Growth-hormone peptides · Evidence comparison
Sermorelin vs Tesamorelin
Two GHRH-analog peptides with real regulatory histories — one formerly approved, one currently approved — often compared for body composition.
Sermorelin
Tesamorelin
Headline claim shown. Grades are claim-specific — see the full breakdown below.
The evidence, side by side
Every graded claim from each brief. Grades are read straight from the source-checked briefs — one molecule can be strong for one use and weak for another.
Growth hormone / longevity (GHRH analog)
Sermorelin
Evidence grades
Metabolic / fat reduction (GHRH analog)
Tesamorelin
Evidence grades
Regulatory status at a glance
Sermorelin
Formerly FDA-approved as Geref (sermorelin acetate): the 0.5 mg and 1.0 mg vials were approved to treat idiopathic growth-hormone deficiency in children with growth failure, and a 0.05 mg formulation was approved as a diagnostic to test the pituitary's ability to secrete growth hormone. The manufacturer discontinued it and the FDA withdrew approval in 2009 — and the FDA expressly determined this was NOT for reasons of safety or effectiveness, but commercial (it could not compete with recombinant human growth hormone). No FDA-approved sermorelin product is currently marketed in the US; it is now supplied mainly through compounding pharmacies and the gray market, and its popular off-label use for anti-aging, body composition, and 'GH optimization' in healthy adults is unapproved. As a growth-hormone-releasing factor it is prohibited in sport by WADA (category S2). Status varies by country and can change; this is not medical or legal advice.
Tesamorelin
FDA-approved prescription drug (Egrifta, Egrifta SV, Egrifta WR; tesamorelin), approved November 2010 for the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy — its only approved indication. A synthetic GHRH (growth-hormone-releasing factor) analog given by daily subcutaneous injection. Contraindicated in active malignancy, pregnancy, and disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis; can raise blood sugar (glucose intolerance / diabetes). Use for general body composition, muscle building, or anti-aging in people without HIV-associated lipodystrophy is off-label and not FDA-approved. Tesamorelin sold online as a 'research chemical' is not the approved product. Prohibited in sport by WADA (S2, growth-hormone-releasing factors).
Key differences
- Tesamorelin is currently FDA-approved (Egrifta) and graded S+ for visceral-fat reduction in HIV lipodystrophy; sermorelin was formerly approved (Geref) and is graded S for raising GH/IGF-1 with modest body-composition change in older adults.
- Neither is approved for anti-aging or body composition in healthy adults — those uses are graded B for both.
- Tesamorelin can raise blood sugar; sermorelin was withdrawn for commercial (not safety) reasons and is now compounded/gray-market.
- Both are WADA-banned.
The bottom line
Both have legitimate approval histories and real but narrow human data; neither is proven for the healthy-adult 'GH optimization' use they're sought for. We don't recommend either — we show the approved use, the grade behind it, and where the evidence stops.
PeptideIQ Base does not recommend, rank, or endorse any peptide, dose, or product. We grade the strength of the evidence so you can read it for yourself.
Read the full briefs
Full evidence brief
Sermorelin →
A growth-hormone-releasing hormone analog that prompts the pituitary to make its own growth hormone; it was once FDA-approved (Geref) for childhood growth-hormone deficiency before being withdrawn for commercial — not safety — reasons, and is now sold compounded and off-label for anti-aging, where the human evidence is real but small.
Full evidence brief
Tesamorelin →
The FDA-approved GHRH analog (Egrifta) — proven in trials to shrink excess visceral abdominal fat, but only approved for HIV-associated lipodystrophy; its popular off-label use for general fat loss and anti-aging in healthy people is unstudied, and it raises blood sugar.
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