Tesamorelin: research, legal status and who sells it

What it is

Tesamorelin is a synthetic analogue of human growth hormone-releasing hormone that stimulates the body’s own production and release of growth hormone [8]. It is the active ingredient in Egrifta [1].

Research status

In a 26-week trial in 412 people with HIV and excess abdominal fat, visceral (deep abdominal) fat fell by 15.2% with tesamorelin and rose by 5.0% with placebo, triglycerides fell, and IGF-I levels rose by 81% [9]. A review found that the reduction was maintained while treatment continued but that visceral fat came back after stopping; the main adverse events were injection-site reactions and effects typical of growth hormone therapy, such as joint pain and swelling [8]. A 2026 review for sports-medicine physicians found no evidence supporting tesamorelin for musculoskeletal conditions [10].

Regulatory status

The FDA approved Egrifta in November 2010; the application has been treated as a biologics licence since 2020 [1]. An EU marketing application was withdrawn in 2012 [3], and Health Canada lists Egrifta as cancelled after marketing [5]. Australia’s Poisons Standard places growth hormone releasing hormones in Schedule 4 with possession controls [6], and WADA names tesamorelin as a prohibited growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue [7].

Quality and testing considerations

In the US, Egrifta is available only on prescription [1]. Vials sold as “research” tesamorelin are not Egrifta and are not covered by its approval [1]. Anti-doping laboratories analyzing black-market growth-hormone products have found unexpected or modified peptides, including analogues that differ from well-known sequences [11][12]. A credible lab report should confirm identity by mass spectrometry and give a measured purity for the specific batch.

Where it’s sold

Outside prescriptions for Egrifta, tesamorelin is sold by research-chemical vendors; the tables below track those listings.