Is tesamorelin FDA-approved?
Yes, but narrowly. Tesamorelin has been FDA-approved since 2010 under the brand name Egrifta, solely to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, and it remains the only treatment approved in the US for that indication; a longer-acting formulation, EGRIFTA WR, was approved in 2025. Approval attaches to that specific indication, so the body-composition and anti-aging uses clinics more often discuss fall outside it and would be off-label.
Is tesamorelin legal in the UK?
It is not licensed here. Tesamorelin holds no MHRA or EMA marketing authorisation for any indication — the European application was withdrawn by its sponsor in 2012 and never resubmitted — so the US Egrifta approval does not carry across. Any UK clinical use sits under unlicensed-medicine rules, typically as a named-patient import, with full responsibility resting on the prescribing clinician.
Is tesamorelin banned in sport?
Yes. Tesamorelin is named on the WADA prohibited list under growth hormone releasing factors, alongside sermorelin and CJC-1295, and is prohibited at all times rather than in competition only. Its FDA approval does not change that, because the class is defined by mechanism rather than by approval status. Any athlete subject to testing should treat it as banned.
Is tesamorelin the same as growth hormone (HGH)?
No. Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue, which prompts the body to release its own growth hormone rather than supplying growth hormone directly. Clinics sometimes present that as a more physiological approach, but it remains a prescription-only medicine that requires proper medical supervision.
What is tesamorelin used for?
Its approved use is reducing visceral abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, where pooled phase III data showed roughly a 15% reduction in visceral fat against placebo over 26 weeks. In directory terms, though, it usually appears in hormone, metabolic and body-composition clinic discussions among people without that condition — which is off-label, and where the evidence is considerably more limited.
Does Peptide Clinic Finder sell or recommend tesamorelin?
No. Peptide Clinic Finder is an informational directory. We do not sell tesamorelin, provide medical advice, or recommend its use, and this page gives no dosing or administration guidance — we help you compare how clinics position and supervise treatments so you can make an informed decision with a licensed clinician.