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Weight Loss

Petrelintide

Also known as: ZP8396

Clinical Trials
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Key Facts: Petrelintide

Category
Weight Loss
FDA Status
Not FDA Approved
Clinical Status
Phase 3 (investigational) - phase 2 ZUPREME-1 (March 2026) and ZUPREME-2 (October 2026) positive; phase 3a ZUPREME-3, -4 and -5 started in 2026 with Roche. A phase 2 combination trial with Roche's CT-388 is planned. Not approved by FDA, EMA or any other regulator.
Banned in Sport (WADA)
Not named on the WADA list, but WADA's S0 catch-all bans any substance without human therapeutic approval, which covers it until it is approved. Prohibited at all times.
Administration
Subcutaneous injection once weekly
Typical Dose
Not publicly disclosed (once-weekly trial doses)
Frequency
Once weekly
Duration
16 weeks (phase 1b) to 42 weeks (phase 2) in completed trials
Also Known As
ZP8396

How does Petrelintide work?

Amylin is a hormone your pancreas releases alongside insulin after meals. It acts on the brainstem to make you feel full sooner, slows stomach emptying, and curbs glucagon after eating. Zealand says amylin signaling also helps restore sensitivity to leptin, the body's long-term fullness signal. Native amylin is unusable as a drug because it clumps into fibrils and lasts minutes, so petrelintide was engineered to stay stable at neutral pH, avoid fibril formation, and last a week. That stability also means it can be co-formulated with other peptides, which is why Roche plans to combine it with its own GLP-1/GIP drug. The theory is that amylin gives more of a natural fullness feeling than GLP-1 drugs do, with fewer GI side effects; the tolerability part looks real so far, the bigger-picture claims still need phase 3.

What does the research show?

A 16-week phase 1b trial (48 people) reported up to 8.6% mean weight loss at the highest dose versus 1.7% on placebo, with no early plateau. The phase 2 ZUPREME-1 trial (493 people with obesity or overweight, mean BMI 37) reported in March 2026 up to 10.7% mean weight loss at 42 weeks versus 1.7% on placebo. That is clearly less than semaglutide or tirzepatide produce, but tolerability stood out: no vomiting at the maximally effective dose, and side-effect dropouts (4.8%) no higher than placebo (4.9%). ZUPREME-2 (220 people with obesity and type 2 diabetes) reported in October 2026: 7.4-9.2% weight loss at 28 weeks versus 2.0% on placebo, placebo-adjusted HbA1c drops of 0.61-0.88 points, and GI dropouts of 1.9% versus 1.7%. Roche and Zealand have started phase 3a (ZUPREME-3, -4 and -5, about 7,000 people in total, including a cardiovascular-disease population). Honest take: a well-tolerated, moderate-strength drug whose real value may be as a combination partner, and the full peer-reviewed phase 2 data are still pending.

Trial Progress:Phase III
Pre
I
II
III
IV
FDA

What doses have been studied?

Human Trials·Two positive phase 2 trials (2026), phase 3a program started

Typical Dosingⓘ

Community experience

Common Dose

Not publicly disclosed (once-weekly trial doses)

Range

Five weekly dose levels tested in phase 2; mg amounts not released in topline data

Frequency

Once weekly

Zealand and Roche have not published the specific mg doses from the phase 2 trials in their topline releases. Doses were escalated every fourth week. Any dose quoted online is not backed by published trial data.

Research Dosingⓘ

Scientific studies

Trial doses only (investigational drug, no approved dose); individual mg levels were not disclosed in the 2026 topline releases

Doses from Studies

Five weekly dose levels, escalated every 4 weeks, 42 weeks

Phase 2 trial - ZUPREME-1 topline (Roche, March 2026) ↗

Duration

16 weeks (phase 1b) to 42 weeks (phase 2) in completed trials

Administration

Subcutaneous injection once weekly

When and how is Petrelintide taken?

Best Time to Take

Same day each week

Once weekly subcutaneous injection

Food Recommendation

With or without food

Why This Timing?

Long-acting weekly analog designed for steady exposure, so the day matters more than the hour.

What are the side effects of Petrelintide?

Not everyone experiences these effects. Individual responses vary based on dosage, duration, and personal factors.

  • ●Nausea (mostly mild, mainly during dose escalation)
  • ●Diarrhea and constipation at rates similar to placebo in phase 2
  • ●Vomiting uncommon (none at the maximally effective dose in ZUPREME-1)
  • ●Reduced appetite
  • ●No long-term human safety data

References

Research This Peptide Further

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Petrelintide do?

Petrelintide is a long-acting amylin analog from Zealand Pharma, co-developed with Roche, designed as a once-weekly injection for obesity. The pitch is gentler weight loss than GLP-1 drugs but with far less nausea and vomiting. Two phase 2 trials read out positively in 2026 (up to 10.7% weight loss at 42 weeks), and a roughly 7,000-person phase 3 program has started. It is not approved anywhere.

