Mazdutide activates two receptors: GLP-1, as semaglutide does, and glucagon. That second target is the interesting one, because glucagon is normally thought of as the hormone that raises blood sugar, the opposite of what a diabetes drug wants.
The reason it appears here anyway is energy expenditure. Glucagon receptor activation increases how much energy the body burns, so a dual agonist is combining reduced intake from the GLP-1 side with increased output from the glucagon side. Tirzepatide's second target is GIP; this one's is glucagon, and they are genuinely different strategies.
It was approved in China in 2026 for weight management, on trials reporting around 15% weight loss. It is not FDA-approved, and whether it is ever filed in the United States depends on a partnership decision rather than on the data. That is a regulatory situation to understand before buying a research chemical version of it.
How it works
Mazdutide is a synthetic analogue of oxyntomodulin, a naturally occurring gut hormone that activates both the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. It is engineered from that dual-acting hormone rather than assembled from two separate drugs.
The GLP-1 side does what it does everywhere: insulin release when glucose is high, slowed gastric emptying, reduced appetite.
The glucagon side raises resting energy expenditure and drives fat breakdown in the liver. In isolation it would also raise blood glucose, and the GLP-1 activity is what offsets that. Balancing the two receptor activities is the central design problem for this class.
The liver effect is why dual agonists are also studied in fatty liver disease, which is a separate research thread from weight loss.
Regulatory status — China and United States
Approved in China in 2026 for weight management. Not approved by the FDA or the EMA, and a United States filing depends on a partnership decision rather than on further data. Material sold as a research chemical is not the approved Chinese product.
Last reviewed 18 Aug 2026. Regulatory positions in this category change frequently; we date this line so you can see how current it is.
What it is studied for
Each entry states the evidence behind it. We do not rank indications by effectiveness — for most compounds here, that would be a claim nobody can support.
Weight management
Clinical trialThe approved indication in China.
EvidencePhase 3 trials in China reported approximately 15% mean weight loss, supporting approval there in 2026.
Type 2 diabetes
Clinical trialStudied alongside the obesity programme.
EvidenceTrials report glucose control alongside weight loss. Not approved for this indication outside China.
Identity and clearance
Molecule
- Class
- Oxyntomodulin analogue, GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonist
- Length
- 39 amino acids
Acylated for a long half-life, as with the rest of the weekly injectables.
Pharmacokinetics
Clinical trialWeekly dosing.
Dose protocols reported in sources
Displayed for reference only. Every row says where it came from, and a trial protocol and a community convention are not the same kind of information. None of this is fed into the calculator, and none of it is a recommendation.
| Goal | Dose | Frequency | Route | Units, 5 mg vial | Source | Start this protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phase 3 dosing for weight management | 4 mg – 6 mg | Once weekly, reached by escalation | Subcutaneous4 mg and 6 mg were the doses carried into the phase 3 weight-management programme, reached by stepwise escalation as with every drug in this class. | from 80 u | Clinical trial | Start this |
Start this copies a row into a protocol of your own, which you can then edit. Where a source gave a dose range or an ambiguous frequency, those fields arrive empty — we will not pick a number on your behalf.
Calculator
Work out what to draw
Pre-filled with a 10 mg vial as a worked example. These are not recommended values — change them to match the vial in front of you.
Draw to 60 units on a 1 mL U-100 syringe. That is 0.6 mL, containing 6 mg of Mazdutide.
60 units sits exactly on a printed line.
Bioalmanac performs arithmetic on values you enter. It does not recommend doses, schedules or compounds, and nothing here is medical advice. Confirm every calculation against your vial and syringe before drawing, and speak with a licensed healthcare provider.
Open this calculation in the full calculator
Units, concentration, bacteriostatic water — the glossary defines the vocabulary, and a unit is not a fixed volume.
Safety
Reported effects
- Nausea, vomiting and diarrhoeaClinical trial
Very common in trials
The usual pattern for the class, worst during escalation.
- Increased heart rateClinical trial
Reported in trials
Glucagon receptor activation raises heart rate somewhat more than GLP-1 agonism alone.
- Injection site reactionsClinical trial
Common
- Long-term effectsClinical trial
Unknown outside the trial population
The phase 3 programme was conducted largely in China. How the findings generalise has not been established elsewhere.
