Tesamorelin: the complete guide

How Tesamorelin works

Tesamorelin binds pituitary GHRH receptors, increasing GH and IGF-1 pulsatile secretion. This drives lipolysis preferentially in visceral adipose depots.

Typical Tesamorelin dosage

Commonly reported research ranges: 1–2 mg daily subcutaneous.

Label dose: the FDA-approved regimen for Egrifta is 2 mg injected subcutaneously into the abdomen once a day, for reducing excess abdominal (visceral) fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

What the fat-loss trials measured: in the pivotal 26-week trial (412 patients, 2 mg daily), visceral adipose tissue fell 15.2% on tesamorelin and rose 5.0% on placebo, triglycerides dropped by 50 mg/dL, and IGF-1 rose 81% (Falutz et al., N Engl J Med 2007). A second phase 3 trial found a −15.4% treatment effect on visceral fat with no significant change in abdominal subcutaneous fat, and the reduction held to 52 weeks in patients who stayed on the drug (Falutz et al., J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010).

Visceral fat, not body weight: tesamorelin targets the fat around the organs. The trials' primary measure was visceral fat on CT; abdominal subcutaneous fat did not change significantly, and the drug is not approved for general weight loss.

In syringe units: a 5 mg vial mixed with 2 ml of bacteriostatic water holds 2.5 mg/ml, so a 2 mg dose is 0.8 ml — 80 units on a U-100 insulin syringe, and the vial holds 2 full doses. Branded Egrifta vials come with their own mixing instructions; follow the label for those.

Tesamorelin dosage chart in units for 1, 2 and 3 ml mixes →

Dose should always be individualized. Factors that influence it include bodyweight, research goal, tolerance, and specific compound batch. The information below is educational, not a prescription.

How to reconstitute Tesamorelin

A widely used reconstitution for a 5 mg vial is 2 ml of bacteriostatic water. With a typical 2000 mcg dose this works out to the unit count shown in the calculator below.

Open the Tesamorelin reconstitution calculator →

Half-life and administration frequency

Approximately 30 minutes.

This half-life informs how often Tesamorelin is typically dosed. Shorter half-lives usually mean more frequent dosing to maintain plasma levels; longer half-lives allow daily, weekly, or less-frequent administration depending on the compound.

Plot it: the Tesamorelin half-life and pharmacokinetics chart shows accumulation, steady state, peak and trough for any cadence. Converting between mcg, mg and IU? Use the peptide dose converter.

Reported side effects

• Injection-site reactions
• Arthralgia
• Peripheral edema
• Hyperglycemia in susceptible individuals

This list reflects effects reported in available literature or user logs. It is not exhaustive. Adverse reactions should be discussed with a qualified clinician.

Common Tesamorelin stacks

• Typically used alone

Full editorial stack guides featuring Tesamorelin:

Tesamorelin compared with

Side-by-side breakdowns against other peptides in the same class or category.

Related peptides

Compounds that come up alongside Tesamorelin — because they are compared with it, stacked with it, or sit in the same category.

Browse the full peptide glossary, the peptide stack guides, or the reconstitution calculator.

Storage and handling

Lyophilized refrigerated. Reconstituted: refrigerated, use within 28 days.

FDA and regulatory status

FDA approved as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy (visceral fat reduction).

Tesamorelin clinical trials and evidence

For clinical-trial and primary-literature context, start with the sources below. We prioritize official drug labels, ClinicalTrials.gov records, and PubMed-indexed literature when available.

• Tesamorelin clinical trial records — ClinicalTrials.gov

Frequently asked questions

References

1. Falutz J et al. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV. N Engl J Med 2007;357:2359–70 — New England Journal of Medicine (PubMed). Pivotal 26-week trial, 412 patients: visceral fat −15.2% vs +5.0% placebo at 2 mg/day
2. Falutz J et al. Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507) in HIV-infected patients with excess abdominal fat. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010 — Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (PubMed). Second phase 3 trial: −15.4% visceral fat treatment effect, maintained to 52 weeks
3. Falutz J et al. Effects of tesamorelin in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized placebo-controlled trial with a safety extension. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2010 — JAIDS (PubMed). Visceral-fat improvements were rapidly lost in patients switched from tesamorelin to placebo
4. Stanley TL et al. Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV. Lancet HIV 2019 — The Lancet HIV (PubMed). Randomised trial of tesamorelin for liver fat in HIV
5. Tesamorelin (Egrifta) — FDA Drugs@FDA label — U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Approval label for HIV-associated lipodystrophy; dosing, mechanism, safety data
6. Falutz et al. — Effects of tesamorelin on visceral fat and body composition — PubMed. Pivotal trials establishing visceral adipose reduction in HIV-lipodystrophy
7. Tesamorelin clinical trial records — ClinicalTrials.gov. Registered human studies across metabolic indications

Sources listed above were used to verify the claims on this page. See our editorial policy for how we source information.