Tesamorelin

Egrifta

Tesamorelin is a synthetic 44-amino-acid growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) analog stabilized against rapid enzymatic degradation by an N-terminal trans-3-hexenoic acid modification. It is FDA-approved as Egrifta for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy. Among GHRH-class peptides it has the most robust clinical dataset for systemic effects — multiple phase-3 trials have documented 15–20% reductions in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) via CT imaging after 26 weeks of daily subcutaneous dosing. Beyond its approved indication, tesamorelin has been investigated in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) — where it reduced liver fat fraction measured by MRS — and in cognitive endpoints in older adults with mild cognitive impairment, where improvements in executive function have been reported. Dosing in clinical trials is typically 2 mg subcutaneously once daily; IGF-1 monitoring is standard because GHRH-class agents raise IGF-1 levels substantially.