What is Tesamorelin?

GH pulse → liver IGF-1 → mTOR and PI3K-AKT (muscle).

Open the Tesamorelin reconstitution calculator

Tesamorelin in the library · Growth Hormone Secretagogues · Metabolic & Weight Peptides · Human Trials · What are peptides?

22 registered trials · 25 indexed papers · 62 human / 4 animal studies

From the PeptideWhiz library entry. "As described" sections summarize claims made in the sources; they are not PeptideWhiz endorsements.

Mechanism (as described)

GH pulse → liver IGF-1 → mTOR and PI3K-AKT (muscle). GH also activates hormone-sensitive lipase (lipolysis).
Raises pituitary GHRH-receptor expression rather than suppressing the system.
Targets visceral fat and improves lipids and insulin sensitivity without the glucose and water problems of HGH.
Brain: IGF-1 raises hippocampal BDNF; deep sleep supports glymphatic amyloid clearance.
Food: doesn't depend on an empty stomach (unlike ghrelin-pathway MK-677). Retatrutide's slowed gastric emptying doesn't blunt it.
Cortisol is its main competitor. High night cortisol blunts it, and phosphatidylserine is suggested.

Additional points (as described)

With retatrutide: reta keeps insulin low while tesamorelin's GH/IGF-1 builds muscle ("fasted and fed signals at once").
Stacks named: fat loss (tesamorelin + MOTS-c + SS-31), brain (+ Cerebrolysin + GHK-Cu), injury (+ BPC-157 + TB-500), hard-training men (+ ipamorelin + enclomiphene).

Registered human trials (22)

Trial	Phase	Status	Year	Enrolled
Tesamorelin for Reduction of Liver Fat in Adults With Fatty Liver Disease (Mock Study)	Phase 2	recruiting	2026	120
Tesamorelin as an Adjunct to Exercise for Improving Physical Function in HIV	Phase 2	recruiting	2025	100
Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Analog to Improve Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Associated Cardiovascular Risk	Phase 2	completed	2019	51
Body Composition and Adipose Tissue in HIV	Phase 4	terminated	2018	6
Tesamorelin to Improve Functional Outcomes After Peripheral Nerve Injury	Phase 2	recruiting	2018	36
Phase II Trial of Tesamorelin for Cognition in Aging HIV-Infected Persons	Phase 2	completed	2017	73
The Effect of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone on Cognitive Function in Individuals With Mild Cognitive Impairment	Phase 1	completed	2017	22
Impact of GHRH on Sleep Promotion and Endocrine Regulation in Service Members Who Sustained a Traumatic Brain Injury and Have Current Insomnia	Phase 2	withdrawn	2016
Tesamorelin Effects on Liver Fat and Histology in HIV		completed	2015	61
Abdominal Obesity, Cardiovascular Inflammation, and Effects of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Analogue		withdrawn	2014
Long-term Observational Study in HIV Subjects Exposed to EGRIFTA®		terminated	2013	391
Diabetic Retinopathy in HIV Subjects Treated With EGRIFTA®	Phase 4	terminated	2012	129
Egrifta Replacement and Sleep Disordered Breathing		withdrawn	2012
Efficacy and Safety Study of Tesamorelin in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Subjects With Muscle Wasting	Phase 2	terminated	2011	3
Effects of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone in HIV		completed	2010	54
Effect of Short Term Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone in Healthy Men		completed	2009	15
Effectiveness of Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone in Reducing Abdominal Fat in People Who Are Obese	Phase 2	completed	2008	60
Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamic Study of TH9507, a Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor Analog, in HIV Positive Patients	Phase 1	completed	2008	18
TH9507 Extension Study in Patients With HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy	Phase 3	completed	2007	263
SMART: Somatotrophics, Memory, and Aging Research Trial	Phase 2	completed	2006	151
TH9507 in Patients With HIV-Associated Lipodystrophy	Phase 3	completed	2005	412
Safety Study of TH9507 in Subjects With Stable, Type 2 Diabetes	Phase 2	completed	2002	55

Peer-reviewed studies (25)

