For HIV patients with belly fat who respond to this drug, the fat becomes denser and healthier-looking on scans after 6 months of treatment, even if the amount of fat doesn’t change much.

The same drug that reduces belly fat in HIV patients also makes the fat under the skin denser and healthier-looking on scans, even when the amount of fat doesn’t change much.

For HIV patients with excess belly fat who responded to the drug tesamorelin, taking the drug for 26 weeks made the fat around their organs denser by 2.3 points on a CT scan scale, even after accounting for changes in fat amount, which suggests the fat became healthier.

If the drug doesn’t shrink your belly fat by at least 8%, it won’t make your fat look healthier on scans — you have to respond to the drug for this benefit.

In HIV patients with belly fat who responded to the drug tesamorelin, the treatment made the visceral fat denser by 2.3 points on a CT scan scale compared to placebo, even after accounting for changes in fat amount.

Only HIV patients whose belly fat shrinks by at least 8% after taking this drug also get healthier-looking fat on scans — others don’t benefit in this way.