Tesamorelin Approved to Treat Lipodystrophy in HIV-Infected Patients

The FDA has approved tesamorelin (Egrifta) to treat HIV-infected patients with lipodystrophy, a side effect of many antiretroviral agents.

The drug, a growth hormone-releasing factor, is given once daily as an injection.

Approval was based on two clinical trials, comprising some 800 patients, in which those treated with tesamorelin had greater reductions in abdominal fat than those treated with placebo. The most common adverse effects were arthralgia, stomach pain, swelling, myalgia, and erythema and pruritus at the injection site.