Pemvidutide

THR-123 is a small synthetic 16-residue cyclic peptide designed to mimic part of the protein BMP7 (bone morphogenetic protein 7) and switch on its receptor, ALK3, in the kidney. It was developed by Thrasos Therapeutics and made famous by a 2012 Nature Medicine paper showing that, taken orally, it could reverse kidney fibrosis and trigger kidney regeneration in mice. It is a preclinical research compound with no human trials of its own, though its intravenous sibling THR-184 reached Phase 2 for acute kidney injury.

AICAR is not a peptide at all. It is a small nucleoside (a building block related to the purine pathway) that cells convert into ZMP, a molecule that mimics AMP and switches on AMPK, the cell's energy sensor. It became famous in 2008 when a Salk Institute study showed sedentary mice on AICAR ran 44% further, earning it the "exercise in a pill" label. Human data tell a much less exciting story: it was tested as an intravenous drug (acadesine) for heart surgery and leukemia, the big heart trial failed, and nothing is approved.

Pancragen is a synthetic tetrapeptide bioregulator, Lys-Glu-Asp-Trp (KEDW), from the Khavinson group, designed to target pancreatic tissue. It is studied for supporting blood-sugar control and the insulin-producing endocrine pancreas, especially in aging. It is a research compound with no approval and no published human clinical trials. The notable evidence comes from aged primates, not people.

Lixisenatide is a short-acting, once-daily GLP-1 agonist for type 2 diabetes, discovered by Zealand Pharma and sold by Sanofi as Adlyxin (US) and Lyxumia (EU). It never caught on against weekly GLP-1 drugs, and it has mostly left the market: standalone Adlyxin was discontinued in the US with last availability around January 2023, and the EU authorisation for Lyxumia was withdrawn in December 2025. It lives on in Soliqua 100/33, a fixed combination with insulin glargine.

Pramlintide (Symlin) is a synthetic version of amylin, the hormone your pancreas releases alongside insulin, and it was the first amylin drug ever approved (FDA, March 2005). It was used as a mealtime add-on for type 1 and type 2 diabetes in people already on mealtime insulin. It never sold well because it meant up to three extra injections a day and a serious hypoglycemia warning, and AstraZeneca has discontinued it in the US. Today it matters mostly as the proof of concept behind newer weekly amylin drugs like cagrilintide and petrelintide.

SLU-PP-332 is a small synthetic molecule, not a peptide, that turns on the estrogen-related receptors (ERRalpha, beta and gamma), the master switches behind much of the body's response to endurance exercise. Researchers call it an 'exercise mimetic' because in mice it boosts mitochondria, shifts muscle toward fatigue-resistant fibers, improves stamina and trims fat without the animal moving more. It was made as a lab tool to study exercise biology. There are no human trials.