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Being studied in people · not FDA-approved
Survodutide
Survodutide is an experimental weekly injection being studied for weight loss and a liver disease called MASH. It acts on GLP-1 and glucagon signals.
What matters first
Evidence snapshot
Published human trial
- Regulation
- Dose source
- Safety evidence
- Sources
What is known about Survodutide
Survodutide (BI 456906) switches on both glucagon and GLP-1 receptors. It is now in phase 3 trials for obesity. A 46-week phase 2 trial tested 0.6, 2.4, 3.6, and 4.8 mg once weekly. Average weight change ranged from −6.2% to −14.9%, versus −2.8% with placebo. Survodutide is not FDA-approved and has no dosing label.
| Topic | Value |
|---|---|
| Strongest source | Human trial |
| FDA approval | Not FDA-approved |
| Studied dosing | 0.6–4.8 mg once weekly (phase 2 arms: 0.6, 2.4, 3.6 or 4.8 mg, reached by up to 20 weeks of escalation) — from clinical trials |
| Typical vials | 5 mg · 10 mg |
Every row links back to a source listed below. These facts are for reference, not a personal recommendation.
How Survodutide works
Survodutide acts at glucagon + GLP-1. Here is what that means.
This pairing drops GIP and keeps glucagon: one signal that cuts what you take in, one that raises what you burn. It is the most direct of the combinations, because the two hormones pull on opposite ends of the energy balance instead of pushing on the same end. It is also the pairing with the most obvious internal conflict, since glucagon works against the blood-sugar lowering it is packaged with.
| Receptor | Survodutide | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| GLP-1 | Less appetite, slower stomach emptying, and insulin while blood sugar is rising. Here the insulin arm does double duty — it also counters glucagon’s tendency to push blood sugar up. | |
| GIP | — | |
| Glucagon | hepatocytesRaises how much energy you burn and makes the liver burn fat. That liver effect is why drugs in this class are also being tested in fatty-liver disease, not just for weight. | |
| Amylin | — |
The same four receptor groups are shown for every drug, so the differences are easy to compare. Targets come from the drug class. Any result specific to Survodutide comes from the cited sources.
One arm raises blood sugar while the other pushes it down. The balance between them is the core of the design. It also means these drugs cannot be compared with incretin-only drugs milligram for milligram. Trials raise the dose slowly because both mechanisms need to be introduced over time. A shorter ramp-up is not what those trials tested.
What the evidence for Survodutide is
These numbers come from a study in people that was published in a peer-reviewed journal. The drug or dose may still be experimental and may not have FDA approval.
The trial behind the numbers
46-week phase 2 dose-finding trial (20-week escalation + 26-week maintenance) · 387 participants · 46 weeks
- What it establishes
- What it does not establish
Read each result with the study length, dose and number of participants. Results from separate trials are not a direct comparison because the people and study designs differ.
What each dose produced in the trial
These are the doses the trial gave and the weight change it reported for each one. It is a record of one experiment, not a schedule — no regulator has reviewed any of these doses.
Average weight change from the start of the trial, by weekly dose · the dashed rule marks placebo
| Once-weekly dose | Study group | Average weight change | What the paper notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.6 mg | Active | −6.2% | — |
| 2.4 mg | Active | −12.5% | — |
| 3.6 mg | Active | −13.2% | — |
| 4.8 mg | Active | −14.9% | highest arm |
| Placebo | Control | −2.8% | The group used to compare every active dose |
Source: le Roux CW et al. Glucagon and GLP-1 receptor dual agonist survodutide for obesity: dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2024 (PMID 38330987) · retrieved 2026-08-20 · every value is quoted from that paper. Trial results describe averages across a study population, not an individual outcome.
Where Survodutide is in clinical trials
32 registered studies; the program has reached phase 3, and 3 are still enrolling.
The soonest a running study expects to finish measuring people is December 2026. That is when the sponsor expects to finish collecting the main measurement. It is not a results date, and not a date anything goes on sale.
- Phase 3Recruiting
- Phase 3Recruiting
- Phase 3Recruiting
ClinicalTrials.gov · retrieved 2026-08-23
Regulatory status
FDA has not approved survodutide, also called BI 456906.
Phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE trials study obesity. A separate phase 2 program studies MASH, a form of liver disease. No dosing label exists, and any product sold today is unapproved.
The doses here describe study groups, not advice.
Full regulatory tracker →How Survodutide compares
Each page says which kind of comparison it is: one trial that tested both, or two separate trials read side by side — which is much weaker, however close the numbers look.
Where to go next on Survodutide
The schedule, the side effects and the mixing math each have their own page.
The survodutide trial dosing program, arm by arm
Why survodutide carries no boxed warning
Convert a survodutide amount to units on a U-100 barrel
Mixing a 10 mg survodutide vial, water volume by water volume
The 5 mg survodutide vial: concentrations and example draws
Everything sold for weight loss, including survodutide
Mixing math for any vial, not just survodutide
What the VK2735 page carries, separate from survodutide
Zenagamtide in the full list, alongside survodutide
Tirzepatide in the full list, alongside survodutide