Taspoglutide dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
A once-a-week GLP-1 shot that lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) more than exenatide and sitagliptin in large final-stage studies, and was stopped in 2010 anyway.
Evidence grade for Taspoglutide: Strong. The rule: at least two finished studies in people, and at least 1,000 people who took it. The sum on this page: 3 completed trials, 2,181 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 2,181
- Human studies
- 3
- 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.
3 completed trials, 2,181 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.
Taspoglutide was a weekly shot for type 2 diabetes, in the same GLP-1 family as semaglutide. Roche tested it in more than 6,000 people. It lowered blood sugar well. It was stopped in 2010 because too many people could not stand the side effects. It was never approved.
What people take it for
- Lower blood sugar in type 2 diabetes.
- A weekly shot instead of a daily one.
- A little weight loss.
What studies in people showed
Three published studies had 2,181 people. In the biggest, with 1,189 people, it lowered average blood sugar 1.24 to 1.31 points. Exenatide lowered it 0.98. It also beat sitagliptin and a dummy shot. Weight loss was small, 1 to 2.6 kg. But nausea hit 53 to 59 percent and vomiting 33 to 37 percent. About half made antibodies against the drug. Allergic reactions were common enough to need a safety plan. At least 3,946 more people were in studies that finished and were never published.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- Blood sugar fell more than on exenatide or sitagliptin.
The bad
- Nausea hit 53 to 59 percent, and vomiting 33 to 37 percent.
- 46 to 49 percent made antibodies against the drug.
- Allergic and injection site reactions were common, and more people quit.
Where these come from: These come from the studies and the maker's registry record on this page. We have not collected user reports on this one yet.
My bottom line
Working is not enough if people cannot stand taking it. The antibody story matters for anyone injecting peptides bought outside the system, where nobody checks for antibodies. In my opinion, that is a real risk people skip.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Taspoglutide 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.
- Blood sugar and insulin2,181 people · 3 studies
35 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Taspoglutide
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Taspoglutide does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Taspoglutide and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Taspoglutide?
A once-a-week GLP-1 shot that lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) more than exenatide and sitagliptin in large final-stage studies, and was stopped in 2010 anyway. Its maker wrote the reason on the study registry. Too many people quit, mainly because of stomach and gut side effects, and allergic reactions needed a special safety plan. 46 to 49 percent of people made antibodies against the drug.
Taspoglutide is a lab-made copy of human GLP-1. Ipsen developed it (BIM-51077) and licensed it to Roche (R1583) as a weekly shot for type 2 diabetes. It went into a large final-stage programme called T-emerge: eight studies with more than 6,000 people. It is the best-documented failure in the GLP-1 family. The drug hit its blood sugar goals and was stopped because of how people tolerated it.
The published human record is three final-stage studies. In T-emerge 2 (Diabetes Care, 2013), 1,189 overweight adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin were assigned by chance to taspoglutide 10 mg a week, 20 mg a week, or exenatide 10 mcg twice a day, for 24 weeks. Everyone knew which drug they had. Average blood sugar (HbA1c) started at 8.1 percent. Taspoglutide lowered it by 1.24 and 1.31 points, against 0.98 for exenatide. The gaps of 0.26 and 0.33 points are very unlikely to be chance. Weight fell 1.6 kg and 2.3 kg, against 2.3 kg on exenatide. Nausea hit 53, 59 and 35 percent, and vomiting 33, 37 and 16 percent. Allergic and injection site reactions were more common on taspoglutide. 49 percent of people made antibodies against it. The authors wrote that blood sugar control beat exenatide, but came with what they called unacceptable levels of nausea and vomiting, injection site reactions and whole-body allergic reactions. In T-emerge 4 (Diabetes Therapy, 2012), 666 people got taspoglutide 10 or 20 mg, sitagliptin 100 mg or a dummy injection for 24 weeks. HbA1c fell 1.23 and 1.30 points, against 0.89 on sitagliptin and 0.10 on the dummy. Weight fell 1.8 and 2.6 kg, against 0.9 and 0.5 kg. 46 percent made antibodies, and the authors wrote that the side effects led to dosing being stopped. In T-emerge 3 (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2012), 326 people already on metformin plus pioglitazone took part. HbA1c fell 1.35 and 1.40 points, against 0.45 on the dummy. Nausea hit 35 and 44 percent against 10, and injection site reactions 24 percent against 5.
