Sermorelin vs tesamorelin

Compare the available forms

Sequel lists sermorelin as oral Vitality and an injection, and tesamorelin as an injection. Compare the formats and treatment contexts below, then discuss your goals with a licensed clinician.

Sequel’s product options

Explore Vitality oral and Sermorelin injectable, or Tesamorelin injectable. Your clinician can discuss which option, if any, is appropriate for you.

Sermorelin

Studied use

GEREF, the reference sermorelin injection, was indicated for idiopathic growth hormone deficiency, meaning deficiency with no identified cause, in children with growth failure. A separate GEREF presentation was used to test whether the pituitary gland could release growth hormone. The manufacturer discontinued both products, and the FDA GEREF notice records that FDA withdrew the approvals in 2009. That history is not evidence for adult anti-aging use or for an oral form.

FDA notice: discontinued GEREF injections were not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness

Tesamorelin

Studied use

EGRIFTA SV, the reference tesamorelin injection, is indicated to reduce excess abdominal fat in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy. It is not indicated for weight-loss management; the label describes its effect on weight as neutral. Its long-term cardiovascular safety has not been established. That studied use belongs to the reference injection, not to a Sequel formulation.

EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) injection prescribing information

Tesamorelin

Growth hormone response

In its reference injection, EGRIFTA SV, tesamorelin stimulates growth hormone release and subsequently raises IGF-1. IGF-1 is a growth factor, not a benefit in itself. This describes how the reference injection acts. A mechanism on its own does not make either peptide the better choice.

EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) injection prescribing information

What the tesamorelin studies showed

EGRIFTA was tested in placebo-controlled studies with a 26-week main phase, followed by an extension phase, in adults with HIV-associated lipodystrophy and excess abdominal fat. The main measure was visceral fat, the fat stored deep inside the abdomen.

Over the main phase in Study 1, visceral fat fell by an average of 18% with EGRIFTA versus a 2% rise with placebo. In Study 2, it fell by an average of 14% versus a 2% reduction with placebo. These are changes in abdominal fat, not reductions in body weight.

EGRIFTA SV, the current product, is linked to those studies by a demonstration of comparable bioavailability, meaning similar drug exposure, between the reference formulations. That bridge says nothing about a Sequel formulation, and the studies did not compare tesamorelin with sermorelin.

EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) injection prescribing information

Safety

The EGRIFTA SV label rules out use in people with disruption of the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, the brain's hormone control system, active cancer, known allergy to tesamorelin or its other ingredients, or pregnancy.

Separately, the label calls for checking blood sugar before and during treatment, monitoring IGF-1 levels, and watching for fluid retention. Those points describe the reference injection. Review the actual formulation and its risks with a clinician; nothing here establishes that risk profile for a Sequel product or for sermorelin.

EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) injection prescribing information

How care works at Sequel

Share your health history online. A licensed clinician reviews it and prescribes only if treatment is right for you. If prescribed, a pharmacy ships your treatment. You can track your care in the patient portal. Sequel serves adults in every state except Louisiana and Mississippi.

Common questions

Does injected sermorelin research establish oral results?

No. The GRF1-29 study gave the peptide by intravenous injection to five healthy volunteers and measured a growth hormone response. That result cannot establish what an oral melt does or whether it delivers any clinical benefit.

Stimulation of growth hormone secretion with human growth hormone releasing factors in normal subjects