CT-868 dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
In a mid-stage study of 103 adults with type 2 diabetes, it lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) by 1.61 to 2.24 points more than a dummy shot. But weight fell only 2.9 percent more. Roche stopped the drug in July 2026 to focus on another drug from the same company purchase.
Evidence grade for CT-868: Moderate. The rule: at least one finished study in people, and at least 100 people who took it. The sum on this page: 1 completed trial, 103 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 103
- Human studies
- 1
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
1 completed trial, 103 people given it
No first-hand reports gathered yet. That is a gap in what we have collected, not a finding that nothing has been reported.
Goal pages: Fat loss and metabolism
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
CT-868 was a daily shot that worked on two hunger and blood sugar signals. Roche bought it, then stopped work on it in July 2026. It was never approved anywhere.
What people take it for
- Lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes.
- Weight loss, which is what the makers hoped for.
What studies in people showed
There is one study, in 103 adults with type 2 diabetes who were also heavy. Over 26 weeks, average blood sugar fell 1.61 to 2.24 points more than on a dummy shot. That is a big drop. But weight fell only 2.9 percent more than the dummy group. Nobody had low blood sugar. The authors wanted to test higher doses. Roche stopped the drug before that could happen. Nothing published says it was stopped for safety.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- Strong blood sugar control in the one study.
- No one had low blood sugar, and side effects were mostly mild to moderate.
The bad
- Weight loss was small.
- The drug has been stopped, so nothing sold under this name is the real thing.
Where these come from: The one study on this page. We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
My bottom line
This is a dead drug. The only reason to know it is the odd result: great blood sugar, little weight loss. Do not buy anything sold under this name.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals CT-868 has been tested for in people, biggest studies first. We count only what the studies on this page say, so the real numbers may be higher.
- Losing weight103 people · 1 study
- Blood sugar and insulin103 people · 1 study
34 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind CT-868
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove CT-868 does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about CT-868 and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is CT-868?
In a mid-stage study of 103 adults with type 2 diabetes, it lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) by 1.61 to 2.24 points more than a dummy shot. But weight fell only 2.9 percent more. Roche stopped the drug in July 2026 to focus on another drug from the same company purchase.
CT-868 came from Carmot Therapeutics in Berkeley. Roche bought Carmot at the end of 2023 in a deal worth up to 3.1 billion dollars. The drug later got the official name acmopatide.
It is unusual for this family in two ways. Like tirzepatide, it works on two gut hormone switches, GLP-1 and GIP. But it is a daily shot, not a weekly one. It is also described as fully biased. That means it is built to trigger one signal inside the cell, while avoiding another signal that makes the cell pull its switches inside and stop responding.
The mid-stage study went well on blood sugar and poorly on weight. It ran 26 weeks in 103 adults with type 2 diabetes and a BMI of at least 27. Average blood sugar fell 1.61 to 2.24 points more than on a dummy shot, which is a large effect. Body weight fell only 2.9 percent more than the dummy group on the top dose. That is small for a two-hormone drug in 2026. The authors suggested testing higher doses to get more weight loss.
That will not happen. Roche stopped the drug in July 2026. Its investor materials said other type 1 diabetes programs were getting priority. Roche moved its effort to enicepatide, a weekly two-hormone drug from the same purchase that is also being developed for weight loss.
The study also has an odd note. Covid-era supply problems meant some people meant to get 4.0 mg got no more than 3.25 mg. They were counted as a separate dose group.
How does CT-868 work?
It works on two gut hormone switches, GLP-1 and GIP. Its makers call it fully biased. When a hormone hits its switch on a cell, it can trigger more than one signal inside. This drug is built to trigger mainly one, a messenger called cyclic AMP. It avoids a second signal that makes the cell pull the switch inside and stop responding. The idea is that cells keep responding for longer. Whether that idea helps anyone is exactly what this drug's record leaves open. Blood sugar control was strong. Weight loss was not. The program stopped before higher doses were tested.
What have studies in people found about CT-868?
One published mid-stage study in 103 adults with type 2 diabetes who were also overweight or obese. No final-stage study was run, and the drug has been stopped.
- Average blood sugar (HbA1c) fell 1.61 to 2.24 points more than on a dummy shot over 26 weeks. That is a strong blood sugar effect.
- Body weight fell 2.9 percent more than the dummy group on the highest dose people finished. That is modest for a two-hormone drug.
- Nobody had low blood sugar, and side effects were mostly mild to moderate.
- Some people meant to get 4.0 mg got at most 3.25 mg because of Covid-era supply problems. They were counted separately.
- The authors called for testing higher doses to get more weight loss. Those studies were never run.
What this does not tell you: 103 people, 26 weeks, one study. The dose the authors thought might bring real weight loss was never tested. Most authors work or worked for the company that ran the study. And because the program stopped, the question the study raised will not be answered by this drug. That question is whether a daily, biased two-hormone drug can match weekly drugs on weight at a higher dose.
The state of the research
This is the stopped drug on this page. Stopped drugs are worth writing down, because they tell you things the survivors do not.
The mid-stage result splits cleanly. On blood sugar, CT-868 did very well. A 1.61 to 2.24 point drop beyond the dummy shot is similar to what the weekly two-hormone drugs achieve. On weight, 2.9 percent beyond the dummy at the top dose is far below tirzepatide's range, and below what most one-hormone GLP-1 drugs manage.
