Amycretin is the GLP-1 pipeline peptide everyone is watching right now.
The amycretin peptide is a Novo Nordisk single-molecule drug (development name NN9487, also called Zenagamtide) that combines GLP-1 and amylin activity. The early numbers explain the attention: up to 24.3% weight loss in a 36-week subcutaneous study, about 13% weight loss in a 12-week oral study, and a fresh November 2025 phase 2 trial in type 2 diabetes showing 14.5% weight loss plus a 1.8 percentage-point HbA1c drop at the 40 mg dose. Phase 3 development starts in 2026.
🔑 Key Takeaways
- Amycretin, also known as NNC0487-0111 or NN9487, is Novo Nordisk's single-molecule GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist.
- The main intent behind the keyword is current data: oral results, weekly injection results, diabetes phase 2 data, and phase 3 status.
- In a 125-person subcutaneous study, once-weekly amycretin produced estimated weight loss of 24.3% at 60 mg and 22.0% at 20 mg by week 36.
- In the first-in-human oral study, the highest oral amycretin regimen produced about 13% weight loss at 12 weeks versus about 1% with placebo.
- In a 448-person type 2 diabetes phase 2 trial, subcutaneous amycretin reached up to 14.5% weight loss and HbA1c reduction up to 1.8 percentage points at 36 weeks.
- Amycretin is not the same as CagriSema. CagriSema combines two drugs; amycretin is one molecule designed to hit both GLP-1 and amylin pathways.
- The biggest unknown is durability: early weight loss had not plateaued, but phase 3 data will show whether the curve holds in larger populations.
This page is the updated PeptideDeck reference for amycretin: what it is, what the top trial numbers actually show, why oral amycretin matters, how it compares with CagriSema and retatrutide, and what to watch next.
Amycretin at a Glance
Start with the map.
| Question | Current answer | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| What is amycretin? | A unimolecular GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist | It combines two appetite pathways in one molecule |
| Who is developing it? | Novo Nordisk | Same company behind semaglutide, liraglutide, and CagriSema |
| How is it given? | Once-weekly injection and once-daily oral versions are in development | Oral delivery is the major differentiator |
| Best obesity signal so far | Up to 24.3% at 36 weeks in an early subcutaneous study | That is unusually high for a 36-week window |
| Best diabetes signal so far | Up to 14.5% weight loss and 1.8-point HbA1c reduction at 36 weeks | Shows the drug is not only an obesity story |
| Market status | No amycretin product is sold yet | Readers should treat it as pipeline data, not a buy-now drug |
The SERP is not asking for a basic peptide definition anymore. It is asking whether amycretin could be Novo Nordisk's next major obesity drug after Wegovy and CagriSema. That answer depends on phase 3.
What Is Amycretin?
It is one dual-action molecule.
Amycretin is a long-acting peptide designed to activate both the GLP-1 receptor and the amylin receptor. Novo Nordisk also lists it by development code NNC0487-0111, and some sources refer to NN9487. The core idea is simple: instead of using one GLP-1 drug and one amylin drug together, build a single molecule that can deliver both signals.
Why the single-molecule design matters
CagriSema uses semaglutide plus cagrilintide. That is a fixed-dose combination of two separate molecules. Amycretin tries to collapse a similar biology idea into one molecule. If that design works at scale, it could simplify manufacturing, dosing, and oral-delivery development.
Why the amylin pathway matters
GLP-1 drugs make hunger quieter. Amylin adds another satiety signal around meal size, fullness, and post-meal glucose handling. Those two signals overlap, but they are not identical. That is why the combination can produce more appetite control than GLP-1 alone.
How Amycretin Works
The biology is two-part.
GLP-1 receptor activity
The GLP-1 side helps reduce appetite, slow gastric emptying, support glucose-dependent insulin release, and reduce glucagon when glucose is elevated. This is the pathway people already know from semaglutide, liraglutide, and other GLP-1 drugs. For a plain-language primer, see our what is GLP-1 explainer.
