Mecasermin / Recombinant Human IGF-1

ID: mecasermin_igf1

Aliases: Increlex, rhIGF-1, recombinant human insulin-like growth factor 1, IGF-1

Type: compound

Route/form: subcutaneous injection in approved mecasermin products

Status: approved

Evidence level: approved / labelled

Best data tier: approved label

Support scope: human, review/regulatory

Source types: early_human, government_review, human_trial, label, review

Linked sources: 5

Broad outcomes: Fat loss / metabolic health, Hormones / fertility / sexual health, Muscle growth / performance / recovery, PEDs / AAS / thermogenics, Safety / regulatory, mTORC / autophagy / nutrient signaling

Reading note: These are curation notes anchored to linked sources, not a clinical recommendation or protocol.

Targets / mechanism

• IGF-1 receptor agonism
• growth signaling
• glucose uptake
• GH/IGF-1 axis effector

Optimization domains

• growth hormone
• IGF1
• muscle
• bone
• endocrine
• metabolic
• doping
• mTORC1
• PI3K-Akt-mTOR

Research basis

• Mecasermin is the direct rhIGF-1 comparator for discussions asking whether IGF-1 biology is weak or merely difficult to use safely.
• Approved severe primary IGF-1 deficiency use and registry/review data show that direct IGF-1 receptor agonism has meaningful human growth/body-composition biology when replacing a true axis deficit.
• It provides the route and warning anchor for evaluating unapproved IGF-1 LR3/DES claims.

Limits, risks, and missing evidence

• The approved context is pediatric severe primary IGF-1 deficiency or GH-antibody context, not general bodybuilding or healthy-adult enhancement.
• Hypoglycemia, intracranial hypertension, lymphoid/tonsillar hypertrophy, injection reactions, slipped capital femoral epiphysis, scoliosis progression, and malignant-neoplasia warnings are central risks.
• Direct IGF-1 biology is systemic; local-injection hypertrophy claims should not be inferred from mecasermin deficiency treatment.

Risk flags

• prescription only
• hypoglycemia
• growth signal risk
• neoplasm warning
• medical supervision

Linked papers, labels, and reviews

1. DailyMed label: INCRELEX mecasermin injection
   label / dailymed_increlex_label
   Mecasermin/rhIGF-1 label for severe primary IGF-1 deficiency; includes subcutaneous route, hypoglycemia, neoplasia, intracranial hypertension, and lymphoid hypertrophy warnings.
2. Clinical Review - Mecasermin (Increlex)
   government_review / ncbi_mecasermin_clinical_review_2024
   NCBI Bookshelf clinical review summarizing mecasermin efficacy and harms, including hypoglycemia, lipohypertrophy, and tonsillar hypertrophy.
3. Recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I has significant anabolic effects in adults with growth hormone receptor deficiency
   human_trial / pubmed_rhigf1_laron_anabolic_2000
   Adult Laron syndrome/GH receptor deficiency study with body-composition changes under rhIGF-1 replacement.
4. Effectiveness and Safety of rhIGF-1 Therapy in Children: The European Increlex Growth Forum Database Experience
   early_human / pubmed_mecasermin_increlex_database_2015
   Large registry-style mecasermin safety/effectiveness source in severe IGF-1 deficiency contexts; useful label-adjacent human anchor.
5. Mecasermin (recombinant human insulin-like growth factor I)
   review / pubmed_mecasermin_review_2009
   Drug review for rhIGF-1 pharmacology, clinical use, and safety; helps distinguish approved deficiency treatment from IGF-axis enhancement claims.