# Tesamorelin

A daily injection approved only for excess belly fat in adults with HIV. It is also sold off-label and on the gray market for fat loss, though its label says it is not for weight loss.

Also called: Egrifta WR, Egrifta SV
Source page: https://peplogue.com/peptides/tesamorelin/
Reviewed: 2026-10-12. Not medical advice.

## How it works

- Where it acts: Growth-hormone-releasing hormone receptors on the pituitary gland.
- What it changes: The pituitary releases more of the body's own growth hormone in pulses, which raises IGF-1.
- What people notice: Less deep belly fat over months in people with HIV-related fat build-up. Joint pain and swelling can occur.

## What the evidence shows

- **Belly fat in HIV-related lipodystrophy**: Proven. Deep abdominal fat fell 18% in one trial and 14% in another over 26 weeks, against little change on placebo. It comes back after stopping.
- **Liver fat in people with HIV**: Supported. A 61-person NIH-funded trial found 37% less liver fat after a year and less progression of scarring.
- **Fat loss or muscle gain outside HIV**: Early. A few small trials reported less deep belly fat. Not approved for this; the label says it is not for weight loss.

## Side effects and risks

- serious: Raises IGF-1, a growth signal. In trials about a third of people went well above the normal range.
- serious: Can raise blood sugar. New diabetes-range HbA1c appeared in 5% of people, against 1% on placebo.
- common: Injection-site reactions in about a quarter of people, joint pain and swelling from fluid.

Who should avoid it: Active cancer, pituitary disease or surgery, and pregnancy.

## How it is taken

Daily injection under the skin of the abdomen: 1.28 mg of the current Egrifta WR formulation. A prescriber checks IGF-1 and blood sugar during treatment.

## Legal status

- United States: undefined. Egrifta WR, only for excess belly fat in adults with HIV lipodystrophy.
- European Union: undefined. The EU application was withdrawn in 2012.
- Spain: undefined. No tesamorelin medicine is listed in CIMA, so Egrifta is not authorised in Spain. Foreign-medicine access (RD 1015/2009) exists in law; use not verified.
- Germany: undefined. No German or EU approval (EU application withdrawn 2012). A pharmacy may import it for one named patient on prescription under § 73 Abs. 3 AMG.
- France: undefined. Not authorised in France. We did not check the ANSM early-access list. Any online offer is an unapproved medicine.
- Italy: undefined. No Italian authorisation found; EU application withdrawn in 2012. On the WADA banned list for athletes. AIFA database not searchable by name.
- Netherlands: undefined. No Dutch registration found: no entry in the Farmacotherapeutisch Kompas, and the EU application was withdrawn in 2012. Banned in sport (WADA S2).
- United Kingdom: undefined. No UK license found.
- Canada: undefined. Egrifta is no longer authorized in Canada: both strengths were cancelled by July 2023.
- Australia: undefined

## Questions people ask

**Does tesamorelin work for weight loss?**

It is not approved for weight loss, and the label says it is not for that. A few small trials outside HIV reported less deep belly fat, which counts only as early evidence.

**What is tesamorelin approved for?**

Only for excess belly fat in adults with HIV lipodystrophy, sold in the US as Egrifta WR. Deep abdominal fat fell 18% in one trial and 14% in another over 26 weeks, and it comes back after stopping.

**What are the side effects of tesamorelin?**

Injection-site reactions in about a quarter of people, joint pain and swelling from fluid. It raises IGF-1, which went well above the normal range in about a third of people in trials, and it can raise blood sugar.

**Is tesamorelin approved outside the US?**

The EU application was withdrawn in 2012, and no UK license was found.

## Sources

- Egrifta WR US prescribing information (DailyMed): https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=839334d3-8c1d-4c26-9036-2ab524a6ea75
- Stanley et al. 2019: tesamorelin and liver fat in HIV: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6981288/
- EMA: Egrifta withdrawn application: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/medicines/human/withdrawn-applications/egrifta
- ArentFox Schiff: FDA letters to research-use-only vendors (Sep 2026): https://www.afslaw.com/perspectives/alerts/ruo-ined-five-peptide-vendors-learn-research-use-only-not-legal-strategy