Evidence & concentration worksheet · Growth Hormone & Performance
Tesamorelin 20 mg
Evidence supports named, regulated products and indications. A research powder or different vial strength does not inherit the approved product's formulation, reconstitution, storage, or dosing instructions.
Evidence review
Approved dosing is product-specific
Evidence supports named, regulated products and indications. A research powder or different vial strength does not inherit the approved product's formulation, reconstitution, storage, or dosing instructions.
How it works
Tesamorelin is a synthetic analog of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH), the hypothalamic signal that stimulates pituitary growth-hormone release.[1][2][3] It works upstream of growth hormone rather than replacing growth hormone directly.
FDA-approved tesamorelin is sold in product-specific EGRIFTA formulations for reducing excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy.[1][2] EGRIFTA WR (11.6 mg per vial) and EGRIFTA SV (2 mg per vial) have different doses, reconstitution instructions, storage, and handling and are not substitutable. The approval does not cover general weight loss, bodybuilding, anti-aging, or a generic 10 mg research vial.
Benefits & side effects
Randomized evidence found reduced visceral adipose tissue in adults with HIV-associated abdominal fat accumulation compared with placebo, contributing to the product's narrow approval.[5] This should not be read as general weight-loss evidence: the labels explicitly state that tesamorelin is not indicated for weight-loss management.
JAMA and The Lancet HIV trials examined liver-fat outcomes in adults with HIV and reported reductions in hepatic fat.[8][9] These findings remain outside the approved indication. Claims about muscle gain, athletic performance, or anti-aging go beyond the cited human evidence.
Calculator
Concentration and measurement calculator
Use this only to check arithmetic from an authoritative product label, registered study protocol, or qualified clinician.
Arithmetic only — not a dose recommendation
Enter only a concentration and target supplied by an authoritative product label, a registered study protocol, or a qualified clinician. A correct conversion does not establish that a substance, vial, route, or dose is safe or effective.
Enter only a concentration and target supplied by an authoritative product label, a registered study protocol, or a qualified clinician. A correct conversion does not establish that a substance, vial, route, or dose is safe or effective.
Source concentration
Source-supplied target
References
References
- U.S. FDA — EGRIFTA WR prescribing information (11.6 mg vial) (2025)
- U.S. FDA — EGRIFTA SV prescribing information (2 mg vial) (2024)
- PubChem — Tesamorelin compound summary (2026)
- New England Journal of Medicine — Metabolic effects of growth hormone-releasing factor in HIV (2007)
- JAMA — Tesamorelin and hepatic fat in HIV (2014)
- The Lancet HIV — Tesamorelin and HIV-associated NAFLD (2019)
- Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism — CJC-1295 growth-hormone and IGF-1 stimulation (2006)
- PubMed — Ipamorelin research records (2026)
- U.S. FDA — Compounding and FDA: questions and answers (2026)