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Tesamorelin

Tesamorelin is a lab-made form of human growth hormone–releasing hormone (GHRH) with all 44 amino acids, plus a short six-carbon chain on one end that makes it more stable. It makes the pituitary release more of the body's own growth hormone. It is an FDA-approved prescription medicine (Egrifta SV, Egrifta WR) for reducing excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy.

ApprovedWADA Prohibited at all times (S2, named)Checked October 2026
Open the Tesamorelin calculatorSources

Approval status

FDA approved tesamorelin in 2010 to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy. It is now sold as Egrifta SV and Egrifta WR (approved 2025), which are not interchangeable. In the EU the marketing application was withdrawn in 2012, after EMA's committee could not conclude that its benefits outweighed its risks.23845

What it’s used or studied for

  • Approved use

    Reducing excess abdominal (visceral) fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy. The label says it is not for weight loss.23

  • Human studies

    Liver fat in people with HIV and fatty liver disease: in a 12-month randomized trial of 61 people, liver fat fell more than with placebo.6

  • Human studies

    Thinking skills in older adults with or without mild cognitive impairment: a 20-week randomized trial found a modest benefit, mainly in executive function.7

Each label shows how strong the evidence is: an approved use, human studies, animal or lab studies only, or a popular claim with no published studies. Being studied is not the same as being proven safe or effective.

Side effects

Common

  • Injection-site reactions (redness, itching, pain)
  • Joint pain
  • Pain in arms or legs
  • Muscle pain
  • Swelling from fluid (peripheral edema)
  • Tingling or numbness
  • Rash

Serious or rare

  • Allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions
  • High blood sugar or diabetes
  • Fluid retention, including carpal tunnel syndrome
  • Persistently raised IGF-1 levels
  • Possible growth of existing tumors
  • Higher death risk in acute critical illness (seen with growth hormone)

From the FDA label, based on 26-week placebo-controlled trials in people with HIV. Long-term heart safety has not been established.23

Cautions

  • Do not use in pregnancy.2
  • Not for people with active cancer, or whose hypothalamus or pituitary has been damaged by surgery, tumor, radiation or head injury.2
  • Blood sugar and IGF-1 levels should be checked during treatment; people with diabetes need eye checks for retinopathy.2
  • May change how the liver clears drugs such as corticosteroids, sex steroids, anticonvulsants and cyclosporine; people on steroid replacement may need it adjusted.23
  • Egrifta SV and Egrifta WR differ in strength and preparation and are not substitutable.2

Sources

  1. PubChem: Tesamorelin (CID 16137828)
  2. FDA label (DailyMed): Egrifta WR (tesamorelin) for injection, revised 03/2025
  3. FDA label (DailyMed): Egrifta SV (tesamorelin) for injection, revised 03/2024
  4. EMA: Ferrer Internacional withdraws its marketing authorisation application for Egrifta (tesamorelin), 2012
  5. WADA 2026 Prohibited List
  6. Stanley TL et al. Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV: a randomised trial (Lancet HIV, 2019)
  7. Baker LD et al. Effects of GHRH on cognitive function in adults with mild cognitive impairment and healthy older adults (Arch Neurol, 2012)
  8. Dominikowski A et al. Performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis: clinical evidence vs self-administration (Front Endocrinol, 2026)

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