Amylin receptor activity
The amylin side adds a second fullness signal. Amylin is normally released with insulin after meals. It helps the brain and gut register that enough food has arrived. That is the same broad pathway behind cagrilintide, the amylin half of CagriSema.
Why the combination can feel different
A stronger satiety signal can make smaller meals feel complete sooner. It can also make large meals feel uncomfortable faster. That is useful for weight loss, but it is also the reason nausea, vomiting, reflux, constipation, and low food intake become the side-effect bottleneck.
Amycretin Weight Loss Results
The numbers drive the hype.
| Study / data set | Population | Route | Result | Key caveat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-in-human oral study | Adults with overweight or obesity | Once daily oral | About 13% body-weight loss at 12 weeks with the highest regimen | Small early study; 12 weeks is short |
| Subcutaneous phase 1b/2a | 125 adults with overweight or obesity | Once weekly injection | 24.3% at 60 mg and 22.0% at 20 mg by week 36 | Early study with high dropout and no long-term outcomes yet |
| Type 2 diabetes phase 2 | 448 adults with T2D on background therapy | Weekly injection or daily oral | Up to 14.5% SC and 10.1% oral weight loss at week 36 | Headline results; full peer-reviewed data still matter |
| AMAZE 1 phase 3 | Adults with excess body weight | Once weekly injection | Primary endpoint is weight change at week 84 | Recruiting; completion is years away |
Subcutaneous amycretin: 36-week obesity data
The subcutaneous study is the strongest obesity signal so far. In the dose-response arms, estimated mean body-weight change favored amycretin over placebo across maintenance doses. The 60 mg group reached 24.3% at week 36 versus 1.1% with placebo. The 20 mg group reached 22.0% at week 36 versus a 1.9% gain with placebo. Lower-dose arms still moved: 5 mg reached 16.2% at week 28, and 1.25 mg reached 9.7% at week 20.
Oral amycretin: 12-week signal
The oral version matters because peptide pills are hard. In the first-in-human oral study, the highest daily regimen produced about 13% weight loss at 12 weeks versus about 1% with placebo. That short-window result is why amycretin keeps getting compared to oral semaglutide and orforglipron.
Diabetes phase 2: the newer update
The November 2025 Novo Nordisk phase 2 update changed the article angle. Amycretin is no longer only an obesity candidate. In people with type 2 diabetes, once-weekly subcutaneous amycretin reached HbA1c reductions up to 1.8 percentage points and weight loss up to 14.5% at 36 weeks. Once-daily oral amycretin reached HbA1c reductions up to 1.5 percentage points and weight loss up to 10.1%.
Oral Amycretin vs Weekly Amycretin
The route changes the story.
| Feature | Oral amycretin | Subcutaneous amycretin |
|---|---|---|
| Schedule in trials | Once daily | Once weekly |
| Best early obesity signal | About 13% at 12 weeks | Up to 24.3% at 36 weeks |
| Diabetes phase 2 signal | Up to 10.1% weight loss and 1.5-point HbA1c reduction | Up to 14.5% weight loss and 1.8-point HbA1c reduction |
| Convenience advantage | No injection if the final product works | Weekly schedule may be easier than daily pills |
| Main unknown | Real-world oral absorption and dosing rules | Best maintenance dose and long-term tolerability |
Oral amycretin is the bigger convenience story. Weekly amycretin is the bigger efficacy story so far. The final positioning may not be either-or. Novo Nordisk is developing both routes, which means amycretin could eventually split into different product strategies.
The oral tablet uses salcaprozate sodium (SNAC) as a permeation enhancer to push the amycretin peptide across the gut wall, the same delivery technology behind Rybelsus. Without SNAC, a peptide this size would not survive the digestive tract, which is the entire reason oral amycretin is even possible.
Amycretin Dosage in Trials
These are trial doses only.
