Tesamorelin Dosage: The Approved Indication and What Sits Outside It

Tesamorelin is an approved drug, and its approval is narrow: reduction of excess visceral abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. It is marketed as Egrifta, and the labelled dose is 2 mg once daily by subcutaneous injection.

That single fact does more work than any dosing chart, because virtually every use discussed in research and fitness contexts sits outside the population the drug was studied and approved for.

What it is

Tesamorelin is a synthetic analogue of growth hormone-releasing hormone — the full 44-amino-acid GHRH with a modification that resists enzymatic degradation, giving it a longer half-life than sermorelin.

Like every GHRH analogue it is a secretagogue: it prompts the pituitary to release its own growth hormone rather than supplying hormone directly, so the effect is bounded by what the pituitary can produce.

The approved dose

Trial evidence for the indication came from randomised studies measuring visceral adipose tissue by CT over 26 to 52 weeks — a specific endpoint in a specific population, which is what an approval rests on.

The vial math

Research-grade tesamorelin arrives lyophilised and needs reconstituting. At the 2 mg scale, diluent choice matters a great deal for measurement accuracy.

The peptide calculator converts any vial size and target directly into units.

Storage

Storage is the same as any reconstituted vial: 2–8 °C, protected from light, never frozen, and bounded by the shorter of peptide stability and the 28-day limit on bacteriostatic water. The bacteriostatic water guide covers the detail.

Why it is discussed outside the approved indication

Tesamorelin was approved for visceral fat reduction in a specific population, and visceral fat is not unique to that population. That is the whole reason interest extends beyond the label.

The inference is not unreasonable, but it skips what an approval actually rests on. The trials enrolled people with HIV-associated lipodystrophy — a condition with its own metabolic characteristics, in people on antiretroviral therapy, monitored throughout. An effect measured in that context is evidence about that context.

• The endpoint was imaging-based. Visceral adipose tissue measured by CT is a specific anatomical measurement, not general body composition or weight.

• The comparison group matters. Effect sizes are relative to placebo in the enrolled population, and do not transfer directly to a different starting point.

• Monitoring was part of the protocol. GHRH analogues affect the GH/IGF-1 axis, and trials tracked that. Unmonitored use removes the part of the design that catches problems.

Frequently asked questions

Is tesamorelin the same as sermorelin?

Both are GHRH analogues, but tesamorelin is the full 44-amino-acid sequence with a stabilising modification, where sermorelin is the 1-29 fragment. Tesamorelin remains approved; sermorelin was withdrawn.

Why is the daily schedule different from CJC-1295?

Half-life. Tesamorelin is labelled for daily administration; CJC-1295 with DAC circulates for days and is discussed on a weekly cadence. The CJC-1295 guide covers why that distinction matters.

Does it need refrigeration?

Once reconstituted, yes — 2–8 °C, never frozen, with the usual beyond-use limits.