Paper	Authors	Journal	Year	Type
Tesamorelin as an Adjunct to Exercise for Improving Physical Function in HIV (TRIUMPH): a clinical trial protocol	Erlandson KM et al.	BMJ open	2026	Clinical Study
Efficacy and safety of once-weekly somatrogon in adults with growth hormone deficiency: a randomized phase 3 study	Fleseriu M et al.	Pituitary	2026	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of Tesamorelin on Neurocognitive Impairment in Persons With HIV and Abdominal Obesity	Ellis RJ et al.	The Journal of infectious diseases	2025	Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of tesamorelin in people with HIV on integrase inhibitors	Russo SC et al.	AIDS (London, England)	2024	Randomized Controlled Trial
Relationship of IGF-1 and IGF-Binding Proteins to Disease Severity and Glycemia in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease	Stanley TL et al.	The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism	2021	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of tesamorelin on hepatic transcriptomic signatures in HIV-associated NAFLD	Fourman LT et al.	JCI insight	2020	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of tesamorelin on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in HIV: a randomised, double-blind, multicentre trial	Stanley TL et al.	The lancet. HIV	2019	Randomized Controlled Trial
The Growth Hormone Releasing Hormone Analogue, Tesamorelin, Decreases Muscle Fat and Increases Muscle Area in Adults with HIV	Adrian S et al.	The Journal of frailty & aging	2019	Randomized Controlled Trial
Fibroblast growth factor 21 decreases after liver fat reduction via growth hormone augmentation	Braun LR et al.	Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society	2017	Randomized Controlled Trial
Safety and metabolic effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in patients with type 2 diabetes: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial	Clemmons DR et al.	PloS one	2017	Randomized Controlled Trial
Predictors of Treatment Response to Tesamorelin, a Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor Analog, in HIV-Infected Patients with Excess Abdominal Fat	Mangili A et al.	PloS one	2015	Randomized Controlled Trial
Population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of tesamorelin in HIV-infected patients and healthy subjects	González-Sales M et al.	Journal of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics	2015	Clinical Trial, Phase I
Population pharmacokinetic analysis of tesamorelin in HIV-infected patients and healthy subjects	González-Sales M et al.	Clinical pharmacokinetics	2015	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of tesamorelin on visceral fat and liver fat in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized clinical trial	Stanley TL et al.	JAMA	2014	Randomized Controlled Trial
The effects of tesamorelin on phosphocreatine recovery in obese subjects with reduced GH	Makimura H et al.	The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism	2014	Randomized Controlled Trial
Growth hormone-releasing hormone effects on brain γ-aminobutyric acid levels in mild cognitive impairment and healthy aging	Friedman SD et al.	JAMA neurology	2013	Randomized Controlled Trial
Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in obese subjects with reduced growth hormone secretion: a randomized controlled trial	Makimura H et al.	The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism	2012	Randomized Controlled Trial
Reduction in visceral adiposity is associated with an improved metabolic profile in HIV-infected patients receiving tesamorelin	Stanley TL et al.	Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America	2012	Randomized Controlled Trial
Relationship of adiponectin to endogenous GH pulse secretion parameters in response to stimulation with a growth hormone releasing factor	Makimura H et al.	Growth hormone & IGF research : official journal of the Growth Hormone Research Society and the International IGF Research Society	2011	Clinical Trial
Effects of tesamorelin on inflammatory markers in HIV patients with excess abdominal fat: relationship with visceral adipose reduction	Stanley TL et al.	AIDS (London, England)	2011	Randomized Controlled Trial
Effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor, in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized placebo-controlled trial with a safety extension	Falutz J et al.	Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes (1999)	2010	Randomized Controlled Trial
Therapeutic trial of growth hormone releasing factor in HIV patients	Winslow DL	AIDS alert	2008	Randomized Controlled Trial
Long-term safety and effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation	Falutz J et al.	AIDS (London, England)	2008	Randomized Controlled Trial
Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV	Falutz J et al.	The New England journal of medicine	2007	Randomized Controlled Trial
A placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of a growth hormone releasing factor in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation	Falutz J et al.	AIDS (London, England)	2005	Randomized Controlled Trial

More cited research

P-1230. Tesamorelin (EGRIFTA WR and EGRIFTA®) Formulations: Bioequivalence in Healthy Participants (2026, human observational)
1499. Tesamorelin Reduces Visceral Adipose Tissue and Liver Fat in INSTI-Treated Persons with HIV (2023, human observational)
Effect of tesamorelin in people with HIV with and without dorsocervical fat: Post hoc analysis of phase III double-blind placebo-controlled trial (2023, human observational)
Delineating tesamorelin response pathways in HIV-associated NAFLD using a targeted proteomic and transcriptomic approach (2021, human RCT)
Non-clinical pharmacology and safety evaluation of TH9507, a human growth hormone-releasing factor analogue (2007, animal)
Pulmonary delivery of TH9507, a growth hormone releasing factor analogue, in the dog (2004, animal)
Combined antiretroviral therapy with low- or normal-protein, high-calorie diets appears to induce significant deleterious electrocardiographic changes in a rode (2026, animal)
Dietary regimens appear to possess significant effects on the development of combined antiretroviral therapy (cART)-associated metabolic syndrome (2024, animal)

Conditions researched

Related compounds

FAQ

What is Tesamorelin?

GH pulse → liver IGF-1 → mTOR and PI3K-AKT (muscle).

How many registered human trials study Tesamorelin?

The PeptideWhiz trial index lists 22 registered trials for Tesamorelin, the most recent from 2026.

How much published research exists on Tesamorelin?

The PeptideWhiz paper index links 25 PubMed papers to Tesamorelin; by study type, 62 human and 4 animal studies.

Which conditions is Tesamorelin researched for?

Fat loss, obesity & body recomposition, Insulin resistance, prediabetes & type 2 diabetes, Muscle gain, sarcopenia & building muscle after 40, Dementia, Alzheimer's & cognitive decline, Sleep problems (incl. insomnia on peptides), Fatigue & low energy (incl. midlife), Anti-aging & longevity, Cognition, focus & brain performance, Concussion, traumatic brain injury & stroke recovery, Diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma, Fatty liver & elevated liver enzymes, Immune system (general), Lung health, asthma & COPD, Sleep apnea (obstructive).

Research and education only. Not medical advice. No dosing guidance. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov registry and PubMed via the PeptideWhiz index (204,289 studies).

Reported dosing ranges from research