No consumer dosing schedule exists because amycretin is not a marketed prescription product. The numbers below describe doses used in studies and press releases, not instructions for use.
| Setting | Route | Doses studied | Duration | Main endpoint |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Early obesity study | Subcutaneous | Escalation up to 1.25 mg, 5 mg, 20 mg, or 60 mg | 20-36 weeks | Safety, tolerability, body-weight change |
| First-in-human oral study | Oral | Escalating daily oral doses up to two 50 mg tablets | Up to 12 weeks | Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, body-weight change |
| Type 2 diabetes phase 2 | Subcutaneous | 0.4 mg, 1.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 40 mg weekly | Up to 36 weeks | HbA1c change and weight change |
| Type 2 diabetes phase 2 | Oral | 6 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg daily | Up to 36 weeks | HbA1c change and weight change |
| AMAZE 1 phase 3 | Subcutaneous | Four dose levels, not all publicly visible in the summary | 84-136 weeks | Relative body-weight change |
The practical takeaway is that amycretin is still in dose-finding. The 60 mg subcutaneous result grabs attention, but the winning commercial dose is not automatically the highest dose. Tolerability, discontinuation, adherence, and long-term outcomes matter just as much as the headline number.
How to Read the 24.3% Number
The headline needs context.
The 24.3% result is the strongest amycretin number people quote, but it came from an early subcutaneous study with a small sample and dose escalation up to 60 mg. That does not make the result unimportant. It does mean the number should be treated as a signal, not a final expectation for every future user.
It was not a full commercial trial
Large phase 3 trials are built to answer questions early trials cannot answer cleanly. They include more sites, more patient variety, longer exposure, and more realistic discontinuation pressure. AMAZE 1 is designed around week-84 body-weight change, which is a much harder test than a 20- to 36-week early study.
The curve had not flattened
One reason amycretin looks exciting is that several higher-dose groups had no clear weight-loss plateau at the end of observation. That can mean more loss may have occurred with more time. It can also mean the trial stopped before the true maintenance pattern was visible. Both interpretations are possible until longer data arrive.
Fast loss raises different questions
Very fast weight loss is not automatically the best outcome. Clinicians will care about lean mass, gallbladder symptoms, nutrition, adherence, blood pressure, kidney markers, cardiovascular outcomes, and how people feel while losing weight. The best obesity drug is not only the one that moves the scale fastest. It is the one people can stay on safely while broader health markers improve.
Amycretin Side Effects
The stomach is the limit.
Across the oral and subcutaneous data, the safety profile looks similar to other GLP-1 and amylin-based therapies. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal and were usually mild to moderate. That is encouraging, but it does not mean amycretin will feel easy for everyone.
| Side effect category | What was reported | Why it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | Common, especially during escalation | Stronger satiety and slower gastric emptying |
| Vomiting | Reported more often at higher exposure | Meal size can exceed new tolerance |
| Decreased appetite | Expected effect, sometimes coded as an adverse event | GLP-1 plus amylin appetite signaling |
| Diarrhea or constipation | Reported across incretin-style therapy | GI motility changes |
| Injection-site reactions | Relevant to the subcutaneous route | Local skin response to injection |
The important nuance is discontinuation. The subcutaneous early study had a high withdrawal rate, and the ACC summary notes many withdrawals were not due to treatment-emergent adverse events. Still, phase 3 will need to show how many people can stay on amycretin long enough to get the benefit.
Amycretin vs CagriSema
This is the key comparison.
CagriSema combines semaglutide with cagrilintide. Amycretin combines GLP-1 and amylin activity in one molecule. Both are Novo Nordisk strategies for making GLP-1 therapy stronger by adding amylin biology, but they are not the same product.
| Feature | Amycretin | CagriSema |
|---|---|---|
| Design | Single GLP-1/amylin molecule | Fixed combination of semaglutide plus cagrilintide |
| Route | Oral and weekly injection in development | Weekly injection |
| Best-known weight-loss range | Up to 24.3% at 36 weeks in early SC data | Low-to-mid 20% range in late-stage obesity data |
| Market timing | Earlier pipeline; phase 3 just starting for obesity | Closer to market because late-stage data are further along |
| Big open question | Can one molecule hold the weight-loss curve in phase 3? | Can it compete cleanly against tirzepatide? |
If you want the deeper head-to-head, read amycretin vs CagriSema. The short answer: amycretin may be the cleaner long-term platform if oral delivery works, but CagriSema has more mature late-stage evidence.
