For research and educational purposes only. Not medical advice.
MK-677 Reference
Educational, not medical advice reference for MK-677: GH Release; regulatory status, evidence posture, source review, and schedule notes. Also k…
Reference summary
Multiple multi-year human trials in elderly sarcopenia and osteoporosis populations documented sustained increases in GH and IGF-1 with oral MK-677. Clinical benefit on lean mass and bone turnover was limited, and fluid retention and fasting glucose increases were consistent findings. No FDA approval followed.
Regulatory and posture
- Categories
- GH Release
- Aliases
- Ibutamoren, Ibutamoren mesylate, MK-0677, L-163,191, Oral ghrelin receptor agonist (non-peptide)
- Evidence posture
- human - Large human trials exist, but development was discontinued. Water retention and raised fasting glucose are consistently reported; a congestive-heart-failure signal was reported in one elderly hip-fracture trial.
- Regulatory status
- Investigational non-peptide ghrelin-receptor agonist. Merck discontinued development after trials for sarcopenia and osteoporosis did not reach approval. There is no FDA-approved MK-677 drug label. MK-677 is an orally active small molecule, not a peptide, but is commonly grouped with peptide GH secretagogues.
- Content review status
- research reference
Selected public sources
- PubMed: MK-677 (ibutamoren) reverses diet-induced catabolism, healthy adults (Murphy 1998, JCEM)
- PubMed: Nass 2008 MK-677 body-composition and clinical-outcomes RCT in healthy older adults (Ann Intern Med)
- PubMed: Adunsky 2011 MK-0677 hip-fracture Phase IIb RCT (Arch Gerontol Geriatr)
Related tools
- Protocol builder overview - Public overview of the Pro protocol builder.