The study's own conclusion was to test higher doses. Instead, Roche stopped the drug in July 2026. It put its effort behind enicepatide, once called CT-388, the weekly two-hormone drug from the same purchase, which is being developed for weight and diabetes together. Read as a business call, this is about where the money in weight loss is. It is not a safety finding. Nothing in the published record suggests the drug was stopped because it caused harm.
The biased-signal idea is the part left hanging. A drug that triggers mainly the cyclic AMP signal was supposed to keep cells responding, by avoiding the signal that shuts them down. The one study that tested this in people found excellent blood sugar control and unimpressive weight loss. That split is genuinely interesting. Now nobody will find out whether it was a dose problem or something built into the design.
A drug with one published mid-stage study and a stopped program is not a treatment. Anything sold under this code is not what was used in the study.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
103people, across 1 study in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2026 | 103 | 100% |
The whole total is one study of 103. Counts are the number of people each study on this page says it signed up. That includes studies that only watched people and gave nobody the compound. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
1 of 2 sources here is a study in people. The rest is not.
- Study in people · done in people150%
- Review of studies · sums up other studies150%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
Sources here come from just two years, 2021 and 2026.
Too few different years on this page to draw a timeline.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Peptide
- Molecule weight
- A dual incretin receptor agonist peptide. No mass is asserted here.
- Half-life
- Stated in words, not a numbersee the exact wording below
- Chain length
- None on file
Half-life as stated on file: Dosed once daily in its phase two trial. No human half-life figure is asserted here; no source loaded for this entry states one.
No amino acid sequence is on file for CT-868, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2026Efficacy and safety of CT-868, a novel, fully biased, dual glucagon-like peptide-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor agonist, in type 2 diabetes: A double-blind, randomized placebo controlled phase 2 trial
Blood sugar fell a long way and weight barely moved, which is unusual for this drug class. 103 adults with type 2 diabetes took CT-868 daily at 1.75 mg, 4.0 mg or a dummy for 26 weeks, nobody knowing which. Average blood sugar fell 1.61 to 2.24 points further than the dummy group. Weight fell only 2.9 percent further on the higher dose. Covid supply problems meant some on the higher dose got less and were counted separately. Most authors work or worked for Roche or Carmot.
26 week phase 2 in 103 adults with type 2 diabetes, body mass index at least 27 and glycated haemoglobin 7.0 to 10.0 percent, randomised to once-daily CT-868 1.75 mg, 4.0 mg or placebo. Glycated haemoglobin fell 1.61 to 2.24 percentage points against placebo. Body weight fell only 2.9 percent against placebo on 4.0 mg. Fasting glucose, self-monitored glucose and most lipid parameters improved. No participant experienced hypoglycaemia. COVID-19 supply constraints meant some participants assigned 4.0 mg received a maximum of 3.25 mg and were analysed as a separate arm. Most authors are current or former Roche or Carmot employees.
- Review of studies2021Emerging glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists for the treatment of obesity
A 2021 review of GLP-1 drugs then being tested for weight loss. It lists CT-868 next to CT-388, tirzepatide, cagrilintide with semaglutide, cotadutide, efinopegdutide and others. It is useful here as a record of where this drug stood five years before it was stopped. It is also a reminder of how many drugs on that list never reached the market.
A review of compounds with GLP-1 receptor agonism then in clinical development for obesity, listing CT-868 alongside CT-388, tirzepatide, cagrilintide plus semaglutide, cotadutide, efinopegdutide and others. Useful here mainly as a record of where this compound sat in the pipeline five years before it was discontinued, and as a reminder of how many entries on that 2021 list never reached a market.
Where to buy CT-868
No seller we track lists CT-868 yet. We read sellers’ public product lists every week, and this section fills in as soon as one does. Every seller, graded
Common questions
Has CT-868 been tested in people?
Yes. 103 people given it across 1 completed trial cited here, 0 of which found nothing. In a mid-stage study of 103 adults with type 2 diabetes, it lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) by 1.61 to 2.24 points more than a dummy shot. But weight fell only 2.9 percent more. Roche stopped the drug in July 2026 to focus on another drug from the same company purchase.
What is the CT-868 dosage?
No human dose established. Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose. 1 completed trial, 103 people given it
Is CT-868 FDA-approved?
Not approved. Roche stopped work on it in July 2026, after the mid-stage study in type 2 diabetes.
Is CT-868 still in development?
No. Roche stopped it in July 2026, saying other type 1 diabetes programs were getting priority. It is focusing on enicepatide, the weekly two-hormone drug it got from Carmot in the same deal.
Was it stopped for safety reasons?
Nothing in the published record says so. In the mid-stage study, side effects were mostly mild to moderate, and nobody had low blood sugar. The reason given was business priorities.
Why did it work so well on glucose and so poorly on weight?
That split is the most interesting fact about this drug, and nobody ever explained it. Average blood sugar fell 1.61 to 2.24 points more than on a dummy shot, while weight fell only 2.9 percent. The authors thought higher doses would fix it. Those doses were never tested.
What does fully biased mean?
When a hormone hits its switch on a cell, it can trigger more than one signal inside. A fully biased drug is built to trigger mainly one of them, here a messenger called cyclic AMP. It avoids the signal that makes the cell pull the switch inside and stop responding. The hoped-for benefit is that cells keep responding for longer. This study is the only test of the idea in people for this drug, and it left the question open.
Can I buy CT-868?
It was never approved anywhere, and work on it has stopped. Anything offered online under this code has no link to what was used in the study. Nobody has checked what is in it, how pure it is or how much it contains.