Current partner codePEPTIDESDE
NCT06554717·Phase 2·INTERVENTIONAL

Tesamorelin as an Adjunct to Exercise for Improving Physical Function in HIV

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Phase 2

Enrollment

100

Locations

2

Results

Not posted

Publications

1

Study summary

What the protocol is testing.

People with HIV experience earlier impairments in physical function compared to people in the general population. They also exhibit an earlier presentation and more rapid development of frailty, a multisystemic syndrome of aging characterized by reduced activity, fatigue, slowness, weakness, and weight loss. While exercise can improve physical function in people with HIV, it is less effective in doing so than in the general population and is difficult to sustain in the long-term. The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether the medication tesamorelin will improve physical function and muscle health in adults with HIV when combined with exercise. Tesamorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone analogue that is FDA-approved to treat abdominal fat accumulation in people with HIV. While tesamorelin has also been shown to increase muscle mass and improve measures of muscle health, its effects on physical performance and muscle strength have not yet been evaluated. During a 24-week intervention phase, half of participants will be randomly assigned to receive tesamorelin and half of participants will be randomly assigned to receive placebo (a look-alike substance that contains no drug). All participants also will engage in a home-based exercise intervention supervised by an exercise coach. During a subsequent 24-week extension phase, individuals will be monitored off study drug and supervised exercise, and be encouraged to continue to exercise independently. The investigators will investigate effects of tesamorelin on physical function, muscle mass and quality, quality of life, and exercise adherence and self-efficacy. They also will evaluate whether effects of tesamorelin are maintained following treatment cessation. This study may identify an important strategy to improve how individuals aging with HIV function and feel with potential applications to other patient populations.

Interventions

Treatment arms and agents.

DRUG

Tesamorelin

Tesamorelin WR 1.28 mg given subcutaneously daily

DRUG

Placebo

Identical placebo injection given subcutaneously daily

BEHAVIORAL

Exercise

Home-based semi-supervised exercise program

Timeline

From registration to results.

  1. First posted

    Aug 15, 2024

  2. Study start

    Jul 10, 2025

  3. Primary completion

    Jun 16, 2028

  4. Study completion

    Dec 1, 2028

  5. Results posted

    Not reported

  6. Registry updated

    May 19, 2026

Outcomes

What the study measures.

Primary outcomes

Change in Repeated Chair Stand Time

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Time to complete 10 repeated chair stands

Secondary outcomes

Change in Standard and Modified Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Objective assessment of physical function that includes measures of balance, gait, and strength

Change in 1-Repetition Maximum Leg Press

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Maximal weight that can be lifted by lower extremities once using correct form through full range of motion

Change in 400-Meter Walk Time

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Time to walk 400 meters at the fastest pace possible

Change in Appendicular Lean Tissue Mass

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) lean tissue mass in all four extremities

Change in Cross-Sectional Area of Trunk and Thigh Muscles

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Computed tomography (CT) cross-sectional area of trunk and thigh muscles

Change in Frailty Phenotype

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Fried Frailty Phenotype score, scored from 0 to 5 with higher indicating worse

Change in Quality of Life

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), scored from 0 to 100 with higher indicating better

Change in Exercise Self-Efficacy

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale, scored from 0 to 100 with higher indicating better

Change in Exercise Adherence

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

FitBit (step count heart rate time), exercise log (movement type, repetitions, load, rate of perceived exertion)

Change in Tissue Density of Trunk and Thigh Muscles

Time frame · Baseline to Week 24

Computed tomography (CT) attenuation of trunk and thigh muscles

Eligibility

Who can take part.

Minimum age
50 Years
Maximum age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Men and women, 50-80 years old 2. Documented HIV infection on suppressive antiretroviral therapy for at least 1 year with HIV-1 RNA \<200 copies/mL and CD4+ T cell count \>200/µL 3 3. Sedentary lifestyle, defined as self-reported physical activity that breaks a sweat \<3 days/week with no regular resistance exercise in the past 3 months 4. ≥1 Fried frailty criterion (weakness, slow gait speed, exhaustion, decreased physical activity, or unintentional weight loss as defined by specific thresholds) 5. Excess abdominal adiposity as indicated by at least one of the following elevated anthropometric measures assessed at Screen: (1) waist circumference ≥102 cm in non-Asian males (≥90 cm in Asian males) or ≥88 cm in non-Asian females (≥80 cm in Asian females); (2) waist-to-hip ratio ≥0.9 in males or ≥0.85 in females; (3) waist-to-height ratio ≥0.5 in males and females 6. Normal mammogram within 2 years (females ≤74 years old) or prostate specific antigen \<4 ng/mL (males ≤70 years old) per U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) age-appropriate cancer screening guidelines 7. For females, postmenopausal defined as no menses for ≥12 months and anti-müllerian hormone (AMH) \<20 pg/mL or history of bilateral oophorectomy at least 3 months ago 8. Provider approval to participate Exclusion Criteria: 1. Use of tesamorelin or other growth hormone (GH)-based therapy within 6 months 2. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) z-score \>2.0 3. HbA1c \>8% 4. Active or suspected malignancy (with the exception of non-melanoma skin cancer) within 24 months 5. Supraphysiologic testosterone or corticosteroid exposure, or change in exogenous testosterone or corticosteroid dose within 3 months 6. Change in glucose-lowering medication (e.g., glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) within 3 months 7. Active or unstable coronary artery disease, chest pain suspicious for angina, or serious arrythmia 8. History of hypopituitarism, head irradiation, or other conditions known to affect the GH/IGF-1 axis 9. Known hypersensitivity to tesamorelin or mannitol 10. Acute or chronic illness judged by the investigator to represent a contraindication to study participation

Study locations

2 registered sites.

United States. Showing up to 24 locations stored in the fast local snapshot.

University of Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus

Aurora, Colorado, United States

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Related trials

More studies on Tesamorelin.

Related PeptideStat pages

Put the record in context.

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