The Peptide Directory

FDA-approvedGrowth hormone–releasing factor analogGrowth hormoneFat loss

Tesamorelin

FDA-approved (Egrifta) to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

Last reviewed by The Peptide Directory Editorial Team

What is Tesamorelin?

Tesamorelin is a stabilized synthetic analog of growth hormone–releasing factor that is FDA-approved, as Egrifta, to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

Key takeaways

  1. One of the few GH-axis peptides with an FDA approval.
  2. Pivotal evidence: NEJM 2007 trial in patients with HIV and abdominal fat accumulation.
  3. Approved indication is narrow; other uses are off-label.

What makes Tesamorelin different?

It is the only GHRH-type peptide with a current FDA-approved indication.

How does Tesamorelin work?

Stimulates pituitary GHRH receptors, increasing GH and IGF-1, which reduces visceral adipose tissue in the studied population.

What the clinical evidence actually shows

  • Falutz et al., NEJM 2007: tesamorelin reduced visceral fat versus placebo in HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation.

How much research exists on Tesamorelin?

PubMed indexes 95 papers mentioning Tesamorelin in the title or abstract, 34 of them from the last five years and 23 tagged as clinical trials (search run October 19, 2026; repeat the search).

Most relevant recent papers

Registered clinical studies

ClinicalTrials.gov lists 24 studies with Tesamorelin as an intervention (see all). Most recent:

Side effects

Label-listed reactions include joint pain, injection-site reactions, swelling, muscle pain and possible effects on glucose tolerance.

Regulatory & access status

  • FDA-approved as Egrifta for one indication; prescription-only.

Sourcing & safety

Legal access is the brand product by prescription for its indication. Some vendors sell "research" tesamorelin, which is not for human use.

Doses in labels and trials

Reference only — copied from the FDA label or published research. Not a recommendation.

SourceWhat it says
LabelDosing for the approved indication is set in the Egrifta prescribing information; we do not restate it as general guidance.

What the evidence does not show

  • Benefit for general fat loss or anti-aging outside the approved population.

Tesamorelin FAQ

Is tesamorelin FDA-approved?

Yes, as Egrifta, for reducing excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

Is tesamorelin a growth hormone?

No. It is a GHRH analog that stimulates the body's own GH release.

Related peptides & comparisons

SermorelinIpamorelin Growth Hormone

References

  1. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV, N Engl J Med (2007), PMID 18057338
  2. Tesamorelin — PubChem compound summary (CID 16137828), PubChem

Tesamorelin calculators

Lab arithmetic only: convert a mass to a volume or syringe units at a known concentration with the units converter, or work out a concentration with the reconstitution calculator.

Tesamorelin is a prescription medicine. The legal route is a prescription for the FDA-approved product (Egrifta), filled by a licensed pharmacy.

Get Tesamorelin via telehealth

None of the telehealth providers we have verified lists Tesamorelin.

Research suppliers that list Tesamorelin

35 vendors in our directory listed a product matching Tesamorelin in their public catalog on October 19, 2026. Listed alphabetically; a listing is not an endorsement. Research use only.

Prices per mg, where we could verify them, are on our price comparison.

Tesamorelin dosing protocol

There is no FDA-label or published-trial dosing schedule we can reproduce for Tesamorelin, so we don't publish one.

Find clinics offering Tesamorelin

Browse all clinics