Relamorelin_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as RM-131, BIM-28131
A ghrelin mimic tested in 1,564 people with diabetic gastroparesis, then stopped before any filing.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Relamorelin?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It copies ghrelin, the hunger hormone that also speeds stomach emptying, and was tested as an injection for diabetic gastroparesis. Phase 2 showed faster stomach emptying and better symptom scores, but four phase 3 trials did not clearly separate from placebo on their main measures before the sponsor ended the programme on 4 September 2020. It was never approved.
What it's used for
A discontinued injectable for diabetic gastroparesis. It sped stomach emptying but raised blood sugar, and the phase 3 programme was stopped in 2020.
How does Relamorelin work?
What it does in the body, and where.Relamorelin is a five-unit peptide with several non-natural building blocks that switches on the ghrelin receptor (GHSR1a).
- 01Ghrelin receptorIts developers reported it about 100 times as potent as human ghrelin, and 600 to 1,800 times as potent as other ghrelin mimics then in development.
- 02Stomach emptyingA single 100 mcg dose shortened solid stomach-emptying half-time by 68 minutes in 10 women with type 2 diabetes. In the phase 2b it sped emptying about 12% more than placebo.
- 03Other signalsLike ghrelin, it briefly raises growth hormone, cortisol and prolactin. It also raised blood glucose in a dose-related way, the main safety finding.
Acts on one receptor.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Diabetic gastroparesis
tested-and-failed- Human trialPhase 2b, 393 patients: vomiting fell about 75% from baseline on the drug, but placebo fell too, and no dose differed significantly from it.
- Human trialThe same trial found nausea, fullness, pain and bloating improved on all doses over 12 weeks, and stomach emptying sped up about 12%.
- Human trialFour phase 3 trials enrolled 1,564 people. In the two 12-week pivotal trials the gaps from placebo were small and went both ways: symptom scores -9.3 against -10.0 on placebo in one and -10.2 against -9.3 in the other, with vomiting responders within a point of placebo in both. No p-values were posted and no phase 3 paper was found.
Blood sugar
Investigational- Human trialAcross the phase 2 trials, HbA1c and fasting glucose rose with dose, and more people on the drug stopped for side effects. The authors advise managing glucose proactively.
Other uses
Early research- Human trialAnorexia nervosa pilot, 22 people: stomach emptying time 58 against 85 minutes (P=.03); weight +0.86 against +0.04 kg (P=.07). 3 stopped because of increased hunger.
It is not a growth hormone releasing hormone analogue, despite a database tag saying so: it is a ghrelin receptor agonist. It does raise growth hormone briefly, but no human trial measured lean mass, and in mice the weight it added was fat. Pages calling it 'still investigational' miss that development ended on 4 September 2020. The phase 2b is often summarised as reducing vomiting: vomiting fell from baseline in every arm, including placebo, and the drug arms did not differ from it. It held Fast Track designation, not Breakthrough Therapy. Allergan did not license it in 2016: Actavis took an option in 2014, and Allergan bought the company that owned it in December 2016.
The published record
Papers and trials about Relamorelin
48 papers tagged human · 20 not reviews or lab · 10 clinical trial publications
13 registered trials · 6 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Phase 3, results posted
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.
At a glance
Four things to know about Relamorelin
Evidence
Investigational
Category
Growth hormone
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
Not published
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.10 mcg twice daily (phase 3); 10 to 100 mcg in earlier trials, twice daily (gastroparesis trials). No schedule. Development stopped in 2020 Discontinued
Trials gave it continuously, twice daily for 12 to 52 weeks. There is no product, so there is no dosing schedule to plan around.
Not publishedTrial protocol
The phase 1b paper reports that pharmacokinetics were similar in diabetic patients and healthy volunteers, but its figures could not be read for this page. Reviews describe a longer half-life than ghrelin without a number.
Source: Shin et al., Diabetes Care 2013 (values not retrieved)
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
This amount is too small to measure with any of these mixes. Check whether you meant mg or mcg.
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized Relamorelin keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Who should avoid it
- Poorly controlled diabetes: it worsened glucose control in a dose-related way, and some trial patients needed their insulin or other diabetes drugs adjusted
- Pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Use as a growth hormone or muscle peptide: no human trial measured lean mass
- Any use outside a trial, since development stopped in 2020 and no product exists
Stop and get help
- Very high blood sugar, extreme thirst, or vomiting with stomach pain and fruity breath: the sponsor listed diabetic ketoacidosis as a possible risk
- Dizziness or fainting
- Spreading hives, swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing
Common effects
- Hyperglycaemia in 5 to 12% across 10 to 100 mcg twice daily, against 2% on placebo, in the 393-person phase 2b
- Worsened glucose control in 14.5% overall, with HbA1c and fasting glucose rising with dose
- Diarrhoea in 4 to 7%, against none on placebo
- Headache in 3 to 6%, and dizziness in 6% at 100 mcg
- A brief rise in growth hormone, cortisol and prolactin after a dose
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Relamorelin approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. Relamorelin is not approved anywhere and is currently in company-run clinical trials. There is no legal route to obtain it outside a trial.
