A plain-spoken corporate-clarity digest of the tesamorelin research record — what the GHRH-analogue trials measured for visceral fat, the GH/IGF-1 axis, and metabolic safety, with the approved-vs-off-label scope stated plainly.
Tesa Direct

Research digest / sources

Tesamorelin references and citations.

Every figure on this site traces to one of these sources — the pivotal trials, the JAMA and PLoS One studies, the population PK model, the LiverTox monograph, and the 2026 meta-analysis.

Read the researchSide effects and safety

How to read this list

Each entry is numbered to match the inline markers used across the site. Quantitative claims — visceral-fat percentages, IGF-1 changes, half-life and clearance figures, glucose-safety outcomes, the contraindications — carry the bracketed number of the source below. Entries link to PubMed or the NIH Bookshelf; DOIs are listed where assigned. Secondary half-life figures (the ~26-38 minute terminal half-life) are attributed in the body to the FDA label and Mayo Clinic as secondary sources, distinct from the population PK clearance figure of reference 10.

  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. 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. ↗
  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. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. NCBI Bookshelf (NIH); 2018. ↗
  6. 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. ↗
  7. Clemmons DR, Miller S, Mamputu JC. Safety and metabolic effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. PLoS One. 2017;12(6):e0179538. ↗
  8. Falutz J, et al. A placebo-controlled, dose-ranging study of a growth hormone releasing factor in HIV-infected patients with abdominal fat accumulation. AIDS. 2005;19:1279-1287. ↗
  9. Stanley TL, et al. Relationship of IGF-1 and IGF-binding proteins to disease severity and glycemia in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021;106:e520-e533. ↗
  10. Gonzalez-Sales M, Barriere O, Tremblay PO, Nekka F, Mamputu JC, Boudreault S, Tanguay M. Population pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic analysis of tesamorelin in HIV-infected patients and healthy subjects. J Pharmacokinet Pharmacodyn. 2015;42(3):287-299. ↗
  11. 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. ↗
  12. 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. ↗
  13. 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. ↗
  14. 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. ↗