), prohibited at all times.

Risks and unknowns

What the literature does not yet show about GHRP-2

Known concerns

Most published efficacy claims for GHRP-2 require careful interpretation. Read the cited papers in full before drawing conclusions.
Purity of UK research-peptide supply varies between retailers. Certificates of analysis and HPLC documentation differ.
Cold-chain handling between manufacture and delivery is not standardised across the research-peptide market.
Independent replication of single-group findings is the key check on any preclinical claim.

Open questions in the literature

Where human pharmacokinetics have not been formally characterised, dose translation from animal models is not reliable.
Long-term safety profile beyond the duration of published studies remains an open question.
Interactions with other prescribed or unlicensed substances are typically not studied.

Regulatory note

No UK marketing authorisation as a medicine. Prohibited at all times under WADA S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors). The moment a UK seller or commentator makes a therapeutic claim, MHRA can treat the product as an unlicensed medicinal product.

Important: PeptideClear publishes encyclopedia commentary only and does not recommend human use. Speak to a UK-registered prescriber before any medical decision.

Frequently asked questions

What is the evidence level for GHRP-2?

What is the UK regulatory status of GHRP-2?

No UK marketing authorisation as a medicine. Not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Not scheduled under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. WADA Prohibited List S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors), prohibited at all times.

Has GHRP-2 been tested in human clinical trials?

GHRP-2 has been studied in randomised human clinical trials. See the cited peer-reviewed literature above. PeptideClear publishes no dosing or human-use protocols.

Where can I read the source literature for GHRP-2?

The full PubMed search is linked above. Each cited paper has its title, author list and journal. Where we have a verified PMID or DOI the citation links directly. Other citations can be located by the reader through the journal index or the PubMed search.

Last verified 2026-05-22. Editorial commentary, not legal or clinical advice. Citations without a linked identifier can be located through the PubMed search and the journal index.