Teduglutide dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
An FDA-approved shot that helps the gut grow in short bowel syndrome, so people need less feeding through a vein.
Evidence grade for Teduglutide: Limited. The rule: people have taken it in a published study, but fewer than 100 of them. The sum on this page: 2 completed trials, 83 people given it. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 83
- Human studies
- 2
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses
Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose.
FDA-approved (Gattex) for short bowel syndrome
4 effects reported, 2 unwanted, 2 wanted, by people using it, not a trial
Goal pages: Muscle and strength
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.
Teduglutide is a daily shot for short bowel syndrome. People with it have lost so much gut that they cannot absorb enough food. Many are fed through a vein for hours every night. This drug copies GLP-2, a gut hormone that makes the gut lining grow. It is sold as Gattex, and it is approved and prescription only.
What people take it for
- Less feeding through a vein.
- Getting nights back from hours on a drip.
- A chance to come off vein feeding altogether.
What studies in people showed
In the study it was approved on, 63 percent of people on it cut their vein feeding by at least a fifth in 24 weeks. On a dummy shot, 30 percent did. An earlier study had 83 adults. The lower dose beat the dummy, but the higher dose did not. The researchers think that group started out needing more feeding. Three people came off vein feeding completely. Serious side effects were about the same in every group. People who kept taking it for two more years kept cutting their vein feeding.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- In the studies on this page, most people on it cut back on vein feeding.
- Three people in one study came off vein feeding completely.
The bad
- Most people still needed some vein feeding. It cut back, it did not cure.
- The two-year follow-on had no comparison group, so the long-term numbers cannot be checked.
Where these come from: Everything here is from the three human studies on this page. We have not collected forum or user reports for this drug yet.
My bottom line
For people stuck on a drip every night, this is a real drug with real results. It is a specialist's call, for one condition. It has no place outside that.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Measured in people
Goals Teduglutide 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.
- Keeping or building muscle83 people · 1 study
35 of the 36 indexed goals have no study of any kind behind Teduglutide
No study in people, animals or cells on this page reports a result for these. That does not prove Teduglutide does nothing for them. It does mean anything you have heard about Teduglutide and one of these did not come from a study cited here.
Show full evidence
What is Teduglutide?
An FDA-approved shot that helps the gut grow in short bowel syndrome, so people need less feeding through a vein.
Teduglutide copies GLP-2, a gut hormone. It is sold as Gattex for short bowel syndrome. People with it have lost so much gut that they cannot absorb enough from food. Many are fed through a vein for hours every night. GLP-1 drugs work on blood sugar and appetite. GLP-2 works on the gut lining instead, growing more surface to absorb food. In the study it was approved on, 63% of people on it cut their vein feeding by at least a fifth in 24 weeks. On a dummy shot, 30% did. In an earlier study of 83 adults, the lower dose beat the dummy but the higher dose did not. Three people came off vein feeding completely. In a two-year follow-on, vein feeding kept falling. It is a well-known, approved drug for a narrow use.
How does Teduglutide work?
It switches on GLP-2 receptors in the gut. That makes the gut lining grow and absorb food better.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
83people, across 1 study in people cited here
| Study | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gut 2011 | 83 | 100% |
The whole total is one study of 83. 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. 2 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 3 sources here are studies in people.
- Study in people · done in people3100%
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 3 different years, 2011 to 2016, counted from the list of sources on this page. The newest source on file is from 2016, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Approved
UK
Approved
AU
Approved
CA
Approved
Approved in all 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. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Peptide
- Molecule weight
- 3,752.1 Da
- Half-life
- About 2 hoursShort, 1 to 6 hours
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Teduglutide, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Study in people2011Randomised placebo-controlled trial of teduglutide in reducing parenteral nutrition and/or intravenous fluid requirements in patients with short bowel syndrome
It worked, and the doses came out backwards. People with short bowel syndrome cannot absorb enough from food, so they are fed through a vein, often for hours every night. 83 of them got one of two doses of teduglutide or a dummy injection for about six months. The lower dose beat the dummy. The higher dose did not, which the researchers think came down to those patients starting out needing more feeding. Three people came off vein feeding altogether. Serious side effects were about the same across all groups.
