Growth Hormone
Tesamorelin
Egrifta
Boosts your own growth hormone specifically to target fat around the stomach. It does have a real medical approval, just for one narrow condition (fat gain linked to HIV treatment). Using it for general fat loss means going off-label, even under a private doctor's prescription.
analogue with multiple phase 3 trials for excess visceral abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy; evidence should not be generalized to routine obesity or wellness use.
How well studied
Tier Guide: A = Well studied, B = Some good studies, C = Early evidence & D = Barely studied
Backed by large human trials, so we have solid data on how it works and what it does.
UK status
How you could legitimately come across it here, if at all
No authorised UK medicine contains this, and we have no record of a routine UK clinic route. Material sold online is unregulated.
Evidence strength and UK regulatory status answer different questions.
Overview
How it works
Nudges the pituitary into releasing growth hormone in a natural rhythm, which in turn tells the body to burn fat specifically around the stomach.
Binds growth-hormone-releasing-hormone on the pituitary, triggering natural pulsatile GH release, which drives breakdown.
Reported benefits
- Randomised trials show clinically meaningful reductions in visceral abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy
- Effects on visceral fat diminish after treatment is stopped
- Evidence for routine obesity, bodybuilding or longevity use is not established
Who it's typically used for
Timeline to results
Safety & UK access
Dosage
US FDA EGRIFTA label, for HIV-infected adults with lipodystrophy and excess abdominal fat: 2 mg subcutaneously once daily for EGRIFTA SV. Newer EGRIFTA formulations use different strengths and instructions, so the label that matters is the one for the exact product. There is no licensed dose for general weight loss or for anyone outside that population, and no MHRA-licensed tesamorelin product in the UK.
Side effects
- Joint paincommon in the phase 3 trials in HIV-infected adults with lipodystrophy
- Injection site reactionsvery common in those same trials
- Swelling in the hands, feet or legsreported in those trials
- Muscle achesreported in those trials
- Worsening glucose tolerancemonitored in those trials; a recognised risk of raising growth hormone
Getting it in the UK
No authorised UK medicine contains this, and we have no record of a routine UK clinic route. Material sold online is unregulated.
Where it turns up
- Not routinely available in the UK
Tesamorelin has authorised uses in some countries, but no authorised UK medicinal product was identified in this audit. Foreign approval does not create a UK licence.
FDA-approved in the US for HIV lipodystrophy only; in the UK, prescribable off-label by a private doctor via the unlicensed-medicines route
MHRA: the UK regulator that assesses whether a medicine is safe and works before it can be authorised for use here. Something not being MHRA-licensed does not automatically mean it is illegal, and it does not mean it is safe.
This is background information about UK regulation, not advice about what you can or should obtain.
Evidence & sources
Why this rating?
The A to D rating shown above comes from our earlier editorial review and is still waiting to be migrated into the structured review record below. That is a gap in our record-keeping, not a sign the rating is wrong.
Evidence fingerprint
No route and indication scope has been published for this profile yet, so no fingerprint is shown.
Sources
Structured source audit not yet published for this profile. The references behind this page are being catalogued one compound at a time, and this one has not been through that process yet.
Content freshness
- Last reviewed
- 24 Sept 2026
- Regulatory status last checked
- 21 Aug 2026