Efpeglenatide dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Efpeglenatide is an experimental long-lasting GLP-1 drug that lowered heart and kidney problems in a large study. It is not broadly approved.
Evidence grade for Efpeglenatide: Strong. The rule: at least two finished studies in people, and at least 1,000 people who took it. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 4,076 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 4,076
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
Doses used in trials
2, 4 and 6 mg
Doses used in the efpeglenatide trials, in mg. Not an approved ladder.
3 effects reported, 2 unwanted, 1 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Fat loss and metabolism, Heart and circulation
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.
Efpeglenatide is a long-lasting shot in the GLP-1 family, the same family as semaglutide (Ozempic). It is based on the Gila monster hormone. It is joined to a piece of an antibody, so it lasts for days. It is still experimental and not broadly approved.
What people take it for
- Lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes.
- Protecting the heart and kidneys.
- Some weight loss.
What studies in people showed
The biggest study had 4,076 people with type 2 diabetes and a high risk of heart trouble. They took the drug or a dummy shot. Heart attacks, strokes and heart deaths were about a quarter less common on the drug. Kidney problems were about a third less common. In a smaller study, the drug on its own lowered the long-term blood sugar number from 8.1 to between 6.4 and 6.9 in 30 weeks. People lost weight too. Side effects were like other drugs in this family, mostly stomach and bowel upset.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- In the studies on this page, heart, kidney and blood sugar results all went the right way.
The bad
- Stomach and bowel upset, like the rest of this drug family. This is from the studies on this page.
- It is still experimental and not broadly approved.
Where these come from: Everything here is from the two human studies on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this drug yet.
My bottom line
The heart and kidney results are strong for this family. But it is not broadly approved, so this is a watch list drug, not a now drug.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Efpeglenatide 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.
- Heart attacks and strokes4,076 people · 1 study
- Kidney function4,076 people · 1 study
- Losing weightno headcount stated · 1 study
- Blood sugar and insulinno headcount stated · 1 study
32 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Efpeglenatide
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Efpeglenatide does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Efpeglenatide and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Efpeglenatide?
Efpeglenatide is an experimental long-lasting GLP-1 drug that lowered heart and kidney problems in a large study. It is not broadly approved.
Efpeglenatide is a long-lasting GLP-1 drug based on exendin-4, the Gila monster hormone. It is joined to a piece of an antibody so it lasts longer. The biggest study, AMPLITUDE-O, had 4,076 people with type 2 diabetes and a high risk of heart trouble. Heart attacks, strokes and heart deaths were about a quarter less common than on a dummy shot. Kidney problems were about a third less common. In a smaller study, the drug alone lowered the long-term blood sugar number from 8.1% to between 6.4% and 6.9% in 30 weeks, and people lost weight. Its path to market has been bumpy, and it is not broadly approved. But its study results stand out in this drug family.
How does Efpeglenatide work?
It switches on the GLP-1 receptor and lasts for days. That helps control blood sugar. In its big study, it also came with fewer heart and kidney problems.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
4,076people, across 1 study in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| AMPLITUDE-O, New England Journal of Medicine 2021 | 4,076 | 100% |
The whole total is one study of 4,076. 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. 1 more study in people gives no headcount and is not counted here. Studies still signing people up are left out, and only studies cited on this page are counted.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
All 2 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people2100%
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 2022.
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
- Biologic
- Molecule weight
- ~60,000 Da
- Half-life
- About 5.5 daysLong, 1 to 7 days
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Efpeglenatide, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2021Cardiovascular and renal outcomes with efpeglenatide in type 2 diabetes (AMPLITUDE-O)
This one did protect the heart. Just over four thousand people with type 2 diabetes and a high risk of heart trouble took efpeglenatide or a dummy injection. Heart attacks, strokes and deaths from heart disease happened about a quarter less often on the drug. Kidney problems were down by roughly a third. Two results pointing the same way are harder to dismiss than one. Everybody here was picked for being at high risk, so healthier people should not expect the same size of gain.
4,076 high-risk patients: MACE hazard ratio 0.73 and composite renal outcome hazard ratio 0.68 versus placebo.
- Study in people2022Efficacy and safety of once-weekly efpeglenatide monotherapy versus placebo in type 2 diabetes (AMPLITUDE-M)
Used on its own, the drug brought blood sugar down into a normal range. People with type 2 diabetes took it or a dummy injection for about seven months. Their three month average blood sugar started at 8.1 and finished somewhere around 6.4 to 6.9. They lost weight as well. Side effects looked like those of other drugs in this family, mostly stomach and bowel upset. This trial measured blood sugar and weight, not whether anyone lived longer.
HbA1c fell to 6.4% to 6.9% from 8.1% at 30 weeks with body weight reduction; tolerability similar to other GLP-1 RAs.
Common questions
Has Efpeglenatide been tested in people?
Yes. 4,076 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. Efpeglenatide is an experimental long-lasting GLP-1 drug that lowered heart and kidney problems in a large study. It is not broadly approved.
What is the Efpeglenatide dosage?
Doses used in trials. 2, 4 and 6 mg Doses used in the efpeglenatide trials, in mg. Not an approved ladder.
Is Efpeglenatide FDA-approved?
Investigational, not broadly FDA-approved
Is efpeglenatide available?
Not widely. It is still experimental and not broadly approved. Its heart and kidney results are well regarded in this drug family.