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Glucagon/GLP-1 dual receptor agonist peptide (investigational) · safety

Pemvidutide side effects

The pemvidutide side effects reported most often are any reported side effect, nausea and constipation. The full list is below, with the cited trial report cited at the bottom of the page.

These effects tend to cluster at the start and after each dose increase, and to settle down while the dose stays the same.

Pemvidutide, once called ALT-801, is an experimental weekly injection. Researchers are testing it for weight loss, liver disease and problems linked to alcohol. Sellers offer unapproved pemvidutide to people seeking weight loss.

Weight-loss and liver trials have reported results, and alcohol studies are still developing. A global phase 3 liver program has begun. Pemvidutide does not have FDA approval.

Further down: the full list with frequencies · when to get medical help · questions

Medically reviewed by Jennifer Montecillo, MD · non-practicing medical reviewerReviewed 2026-08-17open the primary sources

At a glance

Common reactions listed

5

Serious reactions listed

0

Boxed warning

No label exists

Strongest source

Human trial

The counts show how many distinct reactions the cited trial report names. The percentages show how often a reaction appeared in a study group, not the chance that it will happen to you.

Common reactions

The full list, as reported across the available trial evidence. There is no approved label to read frequency bands off, so these are the trials’ own figures.

◆ Common reactionstrial-reported
ReactionFrequency
Any reported side effectMASH trial: 78% at 1.2 mg, 81% at 1.8 mg and 67% with placebo. Most were mild or moderate
NauseaIn RECLAIM, the sponsor reported 44% with pemvidutide versus 24% with placebo
ConstipationIn RECLAIM, the sponsor reported 26% with pemvidutide versus 6% with placebo
DiarrheaIn RECLAIM, the sponsor reported 20% with pemvidutide versus 10% with placebo
VomitingIn RECLAIM, the sponsor reported 18% with pemvidutide versus 6% with placebo

Human trialEvery reaction above comes from a cited trial. These are study findings, not instructions on what to take.

When to seek medical care

The trial report does not give a separate list of serious reactions. There is also no approved label. That gap does not mean serious reactions cannot happen. This compound has been studied in fewer people and for less time than an approved drug.

EmergencySome symptoms should not wait for an appointment. Call emergency services (911 in the US) if they are severe, getting worse fast, or involve trouble breathing, chest pain, fainting or confusion.

1Read deeperTiming, evidence limits, and product context

What the 48-week trial can—and cannot—show

The page above comes from a dose-finding study with 391 people. It tested weekly doses of 1.2 mg · 1.8 mg · 2.4 mg. The study shows what happened during that window. It may miss rare or later problems.

This page preserves 5 common reactions and 0 serious entries from that report. A missing reaction is outside this bounded record; it is not a result that the reaction cannot occur.

  • Experimental drug — no approved dose or prescribing label exists
  • Results announced by the company have not been peer reviewed
  • The weight, liver and alcohol studies ask different questions

Pemvidutide is not FDA-approved.

It has no prescribing label or established dose. Its weight, liver and alcohol studies enrolled different groups and measured different results. The findings cannot be swapped between them.

Starting phase 3 does not mean a drug is approved.

Common questions

How long do pemvidutide side effects last, and do they go away?

The 48-week trial report does not establish a set number of days for any reaction. It records whether an event occurred during the study, not a reliable personal countdown for when it will stop.

What are the most common pemvidutide side effects?

Any reported side effect, nausea, constipation and diarrhea — the table above has the rest, each with its frequency band and source.

Does pemvidutide have a boxed warning?

No, because a boxed warning is part of an FDA-approved label and pemvidutide has no approved label. That reflects what regulatory review has and has not covered, not a finding that serious risks were looked for and ruled out.

Can the pemvidutide dose be lowered if side effects are hard to tolerate?

That decision belongs to the prescribing clinician. No approved schedule exists for this compound, so there is no labeled framework for adjusting a dose. That leaves the prescriber as the only place the decision can sit.

Were hair loss, fatigue or constipation listed for pemvidutide?

In the 48-week report, constipation was listed; hair loss and fatigue were not. That is a statement about the paper’s recorded terms, not proof that an unlisted symptom cannot occur.

What should someone do about a serious pemvidutide reaction?

Contact a clinician promptly, and emergency services if symptoms are severe or getting worse quickly. The available sources do not list any reactions as separately serious. That means there is no early-warning list here—not that serious reactions are impossible.

Do the frequencies on this page mean the chance it happens to one person?

No. These figures describe groups in a study. A band shows how often a reaction appeared under that trial’s conditions. It cannot predict what will happen to one person.

Related

The schedule these reactions were recorded against, the comparisons, and the sourcing rules behind every grade on this page.

Pemvidutide without an approved label: what exists instead

No published half-life figure was found for pemvidutide.

What a studied pemvidutide figure is, and what it is not

Arm by arm from 48-week MOMENTUM phase 2 obesity trial, with the placebo comparison where the paper reports one.

Mixing math for any vial, not just pemvidutide

One calculator for every vial on this site, with pemvidutide as one example

Which other pages list constipation besides pemvidutide

One reaction, constipation, read down every page instead of out of pemvidutide alone.

The diarrhea question separate from pemvidutide

Which sources name diarrhea, under what wording and at what frequency, beyond pemvidutide.

Which other pages list nausea besides pemvidutide

One reaction, nausea, read down every page instead of out of pemvidutide alone.

Primary regulatory documents, including pemvidutide

Every URL was fetched and live on its retrieval date, pemvidutide or otherwise.

The full index behind the pemvidutide page

From label-backed entries to compounds with no established human dose, including Pemvidutide

2primary sources, each with the day we read it — open the documents used on this page