- Approval statusInvestigational
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- Checked11 October 2026
- DoseFrom published clinical trials. Not approved by a regulator for this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesFDA GSRS substance record, relamorelin (UNII BIW199E18V)Camilleri M et al., Gastroenterology 2017;153:1240-1250ClinicalTrials.gov, phase 2b posted results (NCT02357420)ClinicalTrials.gov, phase 3 RLM-MD-01 results (NCT03285308)ClinicalTrials.gov, phase 3 RLM-MD-02 results (NCT03426345)Extension study statistical analysis plan (NCT03786380)Camilleri M et al., Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2020;51:1139-48Shin A et al., Diabetes Care 2013;36:41-48Allergan, Form 10-K for 2016
What has happened recently
Never approved. Ipsen licensed it to Rhythm in 2010; Actavis took an option on the programme in 2014, and Allergan bought Motus Therapeutics, its owner, in December 2016. The FDA granted Fast Track designation for diabetic gastroparesis. Every phase 3 trial was stopped early, and the registry gives the same reason for each: a business decision. The analysis plans date the termination to 4 September 2020, four months after AbbVie completed its purchase of Allergan.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Relamorelin?
Others in Growth hormone peptides, side by side.If you're weighing Relamorelin, it's worth reading Tesamorelin, Ipamorelin, and CJC-1295 no DAC (Mod GRF 1-29) in the same class.
A ghrelin mimic tested in 1,564 people with diabetic gastroparesis, then stopped before any filing.
- Dose
- 10 mcg twice daily (phase 3); 10 to 100 mcg in earlier trials
- How often
- Twice daily (gastroparesis trials)
An approved shot proven to shrink stubborn belly fat.
- Dose
- 1.28 up to 2 mg per day, depending on which product you have
- How often
- Daily
A gentle shot that nudges your body to release its own growth hormone.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.3 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily, often at night
A short-acting growth-hormone pulse, usually paired with ipamorelin.
- Dose
- 0.1 mg per dose
- How often
- Daily to 2x daily
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
- FDA GSRS substance record, relamorelin (UNII BIW199E18V)(2026)INN relamorelin, code BIM-28131, CAS 661472-41-9. Formula C43H50N8O5S, MW 790.98. Registered as a chemical, with a systematic name rather than a sequence.
- Camilleri M et al., Gastroenterology 2017;153:1240-1250(2017)Phase 2b, 393 patients, 12 weeks: vomiting fell 75% from baseline but not significantly more than placebo. Nausea, fullness, pain and bloating improved on all doses (P<.05); stomach emptying 12% faster. Worsened glucose control in 14.5%.
- ClinicalTrials.gov, phase 2b posted results (NCT02357420)(2017)Weekly vomiting episodes: placebo -2.9, 10 mcg -3.7 (p=0.36), 30 mcg -3.8 (p=0.25), 100 mcg -1.1 (p=0.59). Hyperglycaemia 1.9% to 12.2% across arms.
- ClinicalTrials.gov, phase 3 RLM-MD-01 results (NCT03285308)(2020)336 patients, 12 weeks, 10 mcg twice daily: symptom score -9.3 against -10.0 on placebo; vomiting responders 21.8% against 19.5%. Terminated for a business decision.
- ClinicalTrials.gov, phase 3 RLM-MD-02 results (NCT03426345)(2020)311 patients, 12 weeks: symptom score -10.2 against -9.3; vomiting responders 18.7% against 19.1%. Terminated.
- Extension study statistical analysis plan (NCT03786380)(2020)Early termination of the relamorelin programme by the sponsor for business reasons on 4 September 2020; all phase 3 studies stopped.
- Camilleri M et al., Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2020;51:1139-48(2020)Pooled phase 2 analysis: dose-related rises in HbA1c (P<0.0001) and fasting glucose (P=0.0043).
- Shin A et al., Diabetes Care 2013;36:41-48(2013)Single 100 mcg dose in 10 women with type 2 diabetes: solid gastric emptying half-time 68 minutes faster; growth hormone, cortisol and prolactin rose.
- Allergan, Form 10-K for 2016(2017)Acquired Motus Therapeutics, owner of relamorelin, on 15 December 2016 for about $200 million upfront.
Beyond these, 62 records are indexed. Browse the records