The programme was stopped in 2010. The primary record of why is the maker's entry on ClinicalTrials.gov for NCT01051011, a 370 person final-stage study against insulin glargine. It is marked terminated. The reason given: high quit rates, mainly from stomach and gut side effects, and a plan to manage allergic reactions. That is Roche's own statement, and this page reports it as such. It does not add reasons that appear only in other sources. Three more large final-stage studies are listed as finished on the registry, with no results posted and no paper found. They covered 2,118 people with heart disease (NCT01018173), 1,072 compared with insulin glargine (NCT00755287), and 756 compared with pioglitazone (NCT00909597). As far as any public record shows, taspoglutide was never submitted for approval anywhere.
How does Taspoglutide work?
Taspoglutide switches on the GLP-1 receptor, and in people it did what that drug family does. It lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) and fasting blood sugar. It improved an estimate of how well insulin-making cells work in T-emerge 3. It brought modest weight loss of 1 to 2.6 kg over 24 weeks. What set it apart was how it was made, not how it worked. It was a slow-release weekly shot, one of the first in the family. How it failed is the part that matters for anyone reading about peptide drugs. Between 46 and 49 percent of people made antibodies against it. Whole-body allergic reactions and injection site reactions were common enough that the maker brought in a special safety plan for allergic reactions. A changed human peptide given again and again can trigger the immune system. That immune response can cause allergic reactions whether or not the drug is still lowering blood sugar. The published studies ran 24 to 52 weeks. They did not show whether the antibodies also made the drug work less well over time. Its half-life and molecular weight could not be found in a primary source, so they are not given.
What have studies in people found about Taspoglutide?
A large final-stage programme. Three published studies with 2,181 people over 24 weeks, extended to 52. At least three more final-stage studies, with 3,946 people, finished and were never published or posted. Roche ran all of them. The published studies hit their blood sugar goals. The programme was stopped for side effects and allergic reactions.
- T-emerge 2, 1,189 people, against exenatide, with everyone knowing their drug: HbA1c fell 0.26 to 0.33 points more than on exenatide. Weight loss at 10 mg was less than on exenatide. Nausea 53 to 59 percent against 35. Vomiting 33 to 37 percent against 16. Antibodies in 49 percent.
- T-emerge 4, 666 people, against sitagliptin and a dummy injection, with nobody knowing their drug: HbA1c fell 0.34 to 0.41 points more than on sitagliptin. Weight fell 1.8 to 2.6 kg, against 0.9. Antibodies in 46 percent. More people quit because of side effects.
- T-emerge 3, 326 people on metformin plus pioglitazone, against a dummy injection: HbA1c fell about 0.9 points more than on the dummy. Nausea 35 to 44 percent against 10. Injection site reactions 24 percent against 5.
- NCT01051011, 370 people, against insulin glargine: stopped by the maker because of high quit rates, mainly from stomach and gut side effects, and a safety plan for allergic reactions.
- Never reported: 2,118 people with heart disease (NCT01018173), 1,072 against glargine (NCT00755287), 756 against pioglitazone (NCT00909597). All finished in 2010 to 2011 with no results posted.
What this does not tell you: The published studies ran 24 weeks, extended to 52, so nothing is known about longer use. The biggest studies never reported at all. That means the full picture of side effects and allergic reactions is only partly public. In the exenatide comparison, everyone knew which drug they had. Nobody showed whether the antibodies made the drug work less well over time. The maker's stated reason for stopping is the only primary account, and it does not say how many allergic reactions there were.
The state of the research
Taspoglutide splits apart two questions this site keeps separate. Did the drug do what it was meant to do? And could it be turned into a usable medicine? On the first, three large final-stage studies say yes. It lowered average blood sugar more than exenatide, more than sitagliptin, and much more than a dummy injection. On the second, the maker's own registry entry says no. Too many people stopped taking it because of nausea and vomiting. And allergic reactions were common enough to need a formal safety plan. Roche stopped the programme in 2010, and the drug has not been heard of since.
