Loading treatment…
Compounded — not FDA-approvedPrescription only
Compounded MOTS-c / Tesamorelin
Compounded — self-administered injection
A compounded injection pairing MOTS-c, a mitochondrial peptide with mouse metabolic data, and tesamorelin, a GHRH analogue approved for HIV-related abdominal fat. The two have never been studied together in people.
MOTS-c is not an FDA-approved drug and is not currently on FDA's list of substances that may be used in compounding; FDA's advisory committee voted for its inclusion on 2026-07-23, and rulemaking is pending. Tesamorelin is the active ingredient of the brand-name product Egrifta, but this compounded combination is not that product and is not FDA-approved. Its status may change and this treatment may be withdrawn. Your provider decides whether it is appropriate for you.
Not priced on the site yet
Compounded MOTS-c / Tesamorelin is on the formulary, but its price isn’t published here yet — so it can’t be added to a cart. The medications with a published price are listed by category.
See peptides optionsQuestions
Will I definitely be prescribed this?
No. A consultation does not guarantee a prescription. A licensed provider reviews your history at the visit and decides whether this is appropriate for you; because the substance is not on FDA's list for compounding and the human data is thin, many providers will reasonably decline. If they decline, the medication portion of what you paid is refunded automatically; the consultation fee is not.
Is this FDA-approved?
No. Compounded drugs are not FDA-approved. Tesamorelin on its own is the active ingredient of Egrifta, which is approved for one narrow use in HIV lipodystrophy; MOTS-c is not the active ingredient of any approved product, and its favourable advisory vote in July 2026 does not put it on the compounding list until FDA finishes rulemaking. This combination has never been reviewed by FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality.
Could this be withdrawn?
Yes. Its regulatory status can change at any time: FDA's advisory committee vote is a recommendation, FDA's own rulemaking decides the list, a state pharmacy board can act on its own, and our partner pharmacy can stop preparing it. If any of that happens we stop offering it, tell you, and refund the medication portion of any order the pharmacy can no longer fill.
Isn't tesamorelin a weight-loss drug?
No. Its approved use is reducing excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, and the label says in plain words that it is not indicated for weight-loss management. If weight is your goal, the Weight Loss section holds the medications with trial evidence; this is not a substitute.
Why combine them?
The idea is a hormonal signal and a cellular one at once — growth hormone mobilises stored fat, and AMPK changes how muscle burns fuel. That is the rationale as a provider would explain it; it is not a result, because nobody has tested the pair in people.
How it works
Tesamorelin is a stabilised synthetic GHRH: it prompts the pituitary to release your own growth hormone in pulses, and under the brand name Egrifta it is approved to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy — a specific population, with a label that says it is not for weight-loss management. MOTS-c is a 16-amino-acid peptide encoded in mitochondrial DNA; in mice it activates AMPK in muscle, the enzyme that shifts cells toward burning fuel, and protected them from diet-induced insulin resistance. The pairing puts a hormonal signal (more growth hormone, which mobilises stored fat) next to a cellular one (AMPK, which changes how muscle uses fuel). It is a plausible design and nothing more: there is no human trial of MOTS-c alone, let alone of the two together, and the tesamorelin evidence belongs to a different patient group. A provider who prescribes this is reasoning from mechanism.
The full mechanismA provider may consider it if
- Body composition and metabolic health are the goals you are working on with a provider, alongside training and diet you already do
- You are comfortable with daily subcutaneous self-injection and with periodic IGF-1 and glucose bloodwork
- You understand that neither the pair nor MOTS-c alone has human outcome data
It won’t be prescribed if
- Active cancer — the approved tesamorelin label lists active malignancy as a contraindication, and any history of cancer needs your oncologist's view first
- Pregnancy, breastfeeding or trying to conceive — tesamorelin is contraindicated in pregnancy
- A pituitary tumour, pituitary surgery, head irradiation or any other disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis
- Diabetes or prediabetes without your prescriber involved — tesamorelin raises glucose on its label and MOTS-c's effect on glucose in people is uncharacterised
- A known allergy to tesamorelin or a prior hypersensitivity reaction to a peptide injection
- Anyone looking for a weight-loss medication — the Weight Loss section holds the medications with trial evidence
- Under 18
These are the same checks your provider runs in the visit. If one applies, they will tell you plainly — and the medication portion of what you paid comes back automatically.
What to expect
Weeks 1–4
Injection-site redness, itching or a small bruise is the common early experience. Joint aches, tingling in the hands and swelling of the feet are the tesamorelin class effects to watch for.
Months 2–3
The earliest honest checkpoint, and human outcome data is limited: the tesamorelin trials were in HIV lipodystrophy over months, and MOTS-c has no human trial at all.
Ongoing
Your provider may ask for IGF-1 and fasting glucose bloodwork at check-ins. Its regulatory status can change, and if it does we stop offering it and tell you.
Safety
Side effects, before you decide
Injection-site redness, itching and pain, joint pain, pain in the arms or legs, swelling of the feet and ankles and muscle aches were the most common reactions on the approved tesamorelin label, with hypersensitivity reactions in a small share of patients; tesamorelin raises IGF-1 and can raise blood glucose. MOTS-c adds flushing, headache, nausea and fatigue from people using it, with no controlled data on rates. Human outcome data is limited, and no safety study of the combination exists.
- FDA prescribing information (DailyMed): Egrifta SV (tesamorelin for injection) — initial US approval 2010, label revised February 2024
- Lee C, Zeng J, Drew BG, et al. Cell Metab 2015;21(3):443–454 — MOTS-c activates AMPK in skeletal muscle and prevents diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice
- Reynolds JC, Lai RW, Woodhead JST, et al. Nat Commun 2021;12:470 — exercise induces MOTS-c in human muscle and circulation; treatment improved physical capacity in aged mice
Complete safety information is provided during your visit and with every prescription. This page is a summary, not a substitute for your provider's advice.
Also for peptides
Compounded CJC-1295 / IpamorelinFrom$199/mo$32 consultation included, not refunded · medication and shipping if prescribed
Compounded Tesamorelin / Ipamorelin
Compounded MOTS-cFrom$239/mo$32 consultation included, not refunded · medication and shipping if prescribed
Compounded EpithalonFrom$349/12 wk$32 consultation included, not refunded · medication and shipping if prescribed
Compounded Epithalon / GHK-CuFrom$219/mo$32 consultation included, not refunded · medication and shipping if prescribed
Compounded Semax / Selank
Compounded DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide)
Compounded Thymosin Alpha-1
Compounded Pinealon / PE-22-28 / Selank
See whether compounded mots-c / tesamorelin is right for you.
A licensed provider reviews your visit and decides. You receive medication only if prescribed, and that portion of your payment is refunded automatically if they say no.