Amycretin vs Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and Retatrutide
Each drug solves a different problem.
| Drug | Main pathways | Known strength | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Semaglutide | GLP-1 | Approved benchmark with cardiovascular outcome data | Lower average weight loss than newer multi-pathway candidates |
| Tirzepatide | GIP + GLP-1 | Strong approved weight-loss benchmark | Access, cost, GI effects, and not an amylin drug |
| Retatrutide | GIP + GLP-1 + glucagon | Very strong phase 2 obesity signal | Still in development; glucagon activity changes the risk/benefit questions |
| CagriSema | GLP-1 + amylin | Late-stage amylin-plus-GLP-1 approach | Two-molecule injectable combination |
| Amycretin | GLP-1 + amylin | Single-molecule approach with oral and injectable development | Needs phase 3 durability and long-term safety data |
For readers comparing the broader class, start with peptides for weight loss, then use the retatrutide dosing schedule and liraglutide peptide pages to understand how older daily GLP-1s differ from newer multi-pathway drugs.
Amycretin vs Oral Obesity Drugs
The pill race is crowded.
The oral amycretin story is not just about avoiding needles. It sits inside a larger shift toward oral weight-loss medication: oral semaglutide at higher obesity doses, Lilly's orforglipron, and other small-molecule or peptide-delivery approaches. Amycretin is unusual because it is still a peptide-style dual agonist, while orforglipron is a non-peptide oral GLP-1 agonist.
| Oral option | Main pathway | Convenience question | Data question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral amycretin | GLP-1 + amylin | Can a peptide-style dual agonist be absorbed reliably enough? | Can the 12-week signal hold over a full obesity trial? |
| Oral semaglutide | GLP-1 | Can patients follow strict administration rules? | How close can oral dosing get to injectable Wegovy outcomes? |
| Orforglipron | GLP-1 | Can a small molecule be easier to take daily? | Can it match injectable-class weight loss while staying tolerable? |
Convenience is not only route
A pill can be inconvenient if it must be taken under strict conditions. A weekly injection can be convenient if it is predictable and easy to remember. Final amycretin labeling will matter because oral peptide delivery often depends on timing, water volume, and avoiding food around the dose.
Efficacy still has to survive time
Twelve-week oral data are useful for direction, but they do not tell the whole story. Most obesity medications show a curve: fast early loss, slower middle loss, then a plateau. The question is where oral amycretin plateaus after 52, 68, or 84 weeks.
Is Amycretin Available Yet?
No marketed product exists.
As of April 30, 2026, amycretin is still in clinical development. ClinicalTrials.gov lists AMAZE 1 as a phase 3 obesity trial that started on February 24, 2026, with estimated enrollment of 1,150 participants. The primary completion date is listed for June 26, 2029, and study completion for August 21, 2029.
That timeline matters. It means amycretin is not a near-term replacement for Wegovy, Zepbound, or other available GLP-1 options. It is a pipeline drug with unusually interesting data, not something a normal patient can pick up from a pharmacy today.
Who Amycretin Could Fit Best
The fit is still theoretical.
- People who need stronger appetite control: The amylin pathway may help when GLP-1 alone does not quiet meal size enough.
- People who prefer oral therapy: If the oral version holds up, it could appeal to patients who avoid injections.
- People with type 2 diabetes and obesity: Phase 2 data showed both HbA1c and weight movement in that population.
- People who plateau on older GLP-1s: A second satiety pathway may become relevant after single-pathway response flattens.
The poor-fit group is also obvious: anyone who needs an available medication now, anyone who cannot tolerate GLP-1-style GI effects, and anyone assuming early trial numbers will translate perfectly to broad real-world use.