Two parts of the record deserve attention. First, the immune response. 46 to 49 percent of people made antibodies against taspoglutide. Changed peptides given again and again can trigger antibodies and, in some people, whole-body allergic reactions. That risk is rarely mentioned in consumer material about peptides bought outside the regulated system, where nobody checks for antibodies at all. Second, the missing studies. At least 3,946 people took part in final-stage studies that finished and never appeared in a journal or on the registry. Their data exist and are not public. Why the programme stopped is on record. The full extent of what it found is not.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
2,181people, across 3 studies in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes Care 2013 | 1,189 | 55% |
| Diabetes Therapy 2012 | 666 | 31% |
| Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2012 | 326 | 15% |
One study holds 55% of these people, so the total rests more on one study than its size suggests. 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. 4 more studies in people give no headcount and are 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 7 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people7100%
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
The studies cover 4 different years, 2010 to 2013, counted from the list of sources on this page. The newest source on file is from 2013, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
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
- Not on file
- Half-life
- None on file
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Taspoglutide, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2013The fate of taspoglutide, a weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist, versus twice-daily exenatide for type 2 diabetes: the T-emerge 2 trial
Taspoglutide controlled blood sugar better than exenatide and made far more people sick. 1,189 overweight adults with diabetes were split by chance across two taspoglutide doses or twice-daily exenatide for six months, and everybody knew which. Average blood sugar fell more on taspoglutide. Weight loss was no better. Nausea hit over half on taspoglutide against a third on exenatide, and a third vomited. More people quit, and nearly half developed antibodies to the drug. The sponsor paid.
1,189 overweight adults with type 2 diabetes on metformin randomised open-label to taspoglutide 10 mg weekly (399), 20 mg weekly (398) or exenatide 10 mcg twice daily (392), 24 weeks. HbA1c minus 1.24 and minus 1.31 percentage points against minus 0.98 (P below 0.0001 for both). Weight minus 1.6 and minus 2.3 kg against minus 2.3 kg. Nausea 53, 59 and 35 percent; vomiting 33, 37 and 16 percent; more allergic and injection site reactions and more discontinuations with taspoglutide; anti-drug antibodies in 49 percent. Sponsor funded (registry NCT00717457).
- Study in people2012Efficacy and safety of taspoglutide versus sitagliptin for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T-emerge 4 trial)
Taspoglutide beat sitagliptin on blood sugar and weight, and the safety picture ended the drug. 666 people on metformin were split by chance across two taspoglutide doses, sitagliptin, or a dummy, for six months. Nobody involved knew which. Blood sugar and weight both fell further on taspoglutide. Stomach trouble, allergic reactions and injection site reactions were all worse, and more people quit. Nearly half developed antibodies. The authors say plainly that the safety profile is why dosing was stopped.
666 people on metformin randomised double-blind to taspoglutide 10 mg (190) or 20 mg (198) weekly, sitagliptin 100 mg daily (185) or placebo (93), 24 weeks. HbA1c minus 1.23 and minus 1.30 points against minus 0.89 (sitagliptin) and minus 0.10 (placebo); weight minus 1.8 and minus 2.6 kg against minus 0.9 and minus 0.5 kg. Gastrointestinal, allergic and injection site reactions higher with taspoglutide with higher discontinuation; antibodies confirmed in 46 percent. The authors state the safety profile led to discontinuation of dosing. Sponsor funded.
- Study in people2012Efficacy and safety of taspoglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled with metformin plus pioglitazone over 24 weeks: T-Emerge 3 trial
Taspoglutide lowered blood sugar well on top of two other diabetes drugs, and the side effects were brutal. 326 people were split by chance between two doses and a dummy for six months. Nobody involved knew which. Average blood sugar fell by well over a point against under half a point on the dummy, and most people reached target. Weight barely moved. Nausea hit a third to nearly half, a fifth to a quarter vomited, and a quarter had injection site reactions. The sponsor paid.
326 people randomised double-blind to taspoglutide 10 mg, 20 mg or placebo weekly for 24 weeks. HbA1c minus 1.35 and minus 1.40 points against minus 0.45 (P below 0.0001); HbA1c at or below 7 percent in 69.8 and 76.1 percent against 35.1; weight minus 0.64 and minus 1.04 kg against plus 0.59 kg. Nausea 35, 44 and 10 percent; vomiting 21, 24 and 2 percent; injection site reactions 24, 24 and 5 percent. Sponsor funded.
- Study in people2010A Study to Compare Taspoglutide and Insulin Glargine in Insulin-Naive Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Inadequately Controlled on Metformin and Sulfonylurea Combination Therapy
This is where the taspoglutide programme actually ended, in the sponsor's own words. A 370 person trial against insulin glargine was terminated. The record states the reason: too many people were quitting, mainly because they could not tolerate the stomach effects, and a plan had to be put in place to handle allergic reactions. That is the primary source for why the drug was abandoned. No results were posted.
