# Ipamorelin References: The Cited Research Literature

> Ipamorelin references: the full cited literature behind this digest — the founding selectivity study, human pharmacokinetics, the Phase 2 trial, bone-growth and recent data.

## About these Ipamorelin references

Every quantitative claim on this site maps to one of the Ipamorelin references below — each a peer-reviewed paper, with its DOI and PubMed link. The list leads with the studies that define the record: the 1998 founding characterisation of ipamorelin's selectivity, the 1999 human pharmacokinetic study, the 2014 Phase 2 trial that missed its endpoint, the rat bone-growth work, the 2024 ferret study, and a class-level cardiovascular safety study of a related compound. Recent narrative reviews that place ipamorelin in context are listed after. Where a paper is paywalled, the abstract and identifiers remain freely checkable at the linked source.

## Recent reviews placing ipamorelin in context (2024–2026)

Four recent narrative reviews assess ipamorelin among unapproved or investigational peptides. A 2026 Sports Medicine review found that while animal models show favourable tissue-repair and metabolic outcomes, rigorous human safety data are scarce [7]. A 2026 International Journal of Molecular Sciences review identified therapeutic peptides as promising for metabolic and endocrine conditions while emphasising that further human studies are required before most can be used safely [8]. A 2026 JBJS Reviews narrative review categorised ipamorelin as an investigational GH-axis peptide with no reproducible human evidence for musculoskeletal outcomes [9]. A 2026 critical review on peptide use in sport highlighted ipamorelin as widely promoted for fat metabolism and body composition, with serious safety concerns in uncontrolled use and an expanding anti-doping detection framework [10].

## References

[1] Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, Thogersen H, Madsen K, Ankersen M, Andersen PH. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998;139(5):552-561. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9849822/
[2] Gobburu JV, Agerso H, Jusko WJ, Ynddal L. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic modeling of ipamorelin, a growth hormone releasing peptide, in human volunteers. Pharm Res. 1999;16(9):1412-1416. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10496658/
[3] Beck DE, Sweeney WB, McCarter MD; Ipamorelin 201 Study Group. Prospective, randomized, controlled, proof-of-concept study of the ghrelin mimetic ipamorelin for the management of postoperative ileus in bowel resection patients. Int J Colorectal Dis. 2014;29(12):1527-1534. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25331030/
[4] Johansen PB, Nowak J, Skjaerbaek C, Flyvbjerg A, Andreassen TT, Wilken M, Orskov H. Ipamorelin, a new growth-hormone-releasing peptide, induces longitudinal bone growth in rats. Growth Horm IGF Res. 1999;9(2):106-113. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10373343/
[5] Lu Z, Ngan MP, Liu JYH, Yang L, Tu L, Chan SW, Giuliano C, Lovati E, Pietra C, Rudd JA. The growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a agonists, anamorelin and ipamorelin, inhibit cisplatin-induced weight loss in ferrets: Anamorelin also exhibits anti-emetic effects via a central mechanism. Physiol Behav. 2024;284:114644. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39043357/
[6] Stokes AH, Falls JG, Yoon L, Cariello N, Faiola B, Colton HM, Jordan HL, Berridge BR. Integrated approach to early detection of cardiovascular toxicity induced by a ghrelin receptor agonist. Int J Toxicol. 2015;34(2):151-161. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25722321/
[7] Mendias CL, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Approved and Unapproved Peptide Therapies for Musculoskeletal Injuries and Athletic Performance. Sports Med. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-026-02437-0
[8] Renke G, et al. Therapeutic Peptides in Aesthetic, Metabolic and Endocrine Conditions: Effects, Safety, Clinical Applications, and Future Perspectives. Int J Mol Sci. 2026. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27093890
[9] Villegas Meza AD, et al. Injectable Peptides in Sports Medicine: A Structured Narrative Review of Evidence, Safety, and Antidoping Implications. JBJS Rev. 2026. https://doi.org/10.2106/jbjs.rvw.26.00027
[10] Coutinho LFD, et al. A new era of doping? Use of peptide and peptide-analog drugs in recreational and professional sport and bodybuilding: a critical review. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2026. https://doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.26.17773-1

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A body-composition reading of the ipamorelin record set in aubergine and a single pulse of citation-blue — the clean selective GH-pulse finding raised first, the bone-growth and weight-defence animal data kept to their own studies, and the failed human trial and the missing long-term safety left openly unlit; no clinic behind the plum and nothing here dosed, compounded, prescribed, or sold.