Tesamorelin

WHAT IT DOES

Tesamorelin is a synthetic analogue of human growth hormone-releasing hormone, modified with a trans-3-hexenoyl group at the N-terminus to resist degradation by dipeptidyl peptidase-4, which gives it a longer half-life than native GHRH. It binds GHRH receptors on the anterior pituitary and stimulates the pituitary to release the body's own growth hormone in a pulsatile pattern, rather than replacing growth hormone directly. That pulsatility is the pharmacological argument for it over recombinant growth hormone, since it preserves negative feedback through somatostatin and IGF-1 and appears less likely to force the insulin resistance seen with supraphysiologic exogenous growth hormone. Downstream, growth hormone drives hepatic IGF-1 production and promotes lipolysis in adipose tissue. Visceral fat is more responsive to this lipolytic signal than subcutaneous fat, which explains the consistent trial pattern of visceral fat falling while subcutaneous and limb fat are largely preserved. Because the mechanism depends on an intact hypothalamic-pituitary axis and on continuous stimulation, the effect is not durable: when injections stop, growth hormone pulses return to baseline and visceral fat re-accumulates, as demonstrated directly in the re-randomization arm of the Falutz 2010 extension study.

SAFETY PROFILE

Critical Interactions (Do Not Combine Without Medical Supervision)

Moderate Interactions (Monitor Closely)

Theoretical/Low-Risk Interactions