What Top Amycretin Pages Miss
Most pages chase the headline.
The common top-10 pattern is simple: define amycretin, quote the 13% oral number, quote the 22-24% injection number, then compare it with Wegovy or CagriSema. That is useful, but it misses four practical angles.
The diabetes data changed the topic
The November 2025 phase 2 diabetes update gives amycretin a second lane. It is not just a weight-loss candidate. It may become a diabetes-and-weight candidate if phase 3 confirms the HbA1c and weight results.
Oral convenience has rules
Oral peptide delivery usually has dosing constraints around fasting, water volume, and timing. Final amycretin instructions are not known yet, but readers should not assume it will be as casual as taking a standard tablet with breakfast.
Fast loss is not automatically better
The ACC summary highlighted an important caution from the Lancet authors: very rapid weight loss may not deliver the same broader health effects as slower loss. Phase 3 has to answer body composition, adherence, and outcome questions, not just scale weight.
Availability claims are premature
Any page suggesting amycretin is already a buyable medication is skipping the hard part. Regulatory review, manufacturing scale, long-term data, and final labeling are still ahead.
What Phase 3 Has to Prove
Scale weight is only step one.
AMAZE 1 will get attention for body-weight change, but amycretin's real commercial case needs more than a big percentage. It has to show that the dose can be escalated, maintained, and tolerated in a broad population long enough to justify using it instead of approved GLP-1/GIP options or CagriSema if that reaches market first.
Durability
The phase 3 endpoint at week 84 is important because it tests whether early momentum lasts. If amycretin keeps separating from placebo without a harsh discontinuation penalty, the story gets stronger. If the curve flattens early or side effects force dose reductions, the headline changes.
Adherence
Daily oral therapy and weekly injection fail for different reasons. Oral drugs can be forgotten or taken incorrectly. Injections can create anxiety, skin reactions, or supply friction. Phase 3 will show which version has the cleaner adherence profile.
Metabolic outcomes
The diabetes phase 2 data make HbA1c, fasting glucose, blood pressure, and kidney-related markers more important. A drug that reduces weight and improves glycemic control may be positioned differently than a drug that only wins on weight.
Comparative positioning
Even without a direct head-to-head trial, physicians and payers will compare amycretin against semaglutide, tirzepatide, CagriSema, and retatrutide. That means the bar is not just placebo separation. The bar is whether amycretin offers something meaningfully better: more weight loss, better tolerability, oral convenience, stronger diabetes data, or a cleaner long-term profile.
What to Watch Next
Phase 3 is the test.
- AMAZE 1: The phase 3 obesity trial will track relative body-weight change at week 84.
- Diabetes phase 3 program: Novo Nordisk said it planned an extensive phase 3 program across multiple indications in 2026.
- Oral dose rules: Watch whether the final oral program requires strict fasting like other oral peptide technologies.
- GI discontinuation: The key question is not only how much weight people lose, but how many can stay on treatment.
- Head-to-head positioning: The market will compare amycretin with Wegovy, Zepbound, CagriSema, and retatrutide whether or not head-to-head trials exist.
Frequently Asked Questions
References
- Novo Nordisk. Phase 2 trial with amycretin reports significant weight loss and HbA1c reduction in type 2 diabetes. November 25, 2025.
- Dahl K, et al. Amycretin administered subcutaneously: phase 1b/2a randomized controlled study. The Lancet. 2025.
- Gasiorek A, et al. Oral amycretin first-in-human phase 1 study. The Lancet. 2025.
- American College of Cardiology. Oral and subcutaneous amycretin similarly safe and tolerated as GLP-1 monoagonists. July 2025.
- ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT06542874: NNC0487-0111 in type 2 diabetes.
- ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT07339423: AMAZE 1 phase 3 obesity trial.
- Healio. Amycretin reduces weight and HbA1c in phase 2 trial of patients with diabetes. November 2025.
The information in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement or compound. Results vary by individual.