When to stop
- Severe, persistent abdominal pain, particularly radiating to the back.
- Vomiting severe enough that you cannot keep fluids down.
- A resting heart rate that is persistently higher than usual, or palpitations.
- Any allergic response: rash, hives, facial swelling or difficulty breathing. Seek urgent care.
- Signs of low blood sugar if you also use insulin or a sulfonylurea.
Interactions and situations that need care
- Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma, or MEN 2Avoid
The GLP-1 class carries a boxed warning about thyroid C-cell tumours in rodents, and a dual agonist includes full GLP-1 activity.
- Existing cardiovascular diseaseUse caution
Glucagon receptor activation raises heart rate and energy expenditure more than GLP-1 agonism alone, and no cardiovascular outcomes trial has been completed for this compound.
- Pregnancy and breastfeedingAvoid
No safety data, and weight loss in pregnancy is contraindicated.
- History of pancreatitisUse caution
Pancreatitis is a recognised adverse event across the incretin class.
What to expect
- Around 15% weight loss in phase 3. Comparable to semaglutide, below tirzepatide.
- Approved in China, not in the United States or Europe. That is a real regulatory difference, not a formality: the approved Chinese product and a research chemical share a sequence and nothing else.
- Glucagon is the second target, not GIP. It raises energy expenditure, and it also raises heart rate somewhat more than a pure GLP-1 does.
- Whether it is ever filed in the US depends on a commercial decision rather than on the evidence.
Storage and handling
- Freeze-dried powder
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C, protected from light.
- After mixing
- Refrigerated at 2–8 °C. Do not freeze once mixed.
- Long-term, frozen
- Unopened powder is stable at −20 °C or colder.
With other peptides
- Semaglutideincompatible
Both fully activate the GLP-1 receptor. Running them together stacks one mechanism and its side effects rather than adding anything.
- Survodutideincompatible
Both are GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonists. These are alternatives to one another, not a stack.
Checking your vial
Research chemicals carry no manufacturing standard, so what the vial looks like is often the only quality signal available before you use it. More on assessing quality and COAs.
White cake, clear solution after gentle mixing
Standard for a lyophilised acylated peptide.
Cloudy solution or collapsed cake
Degradation or heat damage. Do not use it.
Questions
- How is this different from tirzepatide?
- Both are dual agonists, but the second receptor differs. Tirzepatide adds GIP; mazdutide adds glucagon, which raises energy expenditure rather than affecting insulin signalling. They are different strategies, not variations on one.
- Is it approved?
- In China, for weight management, in 2026. Not in the United States or Europe, and a US filing is a partnership decision that has not been made.
- Does glucagon not raise blood sugar?
- On its own, yes. The GLP-1 activity in the same molecule offsets it, and balancing the two is the central design problem for this whole class of drug.
References
Mazdutide for weight management: phase 3 programme supporting approval in China
Innovent Biologics and Eli Lilly phase 3 programme, 2026 · Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 3 trials
Adults with overweight or obesity, largely in China · 4 mg or 6 mg subcutaneous, once weekly
Approximately 15% mean weight loss, supporting approval in China in 2026. Gastrointestinal effects were the most common adverse events, with a modest increase in heart rate consistent with glucagon receptor activity.
Related compounds
Semaglutide
A long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes and for weight management, dosed once weekly.
Survodutide
A GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonist in phase 3, and one of the more advanced candidates for fatty liver disease rather than weight alone.
Tirzepatide
A once-weekly dual agonist that activates both the GIP and GLP-1 receptors, approved for type 2 diabetes and for weight management.
Retatrutide
An investigational once-weekly triple agonist acting on the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors. Not approved anywhere.
Next
What to do with Mazdutide
- Keep a record of itTurn a dose and a schedule into a protocol, then log what you actually take. Mazdutide is filled in for you.
- See what it costsPer-milligram prices read from vendor sites and confirmed by a person, so vial sizes compare.
- Check a combinationWhat our profiles record about Mazdutide alongside each other compound — including the pairs where nothing is recorded.
Keep this page honest
If something here is wrong, out of date, or missing a source, tell us and we will fix it and say that we did.
This page is educational. It describes what published research reports, not what you should do. Peptides discussed here are largely not approved for human use, and nothing on Bioalmanac is medical advice. No clinician reviews these pages.
Page last updated 18 Aug 2026