Tesamorelin Cost: What Determines the Price of Research-Grade Tesamorelin

Introduction

Research-grade tesamorelin costs $70.00 for a single 5 mg vial, $120.00 for a 10 mg vial and $225.00 for a 20 mg vial in the Sparta Labs catalog as of September 2026, with ten-vial packs priced 30 percent lower per vial. Tesamorelin is a 44-amino-acid synthetic analogue of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH) with a trans-3-hexenoyl modification, and its price is set by synthesis length, purification, per-lot testing and packaging.

Key facts

• Sparta Labs lists research-grade tesamorelin at $70.00 (5 mg), $120.00 (10 mg) and $225.00 (20 mg) per single vial as of September 2026.
• Ten-vial packs are listed at $490.00 (5 mg), $840.00 (10 mg) and $1,575.00 (20 mg), each 30 percent below ten times the single-vial price.
• Quantity tiers of 5 percent off at three or more vials and 10 percent off at six or more vials apply at checkout; standard US shipping is $14.99 and free over $200.
• Tesamorelin is a 44-residue peptide with a trans-3-hexenoyl group on its N-terminal tyrosine and a free-base molecular weight of 5135.9 daltons [5].
• Solid-phase peptide synthesis, the method introduced by Merrifield in 1963, builds the chain one protected amino acid at a time on an insoluble resin [1].
• Bray described in 2003 the first commercial chemical synthesis of a 36-residue peptide, enfuvirtide [2].
• The FDA approved tesamorelin as the prescription drug Egrifta under NDA 022505 on November 10, 2010 [9].
• Every Sparta Labs lot is released with a certificate of analysis covering HPLC purity, mass-spectrometry identity, endotoxin and sterility.

How much does research-grade tesamorelin cost?

Research-grade tesamorelin is listed by Sparta Labs at $70.00, $120.00 and $225.00 for single 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg vials, as shown in the tesamorelin catalog listing as of September 2026. The same three sizes are offered as ten-vial packs. The table below reproduces the live catalog.

Variant	Listed price (USD)	Price per vial	Price per mg
5 mg, 1 vial	$70.00	$70.00	$14.00
5 mg, 10-pack	$490.00	$49.00	$9.80
10 mg, 1 vial	$120.00	$120.00	$12.00
10 mg, 10-pack	$840.00	$84.00	$8.40
20 mg, 1 vial	$225.00	$225.00	$11.25
20 mg, 10-pack	$1,575.00	$157.50	$7.88

Two site-wide policies apply on top of the listed prices. Quantity tiers give 5 percent off at three or more vials and 10 percent off at six or more, calculated at checkout, and standard US shipping ($14.99) is free on orders over $200. Prices are catalog facts at the date stated; the listing shows the current figure.

The per-milligram column is arithmetic on the listed prices. It falls from $14.00 at the 5 mg single vial to $7.88 at the 20 mg ten-pack because synthesis cost scales with quantity while testing, vialing and documentation are largely fixed per vial.

What determines the price of tesamorelin?

The price of research-grade tesamorelin is determined by five inputs: the length and chemistry of the molecule, purification, analytical testing, quantity per vial, and lyophilization with packaging. The general process is covered in how research peptides are synthesized.

Synthesis length and the hexenoyl modification

Tesamorelin is one of the longer peptides in a research catalog. The FDA-approved label describes it as the full 44-amino-acid sequence of human GHRH with a hexenoyl moiety, a six-carbon chain with a double bond at position 3, on the N-terminal tyrosine [5]; Ferdinandi and colleagues described the same trans-3-hexenoyl addition to Tyr1 in 2007 [6].

Solid-phase peptide synthesis, introduced by Merrifield in 1963, assembles a chain by coupling protected amino acids one at a time to a growing peptide anchored on an insoluble resin [1]. A 44-residue chain therefore requires 44 rounds of coupling and deprotection, then a separate acylation step to install the hexenoyl group, before cleavage from the resin. Each round consumes reagents and solvent, and small per-step yield losses compound across the sequence, so a long peptide has a lower crude yield and a higher cost per gram than a short one.

