Tesamorelin
An FDA-approved GHRH analog that selectively trims visceral fat.
Identity
- Class
- Stabilized GHRH(1-44) analog
- Source
- Synthetic analog of GHRH
- Receptor
- GHRH receptor (GHRHR), a class B GPCR
Key properties
Molecular weight
≈ 5,136 Da
Approximate values for the native hormone. Engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting.
Mechanism
Tesamorelin is a stabilized analog of human GHRH(1-44) that stimulates pituitary GH secretion and raises IGF-1 while retaining the endogenous pulsatile pattern. In randomized trials it selectively reduced visceral adipose tissue, which is the basis of its approval for HIV-associated lipodystrophy.
Reference notes
- FDA-approved (2010) — the most clinically established compound in this GH-secretagogue group.
- Its signature clinical effect is a reduction in visceral, not subcutaneous, fat.
- Because the GH is released through the pituitary, it stays feedback-regulated rather than overriding the axis.
Selected literature
Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.
- 1.Tesamorelin: a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue for HIV-associated lipodystrophy · The Annals of pharmacotherapy, 2012 · PMID 22298602
- 2.Tesamorelin: a review of its use in the management of HIV-associated lipodystrophy · Drugs, 2011 · PMID 21668043
- 3.Efficacy and safety of tesamorelin in people with HIV on integrase inhibitors · AIDS (London, England), 2024 · PMID 38905488