Amycretin

GLP-1 and amylin are hormones released around meals. GLP-1 reduces appetite, slows stomach emptying and increases glucose-dependent insulin release; amylin, released from the pancreas together with insulin, also slows stomach emptying and signals fullness to the brain. Amycretin is built to activate both pathways from one molecule.

In cell-based systems it activated human, mouse and rat GLP-1, amylin and calcitonin receptors, and in mice it reached brain areas that regulate food intake¹. In diet-induced obese rats, three weeks of treatment cut energy intake by nearly half and lowered body weight by about 18%, while energy expenditure was maintained¹.

In obese rats, amycretin reduced food intake and weight, improved insulin sensitivity and reduced fatty-liver changes¹. In humans, a first-in-human phase 1 study of the oral form in 144 adults with overweight or obesity found side effects that were all mild or moderate, mostly gastrointestinal and more frequent at higher doses, with no deaths².

A phase 1b/2a study of the injected form in 125 adults reported mean weight losses of roughly 10% to 24% across dose groups over 20 to 36 weeks, against changes of about minus 1% to plus 2% on placebo; many participants withdrew³.

In a 36-week phase 2 trial in type 2 diabetes, the oral form lowered HbA1c by 0.9 to 1.4 percentage points from baseline, more than placebo at every dose level studied⁴. Phase 3 trials are now recruiting, for weight management (the AMAZE program) and for type 2 diabetes (including AMBITION 7)^5,6.

Amycretin is not approved anywhere; it is in phase 3 trials sponsored by Novo Nordisk^5,6.

Only early-phase trials have tested it in people so far. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal, mostly mild to moderate and more frequent at higher exposures^2,3. In the phase 2 diabetes trial of the oral form, gastrointestinal events occurred in 26% to 47% of participants depending on dose group versus 23% on placebo, and serious adverse events were reported in 4% of treated participants and none on placebo⁴. Long-term effects are unknown.

1. Kuhre et al., EBioMedicine 2025PubMed
2. Gasiorek et al., Lancet 2025PubMed
3. Dahl et al., Lancet 2025PubMed
4. Mora et al., Lancet 2026PubMed
5. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07339423 (AMAZE 1)ClinicalTrials.gov
6. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07797335 (AMBITION 7)ClinicalTrials.gov