Bray described in 2003 how the 36-residue peptide enfuvirtide became the first peptide of that length manufactured commercially by chemical synthesis, with route selection and scale-up as the central cost problems [2]. Isidro-Llobet and colleagues reported in 2019 that peptide synthesis still relied on large volumes of hazardous reagents and solvents, and identified synthesis and purification as the principal sustainability and cost challenges in peptide manufacture [3]. Vlieghe and colleagues, reviewing the synthetic-peptide market in 2010, noted that manufacturing cost remained a constraint on the class [4].

Purification

Crude synthetic peptide contains deletion sequences, incompletely deprotected species and other by-products, and a 44-residue chain produces more of these than a short one. Reversed-phase HPLC separates the target from these impurities; the fraction meeting specification is collected and the rest discarded. Isidro-Llobet and colleagues identified preparative HPLC, with its solvent consumption and yield losses, as a major contributor to production cost [3].

Analytical testing

Sparta Labs publishes the testing standard applied to every batch: HPLC purity at 99 percent or higher, mass-spectrometry confirmation of identity and molecular weight, LAL endotoxin testing and sterility testing, each documented on a certificate of analysis. These are per-lot costs. Mass spectrometry matters for tesamorelin because the hexenoyl group adds a defined mass to the 44-residue backbone, so the observed molecular weight confirms sequence and modification together against the labeled 5135.9 daltons [5].

Quantity per vial, lyophilization and packaging

The final steps are lyophilization, in which the purified peptide is freeze-dried to a stable solid, and vialing under controlled conditions. Wang reviewed in 2000 why lyophilized peptides are more stable than their solutions, and Carpenter and colleagues described in 1997 how formulation and process choices govern the stability of the dried product [7, 8]. The article on why peptides are lyophilized explains the process. These steps cost about the same per vial regardless of fill, which is why price per milligram falls as vial size rises.

Why do tesamorelin prices vary between suppliers?

Tesamorelin prices vary between suppliers mainly because the product being priced is not always the same product. Four differences account for most of the spread.

• Purity reporting. A listed purity is only meaningful if the method is stated and the result is lot-specific; a nominal figure without a chromatogram cannot be checked. The guide to certificates of analysis explains how to read one.
• Identity confirmation. HPLC alone does not prove the main peak is tesamorelin; mass spectrometry against the expected molecular weight does. A supplier that omits MS sells a less-characterized material.
• COA practice. A certificate issued once per product, or copied from a single reference lot, does not describe the lot in the vial. A per-lot COA does.
• Net peptide content versus gross weight. A lyophilized vial contains peptide plus counter-ions, residual water and any bulking agent. The FDA label for Egrifta, for example, states that each 1 mg vial contained 1.1 mg of tesamorelin acetate and 50 mg of mannitol [5]. A "10 mg" vial priced on gross weight contains less peptide than one priced on net peptide content.

The guide to evaluating a research peptide supplier covers these points in detail. A price comparison is only valid once purity method, identity confirmation, COA practice and net peptide content are known to be equivalent.

Is research-grade tesamorelin the same as Egrifta, and why do the prices differ?

No. Research-grade tesamorelin and Egrifta are not the same product, and their prices are not comparable figures. Egrifta is a prescription drug approved by the FDA under NDA 022505 on November 10, 2010, with Theratechnologies as sponsor [9]. Its label states the approved indication, the reduction of excess abdominal fat in HIV-infected adult patients with lipodystrophy, and it is dispensed through pharmacies [5, 10].

Egrifta's price is set within the pharmaceutical channel and depends on formulation, pharmacy, insurance coverage and manufacturer programs; no figure is quoted here because no single verifiable public price exists. Research-grade tesamorelin is a research-use-only reference material. It is not manufactured under the Egrifta NDA, is not dispensed by pharmacies, holds no approval of its own, and is not a substitute for the approved drug. The FDA distinguishes research-use-only materials from products intended for clinical use [11].

