Skip to content

Reproductive & sexual health

Histrelin

A GnRH-agonist implant approved for central precocious puberty, releasing peptide continuously for about a year per implant.

L4Strong humanApproved — narrow indicationApprovedModerate confidenceLast reviewed 2026-08-23
Implant

Also known as: Supprelin LA, histrelin acetate

Evidence passport

Last reviewed 2026-08-23

Evidence level
L4Strong human
Confidence
Moderate confidence
Human efficacy
68/100
Human safety
65/100
Regulatory status
Approved — narrow indication
Development
Approved
Routes
Implant
Evidence base
Includes human data
Furthest stage
Approved
Source curation
Sources fully curated
Clinical maturity
Approved narrow paediatric indication

Overview

Human evidence68/100
Preclinical evidence60/100
Human safety evidence65/100

Clinical maturity: Approved narrow paediatric indication

Routes & formulations

Studied / approved routes

Implant

A small implant placed under the skin of the upper arm, replaced roughly annually under specialist care.

Route availability is not evidence of efficacy, and evidence from one route does not transfer to another. The Registry never provides dosing or sourcing information.

Peptide lifecycle

  1. Discovery

  2. Preclinical

  3. Phase I

  4. Phase II

  5. Phase III

  6. Approved

Approved

What it is

A potent GnRH-agonist peptide in a long-acting implant that suppresses premature activation of the reproductive hormone axis.

What people claim

  • Halts progression of central precocious puberty while implanted

What the evidence actually says

Clinical studies in children with central precocious puberty supported approval of the implant; suppression of puberty reverses after removal, which is part of its labelled use profile.

Human evidence

  • Open-label and supportive clinical studies in children with CPP underpinning approval.

Preclinical evidence

  • GnRH-agonist pharmacology and implant-release characterisation.

Animal and cell findings are Level 1–2 evidence.

Mechanism and pathways

  • Sustained GnRH-receptor agonism desensitises the pituitary, suppressing LH/FSH and sex-steroid production.

Safety and unknowns

  • Labelled considerations include implant-site reactions and the expected transient hormone rise at initiation.
  • Long-term specialist monitoring accompanies use.

Cancer relevance

No concern identified

No established human cancer signal within approved use.

Regulatory status

FDA-approved (Supprelin LA) as a subcutaneous implant for treatment of children with central precocious puberty. Approval is specific to that paediatric indication and product.

Evidence grade

L4Strong humanModerate confidence

Solid controlled human trials, though not yet definitive or fully replicated.

What would change our rating?

  • Longer-term outcome data into adulthood would deepen the evidence base.

References and sources

Sources fully curated

Source hierarchy: regulatory documents and trial registries first, peer-reviewed work next, sponsor material flagged as non-independent. We never use supplier or clinic marketing as evidence, and where a verified source has not yet been curated we say so rather than inventing one.

Evidence change history

No recorded changes yet. Baseline position set on 2026-08-23.