Mecasermin

—

evidence score

peptide

Prescription Only

Evidence Level B

Increlexrecombinant human IGF-1rhIGF-1

Mecasermin is recombinant human insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), FDA-approved for severe primary IGF-1 deficiency in pediatric patients with growth failure. It bypasses growth hormone receptor defects and directly activates IGF-1 signaling. Outside approved indications, unsupervised use is high risk due to hypoglycemia and potential proliferative signaling concerns.

Safety & legal caution

Educational database only — not medical or legal advice.

Safety

Hypoglycemia can be severe; dose with carbohydrate intake and clinical supervision.
Monitor for tonsillar/adenoidal hypertrophy, intracranial hypertension, and slipped capital femoral epiphysis in children.
Use caution in patients with active or suspected neoplasia due to growth-factor signaling.

Legal / compliance

Prescription biologic with narrow approved indication (severe primary IGF-1 deficiency).
Non-prescribed performance/anti-aging use may violate local law, sport rules, and medical standards.

Current literature links

Mecasermin for primary insulin-like growth factor-1 deficiency(2005)Increlex prescribing information(2023)

Evidence

No score yet

Safety

Unknown safety profile

Clinical Status

Approved

Last Sync

Not synced yet

Last Reviewed

Not reviewed yet

Dosing

Typical

0.08 mg/kg

0.04 mg/kgRange0.12 mg/kg

FrequencyTwice daily with meals/snack

Set height & weight in Settings to see your dose.

Pharmacology

Half-life~6 hours (free); prolonged when bound to IGFBPs

OnsetWeeks to months for linear growth effects

DurationRequires chronic twice-daily administration

Routes

subcutaneous

Evidence Score

—

0 studies indexed

Scoring Factors

Volume(24%)—

Quality(24%)—

Sample Size(12%)—

Consistency(14%)—

Replication(8%)—

Recency(18%)—

Evidence Levels

AScore ≥75 with at least 1 meta-analysis and 3+ RCTs

BScore ≥50 with at least 1 RCT or meta-analysis

CScore ≥25 — observational or animal evidence only

DScore <25 — very limited or preclinical data

Plain-English Snapshot

Mecasermin is currently categorized as a peptide compound.

Evidence scoring has not been fully computed yet, so interpret this profile as preliminary.

Safety scoring is incomplete. Start conservatively and monitor carefully.

Core mechanism

Exogenous IGF-1 replacement activating IGF1R/PI3K-AKT-MAPK signaling to restore growth and anabolic signaling

Practical Context

Strongest current signals

No indexed study summaries yet.

Elevated caution signals

1 severe/high side effect flag