Tesamorelin increased rectus and psoas muscle size by 0.44 and 0.46 cm² in people with HIV and belly fat, and this effect remained even after accounting for belly fat loss.

HIV patients with belly fat who responded to tesamorelin had bigger rectus and psoas muscles (0.44 and 0.46 cm² larger) compared to placebo after 26 weeks.

People with HIV and belly fat who responded to tesamorelin by losing belly fat saw their rectus and psoas muscles grow 0.44 cm² and 0.46 cm² larger than those on placebo after 26 weeks of treatment.

The drug made two key core muscles—rectus and psoas—slightly bigger, adding about half a square inch each after six months, while the placebo group didn’t change.

For HIV patients with belly fat who responded to this drug, taking tesamorelin for 6 months made their trunk muscles less fatty and more dense, like turning soft muscle into firmer muscle.

HIV patients with belly fat who responded to tesamorelin saw better lean muscle quality in their abdominal and rectus muscles, with improvements of 1.39 and 1.78 units respectively compared to placebo after 26 weeks.