Tesamorelin
Tesamorelin (GHRH Analog)
Also called Tesamorelin, Egrifta, TH9507
The approved GHRH copy for HIV-associated abdominal fat
Tesamorelin is a prescription drug, Egrifta, approved to reduce one kind of fat: the deep visceral fat around the organs, in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Its approval trials were in that population, and other uses are off-label.
A stabilised copy of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), FDA-approved as Egrifta to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. It prompts the pituitary's own growth hormone release, which raises IGF-1, and in its randomised trials it reduced visceral (deep belly) fat in that population. Other uses are off-label. It is prohibited in sport.
- Half-life
- About 8 minutes
- Route studied
- Subcutaneous injection (Egrifta label)
- Status
- Prescription (Egrifta, for HIV-associated abdominal fat)
Tested in several human trials
What Tesamorelin has been studied for
The reasons people look it up, roughly in order of how often, and what research exists for each. Interest in a use is not evidence that it works; the evidence is stated under each one.
- Visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy
- The approved use. In its phase 3 trials in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, visceral fat fell by about 15% over 26 weeks, with little change in the fat under the skin.
- Liver fat
- Studied for fatty liver in people with HIV, where it reduced liver fat. Not an approved use.
- Raising the body's own growth hormone
- It prompts the pituitary to release its own growth hormone rather than replacing it, which leaves the body's feedback loops in place.
Mechanism of Action
How Tesamorelin works
Tesamorelin works through the body's own growth hormone system:
- GHRH receptor activation. It binds the GHRH receptor on the pituitary and prompts pulses of growth hormone release, leaving the natural feedback in place rather than overriding it.
- IGF-1. The growth hormone raises IGF-1 from the liver, the downstream signal behind most growth hormone effects.
- Visceral fat. Its trial-measured effect is a reduction in visceral fat, the deep fat around the organs, more than in the fat under the skin.
- Blood sugar. Growth hormone works against insulin, which is why the label calls for glucose monitoring.
Tesamorelin side effects: what studies reported
Two things dominate in the trials and the label: injection-site reactions, and fluid retention, which is what happens when growth hormone rises.
Most commonly reported
- Injection-site redness, itching and lumps, the most reported effect
- Joint aching and stiffness
- Muscle aching
- Puffy hands and ankles
- Pins and needles in the hands
Worth keeping an eye on
- Blood sugar drifting up, because growth hormone works against insulin; the label calls for monitoring
- Numbness at the wrist from fluid pressing on the nerve
- The visceral fat came back after treatment stopped in the trials
Reasons to check first
- An active cancer, since raising growth hormone raises IGF-1 and IGF-1 is a growth signal
- Diabetes that is not well controlled
Dose-related findings. In the trials, joint aching and swelling were most common in the first months of treatment.
Source: Phase 3 trials and the Egrifta label. This is a summary of published findings, not a complete safety profile and not medical advice. Questions about Tesamorelin belong with a licensed clinician who knows your history.
Your Genetics & Tesamorelin
The genes involved in how Tesamorelin works
Tesamorelin works through the receptors these genes build, and the genes vary from person to person. Researchers have linked some of that variation to differences in how people respond. A DNA report tells you which versions you carry.
GHRHR · ••
Builds the pituitary receptor tesamorelin acts on. Variants have been studied for their association with growth hormone secretion and height. No study has tested whether they change response to tesamorelin.
IGFBP3 · ••
This variant has been associated with differences in baseline IGFBP-3, the main carrier protein for IGF-1 in the blood, in population studies. It describes a baseline, not a response to tesamorelin.
FTO · ••
FTO risk alleles are associated with higher body weight and fat mass in population studies. No study has tested whether FTO genotype changes response to tesamorelin.
The dots after each gene are where your own result goes. Your report fills them in with the two letters you carry at that position.
Which of these variants do you carry?
Your report reads the DNA file you already have against this research.
Often discussed alongside
Compounds that come up next to Tesamorelin in research and discussion. Each has its own page. None of this is a suggestion to combine them.
Sermorelin
a shorter, formerly approved GHRH copyModerate EvidenceSermorelin (GHRH 1-29)
A short copy of the message your brain sends telling the pituitary to release growth hormone. Because it works one step upstream, your body's own brake still applies and it can still say no, which is the safety argument for the whole class. It was an approved medicine, withdrawn for commercial reasons rather than safety, which is why it is still legal to compound when most peptides are not.
5
Gene variants
25+
Studies
CJC-1295
an unapproved GHRH copyModerate EvidenceCJC-1295 (Modified GRF 1-29)
A copy of the brain signal that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone, rewritten so the enzyme that normally destroys it in minutes cannot. The name covers two compounds that behave very differently: with DAC it keeps growth hormone up for days, without DAC it produces a short pulse. The human trial used the version with DAC.
4
Gene variants
30+
Studies
Access
Access and legal status
Tesamorelin: Prescription (Egrifta, for HIV-associated abdominal fat). Decisions about any prescription medicine belong to a prescriber. We don't link to any seller, and nothing on this page is a recommendation to obtain or use it.
Your DNA and Tesamorelin: see which of the variants studied alongside it you carry, and what that research does and does not show. Read my DNA, $99 →
Educational information only, not medical advice. Most peptides are not FDA-approved. Do not start, stop or change any medication or peptide because of this page; talk to a licensed clinician.
Worth knowing about Tesamorelin
Interactions and situations where there is a specific reason to be careful. Where the honest answer is that nobody has studied something, it says so and says what that leaves open.
- The fat comes back
- This was measured, not speculated. In the trials visceral fat returned once treatment stopped.
- Prescription medicine, banned in sport
- It is approved for one indication; other uses are off-label, and decisions about it belong to a prescriber. Growth hormone secretagogues are prohibited at all times under WADA rules.
Last updated
Frequently Asked Questions
What is tesamorelin used for?
Tesamorelin is a GHRH copy FDA-approved as Egrifta to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. It prompts the body's own growth hormone release, and its trials in that population showed a reduction in deep abdominal fat. Other uses are off-label.
Do genes affect tesamorelin response?
No study has tested whether any genotype changes response to tesamorelin. GHRHR builds the receptor it acts on, and IGFBP3 and FTO variants have been associated with IGF-1 carrier levels and body fat in population studies. A DNA report can show which versions you carry and what that research does and does not show.
Is tesamorelin legal?
Tesamorelin is an FDA-approved prescription drug for its HIV indication; other uses are off-label. It is prohibited in sport under WADA rules.
Watch
What clinicians and researchers say about Tesamorelin
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11 minDr Amazed - Tesamorelin DECIMATES Visceral Fat and MOREAshley Froese · EducatorTesamorelinSermorelinCJC-1295Learn more about Tesamorelin
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Your DNA and Tesamorelin
What the research says about your variants.
The report
Which Tesamorelin variants do you carry?
Your report reads the DNA file you already have against the published research on 31 peptides, marker by marker, and says what that research does and does not show.
Read my DNA, $99