The one controlled tesamorelin trial outside HIV, in older adults with and without mild cognitive impairment

Published 26 October 2026 · REVIVE LAB UAE Research Desk · 5 min read
Baker, Craft and colleagues at the University of Washington randomised 152 adults aged 55 to 87, about two thirds cognitively normal and one third with mild cognitive impairment, to tesamorelin or placebo for 20 weeks, and reported in Archives of Neurology in 2012 that the treated group improved on a composite measure of executive function and on verbal memory, in both the normal and the impaired subgroups, with IGF-1 rising as expected and body fat falling. Adverse effects were injection-site reactions and arthralgia. It is the only substantial controlled trial of tesamorelin in people without HIV, and no phase 3 cognition trial has followed.

The trial

Participants were community-dwelling older adults screened for cognitive status. The primary outcomes were cognitive composites derived from a battery of standardised tests; secondary outcomes included IGF-1, body composition and sleep. The group had previously shown similar effects with native GHRH in a smaller 2006 study, which motivated the larger trial. Effects on the executive composite were moderate in size and statistically significant; effects on other domains were not.

The investigators proposed increased IGF-1 reaching the brain, changes in sleep, and altered glucose handling as candidate mechanisms, without resolving among them.

What has followed

Mechanistic follow-up from the same group on brain metabolites and inflammatory markers. No phase 3 trial, no regulatory submission for a cognitive indication, and no replication by an independent group. The company that owns the molecule did not pursue the indication. The result stands as a single well-conducted trial with a positive primary outcome and no confirmation.

Single positive trials in cognitive ageing have a poor record of replication, which is the appropriate frame.

Why it is here

Because it is the trial most often cited for tesamorelin outside its approved use, and a reader should know exactly what it showed and what it did not. It describes a trial and no use of the pack.

Tesamorelin is supplied by REVIVE LAB UAE for laboratory research use only, with identity by mass spectrometry and purity by HPLC for the batch. It is not for human or veterinary use, and no dosing, administration or protocol guidance is provided.

What it costs

FormatStrengthPriceAvailability
Tesamorelin Pack20 mgAED 1010In stock

Delivery is AED 40 flat and free on orders over AED 700. Payment is cash on delivery anywhere in the UAE, or USDT (TRC20) in advance, which takes 5% off the order total.

Frequently asked

The trial?

Participants were community-dwelling older adults screened for cognitive status. The primary outcomes were cognitive composites derived from a battery of standardised tests; secondary outcomes included IGF-1, body composition and sleep. The group had previously shown similar effects with native GHRH in a smaller 2006 study, which motivated the larger trial. Effects on the executive composite were moderate in size and statistically significant; effects on other domains were not.

Does REVIVE LAB UAE provide dosing guidance?

No. REVIVE LAB UAE supplies research materials and provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance of any kind. Every product is sold for laboratory research use only and is not for human or veterinary consumption.

How fast is delivery in the UAE?

Stock is held in Dubai. An order confirmed before 4 PM Dubai time is dispatched the same working day, reaching Dubai and Abu Dhabi the same day and the remaining emirates within 24 hours. Delivery is AED 40 flat and free over AED 700.

Tesamorelin Pack — in stock, dispatched from Dubai
HPLC-verified, lot certificate on every carton, 24-hour delivery nationwide. Browse the catalogue → All peptides UAE

Related reading

Supplied for laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. REVIVE LAB UAE provides no dosing, administration or protocol guidance.