83 adults with short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure randomised to teduglutide 0.10 mg/kg/day (n = 32), 0.05 mg/kg/day (n = 35) or placebo (n = 16) for 24 weeks. On the graded response score the higher dose did NOT separate from placebo (8 of 32 against 1 of 16, p = 0.16) while the lower dose did (16 of 35, p = 0.007); the authors attribute the inversion to a higher baseline parenteral volume in the 0.10 group. Parenteral volume reductions were equal between doses at about 353 and 354 mL/day. Three patients came off parenteral support entirely. Villus height, plasma citrulline and lean body mass all rose against placebo. Serious adverse events were distributed similarly.
- Study in people2012Teduglutide reduces need for parenteral support among patients with short bowel syndrome with intestinal failure (STEPS)
This is the trial the drug was approved on, and the benefit is clear. Adults with short bowel syndrome took teduglutide or a dummy injection for six months. Nearly two thirds of those on the drug cut their vein feeding by at least a fifth. Under a third of the dummy group managed the same. Cutting vein feeding means hours given back every night. It is a reduction and not an escape, because most people still needed feeding.
63% of teduglutide patients versus 30% on placebo achieved a 20% or greater cut in parenteral support at 24 weeks.
- Study in people2016Long-term teduglutide for the treatment of patients with intestinal failure associated with short bowel syndrome (STEPS-2)
The benefit held up over two more years. People who had finished the first trial carried on taking teduglutide, and their need for vein feeding kept falling rather than drifting back. Their nutrition stayed stable throughout. By this stage everybody knew they were on the drug and there was no comparison group left. That means the long run figures cannot be checked against people who went without.
Two-year extension: sustained, continued reductions in parenteral support with stable nutritional status.
Where to buy Teduglutide
Teduglutide is an approved medicine. The approved product comes from a pharmacy, with a prescription. The vials below are sold “for research” and are not the approved drug.
2 sellers list Teduglutide in our latest read. They are ranked by trust score, then by archive rating, then by certificate tier, then by the lowest price per milligram. Archive evidence is counted before source-backed. Each path is out of 4, and the two are not added. A higher price does not raise the score. The letter is the certificate chip. 0 of them have a published certificate that names Teduglutide.
Some seller links may pay this site when you buy through them. A payment never changes a seller's tier or rank, and no seller has a say in any page.
| Seller | Trust score | Vial sizes | From, per mg | Certificate for Teduglutide | Seller link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries Peptide Research | 36 WeakSource-backed 1 of 4. Archive evidence 1 of 4.C | 20 mg | $8.75 | None found for Teduglutide | View |
| Boston Molecules | 28 InsufficientSource-backed 1 of 4. Archive evidence 1 of 4.C | 10 mg | $81.0 | None found for Teduglutide | View |
- LC Lab-confirmed: the issuing laboratory echoed this certificate back
- A Current certificate, independent laboratory named, laboratory not yet checked
- B Certificate published, but no laboratory link, older than a year, or the laboratory did not recognise the published lookup
- C No certificate could be read
Every listing and vial size for Teduglutide · How the trust score is counted
Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.
Common questions
Has Teduglutide been tested in people?
Yes. 83 people given it across 2 completed trials cited here, 0 of which found nothing. An FDA-approved shot that helps the gut grow in short bowel syndrome, so people need less feeding through a vein.
What is the Teduglutide dosage?
Approved medicine. No human dose established for unlabelled uses. Labeled amounts sit on the prescribing information. This page records what trials measured, not a personal dose. FDA-approved (Gattex) for short bowel syndrome
Is Teduglutide FDA-approved?
FDA-approved (Gattex) for short bowel syndrome
How is GLP-2 different from GLP-1?
GLP-1 mostly works on blood sugar and appetite. GLP-2 works on the gut and makes its lining grow. Teduglutide uses the GLP-2 signal to treat short bowel syndrome.
Latest reading on Teduglutide
Blog posts about Teduglutide, newest first.