The short version
Tesamorelin prompts the release of growth hormone. Egrifta WR is a prescription product for excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, a condition involving changes in body-fat distribution.
Prescription status is product-specific. A recognized ingredient name does not make every preparation equivalent.
Names you may see
Compound names, research identifiers, brand names and informal shorthand serve different purposes.
- Tesamorelin
- Entry name · The name used for this encyclopedia topic.
- Egrifta
- Brand name · A specific prescription product; the brand does not apply to every preparation.
- Egrifta WR
- Brand name · A specific prescription product; the brand does not apply to every preparation.
- Egrifta SV
- Brand name · A specific prescription product; the brand does not apply to every preparation.
Similar names do not establish identical ingredients, molecular variants, product quality or interchangeable preparations. A blend nickname may describe different formulas.
Things worth checking
Which monitoring does the prescription label address?
The Egrifta WR label addresses blood-glucose assessment before and during therapy, and IGF-1 monitoring during treatment. Ask the prescriber how these apply to your history. This guidance concerns the labeled product, not a tesamorelin/ipamorelin blend.
Prescribing-label guidance · DailyMed · Egrifta WR prescribing information ↗
Questions to bring to a clinician or pharmacist
- Which findings apply to my goal and medical history?
- Could my medicines, supplements, or other compounds change the assessment?
- What monitoring, if any, would inform a decision—and what symptoms would need evaluation?
Monitoring is individual. Normal bloodwork does not establish that a compound or preparation is safe.
Clinical research
Product-label evidence concerns a defined condition and population. It should not be extended to general fat loss or a tesamorelin/ipamorelin blend.
HIV-associated abdominal fat trial (2007)
Summary based on: Published abstract
- Study design
- Randomized, placebo-controlled trial; 26 weeks.
- Who was studied
- 412 adults with HIV and accumulated abdominal fat; 86% were men.
- Route and preparation
- Subcutaneous injection; the historical study preparation.
- What was compared
- Daily injected tesamorelin versus placebo. This describes the study, not a recommended regimen.
- What researchers found
- CT scans showed a reduction in deep abdominal fat with tesamorelin compared with placebo.
- What this leaves unanswered
- This population and fat-distribution outcome do not establish general weight-loss benefits, athletic performance, or the effects of adding ipamorelin.
Research terms in everyday language ↗
Selected original-study summary; broader literature review, full safety extraction and editorial sign-off are pending.
Read findings in the context of the exact product or preparation, the people studied, and the outcome measured. These draft profiles are starting points, rather than complete systematic reviews.
Community research
Structured community reports can help identify questions worth studying. They are considered separately from controlled studies, with their limitations kept visible.
No community reports published yet.
This profile has no published community dataset. We do not infer a trend or a benefit from missing reports.
How community research will work ↗What we will document about community advice
- The advice
- What people recommend, with dated sources and the scope of the discussions examined.
- The reasoning
- Why contributors believe it helps, without treating that explanation as an established mechanism.
- The evidence
- What supports the claim, contradicts it, or has not been tested.
- The cautions
- Possible downsides, conflicting experiences, and questions for a clinician or pharmacist.
No recommendation or community consensus is established by this framework. Descriptions of how common advice is will need documented source coverage.
A closer look
- Classification
- Growth hormone-releasing factor analog
- Name variations
- Names you may see and important distinctions
- Source type
- U.S. prescribing information
- Reference jurisdiction
- United States
A receptor is a structure that receives a chemical signal. An agonist activates a receptor. The mechanism section of the linked label explains the relevant pathway in greater detail.
This first design edition reserves space for study-by-study summaries, definitions, and technical references as each profile receives editorial review.
Go to the source
Study cards identify whether the summary uses an abstract, full text, or an agency assessment. Follow the linked sources for their original context.
Source reference · Checked 7 November 2026 · Opens in a new tab
For athletes: competition rules are a separate check ↗