How does Petrelintide work?

Amylin is a hormone your pancreas releases alongside insulin after meals. It acts on the brainstem to make you feel full sooner, slows stomach emptying, and curbs glucagon after eating. Zealand says amylin signaling also helps restore sensitivity to leptin, the body's long-term fullness signal. Native amylin is unusable as a drug because it clumps into fibrils and lasts minutes, so petrelintide was engineered to stay stable at neutral pH, avoid fibril formation, and last a week. That stability also means it can be co-formulated with other peptides, which is why Roche plans to combine it with its own GLP-1/GIP drug. The theory is that amylin gives more of a natural fullness feeling than GLP-1 drugs do, with fewer GI side effects; the tolerability part looks real so far, the bigger-picture claims still need phase 3.

Is Petrelintide FDA approved?

No, Petrelintide is not currently FDA approved. Current status: Phase 3 (investigational) - phase 2 ZUPREME-1 (March 2026) and ZUPREME-2 (October 2026) positive; phase 3a ZUPREME-3, -4 and -5 started in 2026 with Roche. A phase 2 combination trial with Roche's CT-388 is planned. Not approved by FDA, EMA or any other regulator.

Is Petrelintide banned in sport?

Not named on the WADA list, but WADA's S0 catch-all bans any substance without human therapeutic approval, which covers it until it is approved. Prohibited at all times.

What are the side effects of Petrelintide?

Reported side effects include: Nausea (mostly mild, mainly during dose escalation), Diarrhea and constipation at rates similar to placebo in phase 2, Vomiting uncommon (none at the maximally effective dose in ZUPREME-1), Reduced appetite, No long-term human safety data. Individual responses vary based on dosage, duration, and personal health factors.

What is the typical dose of Petrelintide?

Community-reported common dose: Not publicly disclosed (once-weekly trial doses) (Once weekly). Range: Five weekly dose levels tested in phase 2; mg amounts not released in topline data. Administration: Subcutaneous injection once weekly. Community-reported doses. Not medical advice. Consult healthcare provider.

Related Peptides

Peptides commonly compared with Petrelintide or used in similar applications.

Cagrilintide

Clinical Trials

Cagrilintide (also called AM833) is a long-acting synthetic analog of amylin, the gut-brain satiety hormone co-secreted with insulin by pancreatic beta cells. It is an investigational once-weekly injectable being developed by Novo Nordisk for obesity, most prominently as the amylin half of CagriSema (cagrilintide plus semaglutide). It is not yet approved as a standalone drug, but it has cleared phase 2 trials and is in late-stage development.

Weight Loss

Eloralintide

Clinical Trials

Eloralintide (Eli Lilly code LY3841136) is an investigational, long-acting, selective amylin receptor agonist given as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection for obesity. Amylin is the satiety hormone your pancreas releases alongside insulin, and eloralintide is built to mimic it without the gut side effects that sink most appetite drugs. It is not approved anywhere yet, but it has cleared Phase 1 and a 263-person Phase 2 trial with weight loss up to roughly 20 percent, and Lilly has said it is moving into Phase 3.

Weight Loss

Amycretin

Clinical Trials

Amycretin is Novo Nordisk's single-molecule agonist of both the GLP-1 and amylin receptors, developed as a once-weekly injection and a once-daily pill. Early trials produced some of the biggest weight-loss numbers seen with any obesity drug so far, and the injectable version entered phase 3 (the AMAZE program) in 2026. It is not approved anywhere, and everything known about it comes from company-run trials of up to 36 weeks.

Weight Loss

Tirzepatide

FDA

Tirzepatide is a single peptide that activates two receptors at once: GIP and GLP-1, the two main incretin hormones your gut releases after eating. It is FDA-approved as Mounjaro for type 2 diabetes and as Zepbound for chronic weight management and obstructive sleep apnea, and it has produced the largest weight-loss numbers of any approved drug to date. Like semaglutide, this is a heavily trialed, fully approved medicine, not a gray-market research compound.

Weight Loss

CagriSema

Clinical Trials

CagriSema is a once-weekly injectable that pairs two drugs in one shot: semaglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist, the molecule behind Ozempic and Wegovy) and cagrilintide (a long-acting amylin analog). It is being developed by Novo Nordisk for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and in 2025 it cleared its phase 3 REDEFINE trials. It is not yet approved by the FDA, though regulatory filings are underway.

Weight Loss

Liraglutide

FDA

Liraglutide is a once-daily injectable GLP-1 receptor agonist, a synthetic peptide that shares about 97% of its sequence with the natural gut hormone GLP-1 but is engineered with a fatty acid chain so it survives in the body far longer. It is FDA-approved as Victoza for type 2 diabetes (2010) and as Saxenda for chronic weight management (2014), and is one of the most studied drugs in its class. As of 2024 a generic version is also FDA-approved.

Weight Loss

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