Tesamorelin

Common questions about Tesamorelin

What is tesamorelin?

Tesamorelin is a stabilized synthetic GHRH analog. It is approved clinically (under the brand name Egrifta) for reduction of excess visceral adipose tissue in HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

Is tesamorelin FDA-approved?

Yes — tesamorelin is FDA-approved as Egrifta for the reduction of visceral adipose tissue in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. The unbranded research-grade compound sold by peptide vendors is not the FDA-approved finished product and is intended for research use only.

What is the half-life of tesamorelin?

Published clinical pharmacokinetic studies report a half-life of approximately 11 minutes after subcutaneous or IV administration. Although the plasma half-life is short, the downstream IGF-1 response persists much longer, which supports daily clinical dosing.

What dose of tesamorelin is used in research?

Clinical dosing for the approved HIV-lipodystrophy indication is documented in the prescribing information. Pepticker does not publish a dosing recommendation — clinical use requires a prescription, and research protocols should follow the original published study.

How is tesamorelin different from sermorelin?

Both are GHRH analogs, but tesamorelin is N-terminally modified (a trans-3-hexenoyl moiety on the Tyr-1 residue) for protease resistance, which differentiates it from the unmodified GHRH 1-29 sermorelin sequence and supports its clinical-use stability.

Is tesamorelin legal?

Tesamorelin is a prescription compound when used clinically (as Egrifta) in the US; the unbranded form is sold for research use. In Canada and the UK research-chemical vendors supply it for laboratory use. In Australia it is TGA Schedule 4 and prescription-only when used clinically. Status is informational — not legal advice.

Editorial summary of published research. Not medical advice. See /methodology for sourcing.