Tesamorelin vs sermorelin
Last updated: October 3, 2026 · 5 min read · By the Grey Peptides Editorial Board
- Both copy growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) and make the pituitary release more growth hormone; WADA names both in S2.2.4.
- Tesamorelin is a current prescription drug (EGRIFTA) for abdominal fat in adults with HIV, backed by phase 3 trials in 806 people and a label that requires IGF-1 and glucose monitoring.
- Sermorelin was approved as Geref for children with growth hormone deficiency and has been discontinued; its human data are mostly diagnostic and short dosing studies, with no modern adult trials.
Side by side
Tesamorelin High and sermorelin Medium are both analogues of growth hormone-releasing hormone, the hypothalamic signal that tells the pituitary to release growth hormone, which in turn raises IGF-1. Sermorelin is the shorter of the two: GRF(1-29) amide, the first 29 amino acids of human GHRH 1. Both are named in section S2.2.4 of WADA's 2026 Prohibited List 1. The table is read from our encyclopedia entries.
| Field | Tesamorelin | Sermorelin |
|---|---|---|
| Encyclopedia entry | Tesamorelin Full entry | Sermorelin Full entry |
| Molecule class | Peptide | Peptide |
| Category | Growth Hormone | Growth Hormone |
| FDA status | FDA Approved | Discontinued |
| Approved elsewhere | None recorded | None recorded |
| Evidence grade | High | Medium |
| Half-life | 8–11 minutes (current labels) | Not established in our sources |
| Formula | C221H366N72O67S | C149H246N44O42S |
| Molecular weight | 5,135.0 g/mol | 3,357.9 g/mol |
| WADA 2026 | Prohibited at all times (S2.2.4) | Prohibited at all times (S2.2.4) |
| WADA 2027 | Prohibited at all times (S2.2.4) | Prohibited at all times (S2.2.4) |
| In one line | An FDA-approved GHRH analog for reducing excess visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy. | GHRH's first 29 amino acids, sold in the US as Geref (approved 1990 and 1997) to test and treat childhood growth hormone deficiency until it was discontinued, not for safety reasons. |
| Mechanism | Synthetic analogue of human GHRH(1-44) that binds pituitary GHRH receptors and raises basal and pulsatile release of the body's own growth hormone, and with it IGF-1. In trials it reduced visceral fat but not subcutaneous fat, and the loss reversed when treatment stopped. It needs an intact pituitary, and it can raise IGF-1 above the normal range and impair glucose tolerance. | GHRH receptor agonist: the 29-amino-acid active fragment of GHRH, which stimulates growth hormone secretion from the anterior pituitary. Used as a 1 µg/kg intravenous test of pituitary reserve (a normal response cannot exclude hypothalamic deficiency) and, as Geref, as a nightly treatment for children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. |
| Sources in the entry | 20 | 9 |
| Study cards | 15 | 6 |
| Dosage page | Dosage page | Dosage page |
Tesamorelin: an approved drug with phase 3 data
Tesamorelin is sold as EGRIFTA SV (1.4 mg once daily) and EGRIFTA WR (1.28 mg once daily) for excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV and lipodystrophy 1. Its approval rests on two phase 3 trials: pooled, 806 people randomised 2:1 to 2 mg a day or placebo saw visceral fat fall by 24 cm² against a 2 cm² rise, a treatment effect of -15.4% at 26 weeks, with no significant change in fat under the skin 2. In the extension, people kept the benefit only while they kept taking it; those switched to placebo regained visceral fat 3. Because it raises growth hormone, its label requires monitoring of IGF-1 and blood sugar, which our tesamorelin guide covers in detail.
Sermorelin: a former drug with an older record
Sermorelin was approved in the US as Geref: a diagnostic ampoule in 1990 and treatment vials in 1997 for children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. Both products were discontinued, and in 2013 the FDA determined that Geref had not been withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness 1. Its human literature reflects that history. A review of its paediatric use describes an intravenous dose of 1 microgram per kilogram as a rapid and relatively specific diagnostic test 4; six days of injections in short children who had failed a first test raised the response to a repeat test in half of them 5; and a nasal dose raised growth hormone promptly in five children 6. A laboratory study found that GRF(1-29) amide forms complexes with proteins such as albumin in plasma, one of the practical problems with the short peptide 7.
What separates them
The practical differences come down to status and evidence. Tesamorelin has a current label, a defined patient group, a known dose for each formulation and measured outcomes, including the fact that the fat returns when it is stopped 2 3. Sermorelin has a regulatory history but no current product, and its studies measured growth hormone responses in children rather than outcomes in adults 4 5. Neither has trials for the uses people buy them for online, such as body composition or anti-ageing in healthy adults.
They are also not interchangeable chemically: tesamorelin is a modified full-length GHRH, while sermorelin is the 29-amino-acid fragment 1. The two EGRIFTA formulations are not even interchangeable with each other, according to the label, because their doses and preparation differ 1.
Safety and monitoring
Tesamorelin's label lists fluid retention, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, glucose intolerance and raised IGF-1, and contraindicates it in active cancer 1. Sermorelin's paediatric studies reported few problems, but they were small and short and do not describe long-term adult use 4. Anything that raises growth hormone raises IGF-1, and in the tesamorelin trials 36% of patients had IGF-1 above 3 standard deviation scores by 26 weeks 1, which is why monitoring matters for either.
How the differences add up (as of October 3, 2026)
Tesamorelin is the GHRH analogue with an approval, modern trials and a label; sermorelin is the one with a discontinued approval and an older, paediatric evidence base. Both are banned in sport. For anyone weighing either outside an approved use, the shared point is that raising growth hormone has measurable effects on IGF-1 and blood sugar that need medical monitoring. Doses on this page are those in our entries' sources, not recommendations.
Frequently asked questions
Is tesamorelin better than sermorelin?
They have very different evidence. Tesamorelin is approved, with phase 3 trials in 806 people; sermorelin's approval was for children with growth hormone deficiency and its products are discontinued.
Are tesamorelin and sermorelin the same thing?
No. Both are GHRH analogues, but sermorelin is the 29-amino-acid fragment and tesamorelin a modified full-length GHRH, with different approvals and data.
Are they banned in sport?
Yes. WADA's 2026 List names both in section S2.2.4.
Related on Grey Peptides
Sources
- Grey Peptides dataset records for both compounds (status, half-life and studied doses as sourced on each entry); read October 2, 2026.
- Falutz, J., et al. (2010). Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in human immunodeficiency virus-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, 95(9), 4291-304. PMID: 20554713
- Falutz, J., et al. (2008). Long-term safety and effects of tesamorelin, a growth hormone-releasing factor analogue, in HIV patients with abdominal fat accumulation. AIDS, 22(14), 1719-28. PMID: 18690162
- Prakash, A., et al. (1999). Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs, 12(2), 139-57. PMID: 18031173
- Bueno, G., et al. (1994). Priming with GHRH (1-29) NH2: an aid in differential diagnosis between hypothalamic and pituitary deficiencies. J Pediatr Endocrinol, 7(4), 309-16. PMID: 7735368
- Borkenstein, M. (1986). The effects of intranasal insufflation of growth hormone releasing factor analogue GRF 1-29 NH2 on growth hormone secretion in children with short stature. Acta Endocrinol Suppl (Copenh), 279, 135-8. PMID: 2877535
- Mariette, B., et al. (2005). Interactions of GRF(1-29)NH2 with plasma proteins and their effects on the release of the peptide from a PLAGA matrix. J Control Release, 106(3), 253-62. PMID: 15987661
Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose in this guide names its source, an approved label or a published study. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose.
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