subcutaneous

Tesamorelin

Tesamorelin Acetate (TH9507)

Tesamorelin at a glance

Not on either FDA list

How studies gave it

Injected into the fat under the skin

Evidence on this page

3 peer-reviewed papers, published 2010 to 2017

FDA compounding lists

It appears on neither of the two FDA compounding tables.

Mixing it

Tesamorelin reconstitution calculator

What it is

A synthetic 44-amino-acid modified GHRH analogue with a trans-3-hexenoic acid group at the N-terminus conferring enhanced resistance to DPP-IV enzymatic degradation. Tesamorelin is FDA-approved (as Egrifta) for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy, making it the only GH secretagogue with an active FDA-approved indication.

It has been studied in Phase 3 randomized controlled trials demonstrating selective reduction of visceral adipose tissue and is discussed in optimization communities in the context of body composition, metabolic health, and anti-aging protocols.

Published research

Tesamorelin was evaluated in pooled Phase 3 RCTs (Falutz et al. 2010, PMID 20554713) demonstrating significant reduction of visceral adipose tissue in HIV lipodystrophy. Stanley et al. (2014, PMID 25038357) showed reduction of liver fat in a JAMA-published RCT. Clemmons et al. (2017, PMID 28617838) studied metabolic effects in type 2 diabetes.

The FDA-approved dose is 1.4 mg (Egrifta SV) or 1.28 mg (Egrifta WR) daily via subcutaneous injection. Community-reported off-label use ranges are derived from clinical dosing and published literature.

What the terms on this page mean7 terms

GHRH: Growth hormone-releasing hormone, the signal that tells the pituitary to release GH.
analog: A molecule built to copy a natural one with a deliberate change, usually to make it last longer or bind more tightly.
GH: Growth hormone, released by the pituitary gland, involved in growth and tissue repair.
Phase 3: A large trial, the kind regulators read before approving a drug.
randomised controlled trial: A trial that assigns people to treatment or control by chance, which is what lets it separate an effect from luck.
PMID: The identifier PubMed gives a paper. It is what makes a citation checkable.
subcutaneous: Into the fat layer just under the skin.

Compounding status

Not on either FDA list

FDA listing: Tesamorelin appears on neither FDA's category 2 table nor its table of withdrawn nominations.
What that means: Absence from both lists is not permission to compound. Section 503A allows a bulk drug substance only where a USP or NF monograph exists, or the substance is a component of an FDA-approved drug product, or it appears on the 503A bulks list.

Source: Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks, FDA. Content current as of 2026-04-22; read 2026-09-05. This describes what a compounding pharmacy may supply. It is not advice about your own use.

Reading up on Tesamorelin is the easy part

Keeping the schedule straight is the hard part. PepKit is the app for that.

Does the reconstitution math for you
Logs each dose and reminds you when the next is due
Counts down every vial's expiration

Where this came from3 references

Each one was resolved at PubMed and confirmed to be the work this page cites. Author, title, journal and year come from the PubMed record, not from the page text.

Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data
Falutz J, et al.. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism (2010). PMID 20554713.
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). PMID 25038357.
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, Miller S, Mamputu JC. PloS one (2017). PMID 28617838.

About this page

Reviewed 2026-08-11. This page reports what published studies and FDA documents say. It carries no dose, cycle length or stack, and it does not tell you whether a substance is appropriate for you. Side-effect reports circulating on forums are self-reported rather than measured, so they are not republished here.

See the editorial policy for how corrections are handled.