Compounded Tesamorelin

Compounded tesamorelin is prepared for you by a licensed compounding pharmacy in our clinical partner's network and is not FDA-approved. It is not a brand-name or generic product, and the FDA has not reviewed it for safety, effectiveness or quality. A provider may prescribe it only where they document a clinical reason it is right for you specifically. The only FDA-approved tesamorelin product, the brand-name Egrifta, is approved only for excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy; any other use is off-label, which your provider will explain.

Tesamorelin is a synthetic analogue of the full growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), with a chemical group added at one end so it resists the enzymes that break the natural hormone down within minutes. It binds GHRH receptors on the pituitary, which releases your own growth hormone in pulses; the liver responds by making IGF-1. Your body's own brakes — somatostatin and the feedback from IGF-1 — stay in place, which is the difference from injecting growth hormone directly. In the trials that led to approval, in adults with HIV whose treatment had shifted fat into the abdomen, the measured effect was on visceral fat specifically: body weight did not change, and the label says so. Sermorelin, on the same account, is a shorter fragment of the same hormone; neither is ranked above the other here, and which — if either — fits you is your provider's call. Outside HIV-associated lipodystrophy, the outcome data is thin, and the raised IGF-1 is why cancer history is a hard stop.

What was studied, in whom, for how long, and compared with what.

These results come from trials of the FDA-approved product named in each citation. The compounded preparation on this page is not that product, was not studied in these trials, and has not been reviewed by the FDA for safety, effectiveness or quality.

• 20% reduction in visceral adipose tissue by CT scan at 26 weeks

  vs a 2% increase on placebo

  Study 1 of the approved product, in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy and excess abdominal fat; body weight did not change. No comparable trial exists in people without that condition, and the compounded product was not the one studied.

  Egrifta WR prescribing information, section 14, DailyMed, revised 03/2025; Falutz et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2007

Trial averages describe a study population, not a prediction for you. Your provider will be direct about what is realistic given your history — and results depend on continuing treatment.

1. 01

   Weeks 1–4

   Injection-site redness and itching, joint and muscle aches, and some fluid retention in the hands or ankles are the common early experiences on the approved product. Your provider may check fasting glucose before you start.

2. 02

   Months 2–3

   Where your provider reviews IGF-1 and blood sugar and decides whether to continue. In the approval trials the visceral-fat effect was measured at six months; anything you notice sooner is not the mechanism.

3. 03

   Ongoing

   Reviewed at check-ins like any long-term prescription. On the approved product the effect reversed after stopping, so continuing is a decision to revisit, not a default.

Joint pain, injection-site redness and itching, pain in the arms or legs, swelling in the hands or feet and muscle aches were the common ones on the approved product. It raises IGF-1, a growth factor, which is why active cancer is a hard stop and a treated cancer needs your oncologist's view. It can raise blood sugar and unmask diabetes. Hypersensitivity reactions, including rash and hives, are reported. Long-term cardiovascular safety has not been established, and there is no safety data from long-term use in people without HIV-associated lipodystrophy.

• Egrifta WR (tesamorelin for injection) prescribing information, DailyMed, revised 03/2025 — indication, contraindications, warnings and section 14 clinical studies
• Falutz J, Allas S, Blot K, et al. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV. New England Journal of Medicine, 2007;357:2359–2370

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.