Muscle & growth hormone
Tesamorelin: published research
A stabilised version of GHRH, the hypothalamus signal that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone. It is one of the best-studied compounds of its type in people, with several randomised trials measuring abdominal (visceral) fat, liver fat and growth-hormone markers.
Evidence at a glance
4 studies 2007–2014
- 4 Human trial
What researchers look at
- GHRH signalling
- Visceral fat
- Liver fat
- IGF-1 levels
What is still unknown
Most trials were in specific patient groups; results may not carry over to other people.
Studies in people
4- Human trial
In a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in adults with HIV and abdominal fat accumulation, tesamorelin reduced visceral fat and modestly reduced liver fat over six months.
Stanley TL, et al. Effect of tesamorelin on visceral fat and liver fat in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014. PMID 25038357
- Human trial
In a randomized placebo-controlled trial of 404 people with HIV and excess abdominal fat, daily tesamorelin reduced visceral fat over 6 months, by about 18% at 12 months in those who continued; the reduction was lost after switching to placebo.
Falutz J, et al. Effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor, in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized placebo-controlled trial with a safety extension. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. 2010. PMID 20101189
- Human trial
A pooled analysis of two phase 3 trials in 806 people with HIV and excess abdominal fat found that tesamorelin reduced visceral fat versus placebo at 26 weeks, without significant change in abdominal subcutaneous fat.
Falutz J, et al. Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2010. PMID 20554713
- Human trial
In a randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 412 adults with HIV and abdominal fat accumulation, tesamorelin reduced visceral fat by about 15% and improved triglycerides and cholesterol ratios.
Falutz J, et al. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV. New England Journal of Medicine. 2007. PMID 18057338
Short summaries of published studies, with links to the original papers. Results in animals or cells may not apply to people. This is not medical advice and not a guide to use.