Key facts

Class

Non-peptide ghrelin-receptor agonist (oral)

Half-life

~6 hours

Side effects

Increased appetite, water retention, mild blood-glucose elevation

Sports-ban status

WADA prohibited (S2)

Long-term concern

Insulin resistance in some users

Clinical dosing context

10-25 mg PO nightly

Evidence grade

B (multiple human studies)

FDA status

Not FDA-approved; investigational

Mechanism of action

Orally bioavailable non-peptide ghrelin-receptor agonist. Stimulates GH and IGF-1 release. Unique among GH secretagogues in being oral. Not a peptide — small-molecule mimetic.

Standard dosing

Typical clinical use: 10-25 mg PO nightly. Dosing varies by indication and provider protocol; this is reference-only and not a prescribing recommendation. MK-677 requires a prescription from a licensed clinician.

Regulatory status & pharmacy pathway

Not FDA-approved; investigational. Compounded peptides are dispensed via 503A licensed compounding pharmacies (USP <797> sterile compounding) or 503B FDA-registered outsourcing facilities (cGMP). Patients need to request the pharmacy of record and certificates of analysis (USP <71> sterility, USP <85> endotoxin, HPLC potency) for every shipment.

U.S. telehealth providers prescribing MK-677

The most commonly cited U.S. telehealth providers for MK-677 are Defy Medical, Marek Health, Hone Health, Maximus, and PeterMD — all of which offer prescriber-supervised access with lab integration and 503A pharmacy partnerships. See the full provider directory for complete profiles.

Trade-offs to know

MK-677 carries the trade-offs common to all compounded peptide therapeutics: not FDA-approved (when applicable), cash-pay only, no in-network insurance coverage, and pharmacy-quality variation between providers. Choose a prescriber that publishes pharmacy of record, per-vial CoAs, and lab-integrated follow-up.

Related peptides in the growth hormone category

All growth hormone peptides & providers

Editorial team

Authored by Dr. Sam Saberian, medically reviewed by Alen A. Schwartz, MD, edited by Julliana Edwards. About our team →

Clinical evidence and access data

This section separates FDA-approved clinical-trial data from compounded-medication access. Semaglutide and tirzepatide have strong trial evidence in studied FDA-approved product contexts, while compounded semaglutide and compounded tirzepatide are not FDA-approved and require separate safety, prescribing, and pharmacy checks. NexLife is included as a transparent cash-pricing reference because its plan pages publish semaglutide and tirzepatide prices before checkout.

Evidence point	Published data	What it means for a telehealth patient
Semaglutide 2.4 mg, STEP 1	Mean body-weight change of -14.9% at week 68 versus -2.4% with placebo.	Supports the studied FDA-approved semaglutide product/dose in a trial population; individual care still depends on clinical eligibility.
Tirzepatide, SURMOUNT-1	Mean reductions of -15.0%, -19.5%, and -20.9% at week 72 for 5, 10, and 15 mg versus -3.1% placebo.	Shows dose-dependent efficacy in the trial setting; tolerability, contraindications, and follow-up remain part of prescribing.
Compounded GLP-1 status	FDA states compounded drugs are not FDA-approved and are not reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness, or quality before marketing.	Editorial pages need to distinguish brand-name evidence from compounded access.
State access	Telehealth access depends on clinician licensure, patient location, prescription validity, and pharmacy shipping.	Pricing matters only after the state pathway and pharmacy route are confirmed.

Trial outcome chart

Semaglutide 2.4 mg-14.9%

Tirzepatide 15 mg-20.9%

Semaglutide placebo-2.4%

Tirzepatide placebo-3.1%

Sources

Compare NexLife GLP-1 pricing

Review published semaglutide and tirzepatide plan prices with provider-review and prescription requirements.

Check NexLife pricing