How people get it: By prescription, as a daily injection. FDA-approved only to reduce excess belly fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy.
FDA status, evidence and safety
Prescription drugPrescription, as a daily injection
- FDA status
- FDA-approved in 2010 as Egrifta (the current labels are Egrifta SV and Egrifta WR), only to reduce excess belly fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy. The label says it is not for weight loss. Not approved for aging. Drugs@FDA ↗FDA label ↗
- Its research stage
- Stage 2 although FDA-approved: the approval covers only belly fat in people with HIV. Stages count research on aging and the uses on this site's goal pages, and for those its trials in people are still small. The counts behind it
- In people so far
- 152 adults aged 55 to 87, some with mild memory problems, injected tesamorelin or a placebo each night for 20 weeks. Scores on thinking tests improved more on tesamorelin, mainly in planning and focus skills. PubMed ↗
- 404 people with HIV and excess belly fat: deep belly fat fell 10.9% in 6 months on tesamorelin, against 0.6% on placebo. PubMed ↗
- Safety
- In the 20-week trial in older adults, 68% on tesamorelin reported side effects (mild), against 36% on placebo, and insulin levels rose in those with mild memory problems. PubMed ↗
- The label says its long-term safety for the heart has not been established. FDA label ↗
- In sport
- Banned in sport at all times: WADA names tesamorelin among growth-hormone-releasing factors (class S2). WADA ↗
One of the peptides we follow. We don't give doses or say where to buy. Talk to your doctor before trying any of them.
The basics
We're still gathering this from reference sources like the NIH and MedlinePlus. Sections appear here once every sentence is checked against its source.
What it is
Not enough reliable information yet.
How it's thought to work
Not enough reliable information yet.
What people use it for
Not enough reliable information yet.
What the research has found so far
On Tesamorelin and aging, PubMed lists 9 trials in people, 1 studies that watched people over time, 0 animal and lab studies. See the counts and searches
Stage 2 because 9 published trials and 21 registered trials in people have been found, but no large ones yet.
A stage shows how far research has got, not whether it will work for you. How stages work
Side effects and risks
Not enough reliable information yet.
Who should be careful, and drug interactions
Not enough reliable information yet.
What to expect
Not enough reliable information yet.
Amounts used in studies
What studies or labels describe, not a recommendation.
Not enough reliable information yet.
Roughly what it costs
We don't have prices for this yet.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Is Tesamorelin a sensible option for me, given my health and the medicines I take?
- Could Tesamorelin interact with any medicine or supplement I already take?
- What side effects should I watch for, and when should I stop or call you?
- Would Tesamorelin be used for its approved purpose, or off-label for aging?
- How would we tell whether it is helping, and when should we review it?
This is general information gathered from the sources listed, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting anything new.
What experts say
No expert views collected yet. Each one we add names the person and links to where they said it.
Recent research
Tesamorelin reduced belly fat in people with HIV and fat changes
Four trials with 909 people found tesamorelin lowered belly fat and waist size.
Study plan tests a drug plus exercise for physical strength in older adults with HIV
This paper describes the plan for a trial, not its results.
Can a drug plus exercise improve physical function in adults with HIV?
This trial is testing whether tesamorelin, given with home exercise, helps people with HIV move better and build muscle.
Trials
None of the registered trials of Tesamorelin is one we have linked as aging-related yet.
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 21 registered trials that mention Tesamorelin, for any condition (the count in The science below). Here we show the ones about aging. See them all ↗
The science
Counted from PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov on Oct 30, 2026, using one search for Tesamorelin in relation to aging. Each link opens the exact search.
- Randomized trials in people
- 9 search ↗
- Large trials (multicenter or phase 3)
- 4 search ↗
- Phase 3 trials
- 2 search ↗
- Trials in people
- 9 search ↗
- Studies that watched people over time
- 1 search ↗
- Animal and lab studies
- 0 search ↗
- Registered trials
- 21 search ↗
PubMed search used
(tesamorelin[tiab] OR TH9507[tiab] OR egrifta[tiab]) AND (aging[tiab] OR ageing[tiab] OR longevity[tiab] OR healthspan[tiab] OR "older adults"[tiab] OR "older people"[tiab] OR elderly[tiab] OR "Aged"[mh])
Counts are search results, so they include some records that only mention Tesamorelin. How we count
Cite or share this page
Longevity Progress. (n.d.). Tesamorelin: Research stage and evidence. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://longevityprogress.com/treatments/tesamorelin
<iframe src="https://longevityprogress.com/embed/stage/tesamorelin" title="Tesamorelin: research stage on Longevity Progress" width="340" height="72" style="border:0" loading="lazy"></iframe>
The badge shows this treatment's current research stage and links back here. It updates by itself when the stage changes.