Phase 3, 370 participants, sponsor Hoffmann-La Roche, TERMINATED. Sponsor's why-stopped text: high discontinuation rates mainly due to GI tolerability and implementation of risk mitigation plan to address hypersensitivity reactions. The primary source for why the programme ended.
- Study in people2011A Study of Taspoglutide in Patients With Inadequately Controlled Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 and Cardiovascular Disease
The largest trial in the whole taspoglutide programme has never been reported. 2,118 people with diabetes and heart disease took part. The registry lists it as completed, with the main measurement point reached in January 2011. As of September 2026 no results have been posted and no publication has been found. Over two thousand people took an experimental drug and nobody outside the company knows what happened to them.
Phase 3, 2,118 participants, sponsor Hoffmann-La Roche, listed as COMPLETED with primary completion January 2011. No results posted and no publication located as of 11 September 2026. The largest trial in the programme is unreported.
- Study in people2010A Study of the Safety, Tolerability and Effect on Glycemic Control of Taspoglutide Versus Insulin Glargine in Insulin Naive Type 2 Diabetic Patients Inadequately Controlled With Metformin Plus Sulphonylurea
Another large taspoglutide trial finished and vanished. 1,072 people took part in a comparison against insulin glargine, completed in December 2010. No results were posted on the registry and no paper has been found. A separate 756 person comparison against pioglitazone sits in exactly the same state. This is what an abandoned drug programme leaves behind: people who took part, and nothing published.
Phase 3, 1,072 participants, completed December 2010, no results posted and no publication located. A 756 person comparison against pioglitazone (NCT00909597) is in the same position.
- Study in people2011A Study of Taspoglutide Versus Exenatide for the Treatment of Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Inadequately Controlled With Metformin, Thiazolidinedione or a Combination of Both (T-emerge 2)
This is the registry entry for the published taspoglutide trial above. 1,189 people took part and it finished in March 2011. The registry itself carries no posted results, so the journal paper above is the only public account. That paper is the one showing better blood sugar control bought with far worse side effects.
Phase 3, 1,189 participants, completed March 2011. The registration for the published T-emerge 2 trial; no results posted on the registry.
Where to buy Taspoglutide
No seller we track lists Taspoglutide 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 Taspoglutide been tested in people?
Yes. 2,181 people given it across 3 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. A once-a-week GLP-1 shot that lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) more than exenatide and sitagliptin in large final-stage studies, and was stopped in 2010 anyway.
What is the Taspoglutide 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. 3 completed trials, 2,181 people given it
Is Taspoglutide FDA-approved?
Never approved. Its final-stage studies were stopped in 2010. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01051011 says the study ended early because many people quit, mostly over stomach and gut side effects, and because of a plan to manage the risk of allergic reactions. We found no application to sell it.
Why was taspoglutide abandoned if it lowered blood sugar better than exenatide?
Because of how people tolerated it. The maker's own entry on ClinicalTrials.gov for a stopped final-stage study gives the reason. Too many people quit, mainly because of stomach and gut side effects, and a safety plan had to be brought in for allergic reactions. In the published studies, 53 to 59 percent had nausea, 33 to 37 percent vomited, and 46 to 49 percent made antibodies against the drug.
What did the phase 3 trials show?
In T-emerge 2, 1,189 people got weekly taspoglutide or twice-daily exenatide for 24 weeks. Taspoglutide lowered average blood sugar (HbA1c) by 1.24 to 1.31 points, against 0.98 for exenatide. In T-emerge 4, with 666 people, it beat sitagliptin by 0.34 to 0.41 points. In T-emerge 3, with 326 people, it beat a dummy injection by about 0.9 points. Weight loss was modest, 1 to 2.6 kg. Roche paid for all three.
What does 49 percent antibody positivity mean?
It means about half of the people made an immune response against the drug. Antibodies against a drug can be harmless. They can also block the drug's effect, or go along with allergic reactions. The studies showed more whole-body allergic and injection site reactions with taspoglutide than with the drugs it was compared with, and the maker brought in a safety plan for allergic reactions. But the published papers do not say whether the antibodies weakened the blood sugar drop over time.
Were all the trials published?
No. Three published final-stage studies cover 2,181 people. At least three more finished in 2010 and 2011, with 3,946 people in total, including 2,118 with heart disease. They have no results posted on ClinicalTrials.gov, and no paper has been found.