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Tesamorelin and sermorelin are the two GHRH analogs that actually reached FDA approval — which already sets them apart from research GHRH compounds like CJC-1295. Both stimulate the pituitary to release the body’s own growth hormone. The differences are length, indication, and whether they are still on the market.
Research reference only. Not medical advice, prescribing guidance, or a product recommendation.
| Dimension | Tesamorelin | Sermorelin |
|---|---|---|
| Fragment | Full-length GHRH(1-44) analog | GHRH(1-29) — shortest fully active fragment |
| Receptor | GHRH receptor (GHRHR) | GHRH receptor (GHRHR) |
| Key modification | N-terminal trans-3-hexenoic acid (stabilized) | None — the unmodified fragment |
| GH release | Endogenous, feedback-preserving | Endogenous, discrete physiologic pulse |
| FDA approval | Approved 2010 (Egrifta) — current | Approved 1990 (Geref) — discontinued commercially |
| Approved use | Excess visceral fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy | GH-deficiency evaluation / pediatric GH deficiency (historical) |
| Status today | Marketed drug | Referenced as a research compound |
| Molecular weight | 5135.9 Da | 3358 Da |
Sermorelin is the minimalist: the first 29 residues of GHRH, the shortest piece that keeps full GH-releasing activity. It binds the GHRH receptor and prompts a short, discrete pulse of the body’s own growth hormone, preserving the natural somatostatin feedback loop. It was FDA-approved in 1990 as Geref — used to evaluate pituitary GH reserve and treat pediatric GH deficiency — but was later discontinued commercially, so today it is referenced mainly as a research compound.
Tesamorelin keeps the whole 44-residue GHRH sequence and stabilizes it with a trans-3-hexenoic acid group at the N-terminus, protecting it from rapid breakdown. That fuller, stabilized molecule is the only GHRH analog with a current FDA approval: Egrifta (2010), for reducing excess visceral abdominal fat in people with HIV-associated lipodystrophy, backed by completed Phase 3 trials. So the two bracket the GHRH-analog story — the original, truncated, now-discontinued fragment and the full-length, stabilized, still-marketed successor — with CJC-1295, the never-approved research modification of the same family, sitting between them in ambition but not in evidence.
Both are GHRH-receptor agonists that raise endogenous GH while preserving feedback, and both cleared FDA approval — but only tesamorelin is still on the market, with a specific visceral-fat indication and Phase 3 evidence behind it. Sermorelin is the historical original, a short GHRH(1-29) fragment approved in 1990 and since discontinued, now a research reference. For a characterized GHRH analog in current use, tesamorelin is the benchmark; sermorelin is the lineage it grew out of. This page is a research and educational reference.
Both are GHRH-receptor agonists that stimulate the pituitary to release growth hormone. Sermorelin is the GHRH(1-29) fragment — the shortest fully active piece — approved in 1990 (Geref) and later discontinued. Tesamorelin is a stabilized full-length GHRH(1-44) analog, FDA-approved in 2010 (Egrifta) for HIV-associated visceral fat and still marketed.
Both reached FDA approval, but only tesamorelin (Egrifta, 2010) is currently marketed. Sermorelin (Geref, 1990) was approved and later discontinued commercially. They are the two GHRH analogs to have been approved — unlike CJC-1295, which is a research compound.
Both raise the body’s own GH and preserve feedback rather than supplying GH directly. Sermorelin’s short half-life produces a discrete pulse; tesamorelin is also short-acting and dosed daily. Neither creates the sustained, pulsatility-blunting elevation of a long-acting DAC-modified analog.
Tesamorelin is approved to reduce excess visceral abdominal fat in HIV-associated lipodystrophy. Sermorelin was approved for GH-deficiency evaluation and pediatric GH deficiency before being discontinued. This page is a research and educational reference, not medical advice.
Mechanism, evidence, and trade-offs between Tesamorelin and Sermorelin — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.