The answer, first. Tesamorelin holds an approval for a specific indication. Sermorelin is graded ex-approved — it held an approval and no longer does, which is a materially different status from never having had one and from holding one now. On the published record tesamorelin is the better-established of the two.
Side by side
The same two axes this site applies to every compound, with nothing added for the comparison.
| Sermorelin | Tesamorelin | |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical evidence | ex-approved | approved |
| Community adoption | high | high |
| Category | growth hormone | growth hormone |
| Our summary | A GHRH fragment that was once an FDA-approved drug, marketed as Geref before being discontinued. That history gives it more human data than most GH peptides sold today. | A GHRH analog, FDA-approved as Egrifta for HIV-associated lipodystrophy. That approval means it carries real human efficacy data most GH peptides lack. |
| Full file | Sermorelin → | Tesamorelin → |
What actually separates them
Three differences that hold up against the published record, rather than against marketing.
What neither can tell you
- What is in the vial. A comparison between molecules says nothing about the contents of a specific lot. Only a certificate of analysis does, and most cover fewer measures than buyers assume — start with how to read a COA.
- A dose. This site describes what published protocols used and never prescribes.
- Which is right for you. That is a clinical question about an individual, and nothing here is medical advice.
Questions we get
Is sermorelin still approved?
Sermorelin is graded ex-approved on this site: it held an approval and no longer does. That is a different status from a compound that was never approved, and different again from one approved today. Withdrawal is not automatically a safety finding, but there is no current approved product to point to.
Is tesamorelin approved for the things it is sold for?
Tesamorelin holds an approval for a specific named indication. Approvals are narrow by construction — they attach to one indication, one dose and one manufactured product — and they do not extend to the off-label goals research-market vials are usually marketed against.
Does the shared mechanism make them equivalent?
No. Both are GHRH analogs, which is why they invite comparison, but a shared mechanism class does not transfer evidence or approval from one molecule to another. Each is graded on its own published record.