The molecule is the same, tesamorelin acetate, but the product, regulatory status, manufacturing standard and intended purpose are different. The tesamorelin FAQ covers the approval history.

What does the Sparta Labs price include?

The listed price of Sparta Labs research-grade tesamorelin includes the lyophilized peptide in a sealed vial, a per-lot certificate of analysis, and the published batch testing: HPLC purity at 99 percent or higher, mass-spectrometry confirmation of identity and molecular weight, LAL endotoxin testing and sterility testing. The COA for any lot is available on request by order number or product name.

Shipping is separate from the listed price. Standard US shipping is $14.99 and is free on orders over $200; the material is dispatched with cold-chain handling within 24 hours. A price-match policy is published on the site. The quantity tiers described above are applied at checkout rather than in the listed figure.

The material is a research-use-only reference standard, documented against the 44-residue hexenoyl-modified sequence and the labeled molecular weight; tesamorelin sourcing and quality describes the testing in full.

Summary

Research-grade tesamorelin is listed by Sparta Labs at $70.00, $120.00 and $225.00 for single 5 mg, 10 mg and 20 mg vials as of September 2026, with ten-vial packs at $490.00, $840.00 and $1,575.00. The price reflects a 44-residue peptide with a trans-3-hexenoyl modification, built by solid-phase synthesis, purified by HPLC and tested per lot before lyophilization. Supplier prices vary because purity reporting, identity confirmation, COA practice and net peptide content vary. Egrifta, the prescription drug approved in November 2010, is a different product and its price is not comparable.

References

1. Merrifield RB. Solid phase peptide synthesis. I. The synthesis of a tetrapeptide. J Am Chem Soc. 1963;85(14):2149-2154. DOI: 10.1021/ja00897a025
2. Bray BL. Large-scale manufacture of peptide therapeutics by chemical synthesis. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2003;2(7):587-593. PMID: 12815383. DOI: 10.1038/nrd1133
3. Isidro-Llobet A, Kenworthy MN, Mukherjee S, Kopach ME, Wegner K, Gallou F, et al. Sustainability challenges in peptide synthesis and purification: from R&D to production. J Org Chem. 2019;84(8):4615-4628. PMID: 30900880. DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.8b03001
4. Vlieghe P, Lisowski V, Martinez J, Khrestchatisky M. Synthetic therapeutic peptides: science and market. Drug Discov Today. 2010;15(1-2):40-56. PMID: 19879957. DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2009.10.009
5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. EGRIFTA (tesamorelin for injection) prescribing information, NDA 022505, approved November 2010. FDA label PDF
6. Ferdinandi ES, Brazeau P, High K, Procter B, Fennell S, Dubreuil P. Non-clinical pharmacology and safety evaluation of TH9507, a human growth hormone-releasing factor analogue. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2007;100(1):49-58. PMID: 17214611. DOI: 10.1111/j.1742-7843.2007.00008.x
7. Wang W. Lyophilization and development of solid protein pharmaceuticals. Int J Pharm. 2000;203(1-2):1-60. PMID: 10967427. DOI: 10.1016/s0378-5173(00)00423-3
8. Carpenter JF, Pikal MJ, Chang BS, Randolph TW. Rational design of stable lyophilized protein formulations: some practical advice. Pharm Res. 1997;14(8):969-975. PMID: 9279875. DOI: 10.1023/a:1012180707283
9. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. NDA 022505 approval letter, EGRIFTA (tesamorelin for injection), November 10, 2010. FDA approval letter PDF
10. Theratechnologies Inc. EGRIFTA SV (tesamorelin) for injection prescribing information, revised February 2024. DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine. DailyMed label
11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Distribution of In Vitro Diagnostic Products Labeled for Research Use Only or Investigational Use Only: Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff. November 2013. FDA guidance