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Tesamorelin Source

A stripped-back reading of the tesamorelin literature — the GHRH-analogue mechanism, the visceral-fat trials, and the regulatory line, set in plain type with nothing in the way.

The papers used here

Tesamorelin references, listed by study

Researchers made the drug to last longer than a natural signal. These papers show the trials, safety checks, and later reviews that followed.

Return to the findingsReturn to the first page

How can you check a study here?

Each number on the site points to one paper below. The list includes two main Phase 3 HIV trials. It also has liver-fat work and a study in healthy men. Reviews from 2026 appear here too.

Some full papers cost money to read. PubMed is a public list of medical papers. Its link often opens a free short summary. A DOI is a paper’s permanent ID and may open the publisher’s page.

Start with PubMed if you want the free summary. The references and citations tie each finding to its paper. You can see who took part and what happened.

  1. Falutz J, Allas S, Blot K, Potvin D, Kotler D, Somero M, Berger D, et al. Metabolic effects of a growth hormone-releasing factor in patients with HIV. N Engl J Med. 2007;357(23):2359-2370. ↗
  2. Falutz J, Allas S, Mamputu JC, Potvin D, Kotler D, Somero M, Berger D, Brown S, Richmond G, Fessel J, Turner R, Grinspoon S. Long-term safety and effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation. AIDS. 2008;22(14):1719-1728. ↗
  3. Stanley TL, Feldpausch MN, Oh J, Branch KL, Lee H, Torriani M, Grinspoon SK. Effect of tesamorelin on visceral fat and liver fat in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2014;312(4):380-389. ↗
  4. Stanley TL, Chen CY, Branch KL, Makimura H, Grinspoon SK. Effects of a growth hormone-releasing hormone analog on endogenous GH pulsatility and insulin sensitivity in healthy men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011;96(1):150-158. ↗
  5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Tesamorelin. In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. Bethesda (MD): NCBI Bookshelf (NIH); 2018. ↗
  6. Jain S, Desai N, Bhangoo A. Pathophysiology of GHRH-growth hormone-IGF1 axis in HIV/AIDS. Rev Endocr Metab Disord. 2013;14:113-118. ↗
  7. Falutz J, et al. Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in HIV-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;95:4291-4304. ↗
  8. Spooner LM, Olin JL. Tesamorelin: a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue for HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Ann Pharmacother. 2012;46(2):240-247. ↗
  9. Stanley TL, Falutz J, Mamputu JC, Soulban G, Potvin D, Grinspoon SK. Effects of tesamorelin on inflammatory markers in HIV patients with excess abdominal fat: relationship with visceral adipose reduction. AIDS. 2011;25(10):1281-1288. ↗
  10. Lake JE, La K, Erlandson KM, Adrian S, Yenokyan G, Scherzinger A, Dube MP, Stanley T, Grinspoon S, Falutz J, Mamputu JC, Marsolais C, McComsey GA, Brown TT. Tesamorelin improves fat quality independent of changes in fat quantity. AIDS. 2021;35(9):1395-1402. ↗
  11. Mangili A, Falutz J, Mamputu JC, Stepanians M, Hayward B. Predictors of treatment response to tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in HIV-infected patients with excess abdominal fat. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0140358. ↗
  12. Rahman F, McLaughlin T, Mesquita P, Morin J, Potvin D, De Chantal M, Aberg JA. Effect of tesamorelin in people with HIV with and without dorsocervical fat: post hoc analysis of phase III double-blind placebo-controlled trial. J Clin Transl Sci. 2023;7(1):e40. ↗
  13. Badran AS, et al. Body composition, hepatic fat, metabolic, and safety outcomes of tesamorelin, a GHRH analogue, in HIV-associated lipodystrophy: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2026. ↗
  14. Mayfield CK, et al. Injectable peptide therapy: a primer for orthopaedic and sports medicine physicians. Am J Sports Med. 2026. ↗
  15. Villegas Meza AD, et al. Injectable peptides in sports medicine: a structured narrative review of evidence, safety, and antidoping implications. JBJS Rev. 2026. ↗
  16. Gonzalez-Sales M, et al. Population pharmacokinetic analysis of tesamorelin (apparent plasma clearance ~1,060 L/h; ~13% higher absorbed fraction by day 14). 2015. PMID 25358450. ↗