Examorelin (Hexarelin): Evidence, Dosing & Legal Status

Examorelin is the International Nonproprietary Name (INN) for the compound the research and fitness world knows as hexarelin. They are not two distinct peptides - they are the same single molecule, verified across the INN/Wikipedia record and the PubChem chemistry entry (PubChem CID 6918165).12 This monograph exists in part to disambiguate the synonyms "examorelin," "EP-23905" and "MF-6003" and to consolidate what is genuinely known about the molecule.

This article is informational and editorial content for research and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice, not a protocol to follow, and not a sourcing guide. Examorelin/hexarelin is not an FDA-approved drug; it is sold as a "research chemical not for human use" and is prohibited in sport. Dosing figures are reported strictly as seen in the published literature for completeness - not as recommendations. Consult a licensed clinician before any health decision.

What is examorelin and how does it work?

Examorelin/hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide, sequence His-D-2-methyl-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2 (molecular formula C47H58N12O6, MW approximately 887 g/mol, CAS 140703-51-1), a structural analog of GHRP-6 carrying an added 2-methyl group on the D-tryptophan that increases binding affinity and metabolic stability.12 It was developed by Mediolanum Farmaceutici (Deghenghi and colleagues) in the early 1990s.

Mechanistically it acts as an agonist of the ghrelin / growth-hormone-secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a), driving pulsatile growth-hormone release from the pituitary.3 It additionally binds the cardiac scavenger receptor CD36, which is the proposed basis for its investigational cardioprotective signal.1 A practical pharmacological caveat is desensitization: the GH response attenuates with continuous or repeated dosing, a tachyphylaxis pattern shared across the GH-secretagogue class.5 The PubChem and INN records provide the canonical chemistry and synonym set for anyone reconciling vendor labeling against the scientific literature - the full entry is at PubChem (Hexarelin, CID 6918165).2

What is the human evidence by indication?

Unlike many research peptides whose evidence is purely preclinical, examorelin/hexarelin does have genuine small human data - which is why its highest grade is B rather than C. The catch is that those studies are small, short, and pharmacodynamic in nature, and the compound never reached a large pivotal trial or approval.3

The strongest signal is on growth-hormone release itself. Small human pharmacodynamic studies showed potent, dose-dependent GH secretion that exceeded GHRH and was synergistic with it, which is why the peptide was used as a provocative GH-stimulation agent in diagnostic and investigational settings.34 Programs in GH deficiency reached roughly phase II but did not complete development.1 The cardioprotection program, anchored in the CD36 mechanism, produced early human signals but was halted before any definitive efficacy readout.1 No distinct "examorelin" indication exists separate from the hexarelin record, because they are the same molecule.

What doses appear in the literature?

Reported strictly as information, not a protocol. Early trials and GH-provocation studies reported roughly 1.5 to 2 micrograms per kilogram as an intravenous bolus for acute GH testing, with subcutaneous and intranasal routes also studied in phase I-II GH-deficiency work.43 A defining feature seen across these studies is tachyphylaxis: continuous or repeated dosing produced partial attenuation of the GH response, so the effect blunts with sustained exposure.45 These figures describe investigational study designs from the 1990s, not validated therapeutic regimens - the compound has no approved human dosing standard.

How safe is examorelin/hexarelin?

Reported acute effects include transient flushing, warmth, sweating and hunger, along with modest, transient elevations of prolactin, ACTH and cortisol - and the GH response itself attenuates with sustained dosing.4 The dominant theoretical risk is mechanistic: stimulating the GH/IGF-1 axis is a concern in active malignancy because of proliferation and angiogenesis, so it should be avoided there, and avoided in pregnancy and lactation where no data exist.1 Beyond pharmacology, it is an unapproved research compound with no established human-safety dossier; vendor material is sold strictly "not for human consumption," carrying the usual research-chemical hazards of uncertain purity and dosing accuracy.

What is the FDA and WADA status in 2026?

Examorelin/hexarelin is not approved for any indication in the United States, was never marketed, and is not an FDA-recognized compounding bulk substance for 503A or 503B pharmacies - it is sold only as a "research chemical / not for human use."1 There is no INN-based marketing authorization for it anywhere.

For athletes the status is unambiguous. It is on the WADA Prohibited List, prohibited at all times - both in and out of competition - under class S2.2 (growth hormone secretagogues), listed by both names, hexarelin and examorelin.6 Any WADA-tested athlete should treat it as banned regardless of any shifting compounding status elsewhere.

Bottom line. Examorelin is not a distinct peptide - it is the INN for hexarelin (EP-23905 / MF-6003; CAS 140703-51-1), a synthetic hexapeptide GH secretagogue with genuine but small human GH-release evidence (Grade B). Development was halted across its programs, it was never approved, and it is prohibited in sport at all times. The key uncertainty is that the most advanced human programs - GH deficiency and CD36-mediated cardioprotection - were never completed, so long-term human efficacy and safety remain unestablished. Regulatory facts here are current as of June 2026 and should be re-verified against the live WADA Prohibited List.