Also known as BI 456906
Investigational glucagon / GLP-1 dual agonist from Boehringer Ingelheim — Phase 3 for obesity and MASH.
Research refreshed
Survodutide (BI 456906) is an investigational once-weekly peptide that activates both the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors. Adding glucagon-receptor agonism to GLP-1 is studied as a way to raise energy expenditure and target liver fat on top of GLP-1’s appetite and glycemic effects. Developed by Boehringer Ingelheim with Zealand Pharma, it is in Phase 3 for obesity and holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
Survodutide belongs to the glucagon/GLP-1 "dual agonist" branch of the incretin family — the two-receptor design that sits between single GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide and triple agonists like retatrutide. The glucagon arm is the point of interest: rather than only suppressing appetite and stimulating insulin, glucagon-receptor activation is studied for increasing energy expenditure and, notably, mobilizing fat from the liver.
Developed by Boehringer Ingelheim together with Zealand Pharma, it is dosed once weekly and remains investigational. Its most distinctive program is in liver disease: it received FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) and is in Phase 3 trials there, alongside Phase 3 obesity trials where it has reported double-digit mean weight reductions. It is not FDA-approved.
Dual agonism at the glucagon and GLP-1 receptors — GLP-1 for insulinotropic and satiety effects, glucagon for increased energy expenditure and hepatic-fat reduction.
Behind every vial of Survodutide is the same exacting pipeline every research peptide runs — but the chemistry plays out differently for this molecule. Here is how Survodutide, specifically, is brought into being.
On paper, Survodutide is C192H289N47O61 — about 4,232 daltons of precisely arranged atoms. Before a single bond is made, the target sequence, salt form, and purity threshold are written down as the contract the finished material must meet.
Survodutide is assembled by solid-phase peptide synthesis — the chain grows one protected residue at a time on resin, and what you fail to build cleanly here you pay to remove later. It also carries fatty-acid acylation, an extra step beyond a plain chain that adds both capability and cost.
The crude mixture — Survodutide plus its deletions and side products — is then separated on preparative HPLC, and where the cut is taken decides the difference between a genuinely pure peptide and a barely-passable one.
A real batch of Survodutide proves itself: identity confirmed by mass spectrometry against its ~4,232 Da, purity read directly off an analytical HPLC trace, water and counterion content measured. That batch-specific certificate of analysis is the only honest way to know what is actually in a vial of Survodutide — and a short, cold, accountable chain of custody is how that purity survives the trip to your bench.
A ~29-residue glucagon/GLP-1 dual agonist with Aib substitutions and a fatty-acid chain for albumin binding and weekly dosing, built by solid-phase synthesis. The acylation and the sterically hindered Aib couplings are the hard steps, and the length makes deletion-sequence control the dominant purity task.
Don't judge a vial by its cake. A fluffy, good-looking lyophilized powder reflects bulking agents and freeze-drying parameters — not purity. Insist on a batch-specific certificate of analysis.
Recent clinical trials and publications mentioning Survodutide, pulled automatically from ClinicalTrials.gov and PubMed and refreshed daily. Listings are unfiltered search results, not curated endorsements.
Survodutide (BI 456906) is an investigational once-weekly glucagon / GLP-1 dual receptor agonist from Boehringer Ingelheim, studied for obesity and MASH (fatty liver disease).
Semaglutide targets GLP-1 alone and tirzepatide targets GIP + GLP-1; survodutide instead pairs GLP-1 with glucagon-receptor activation, studied for extra energy expenditure and liver-fat reduction.
It has FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) and is in Phase 3 trials for it — the glucagon arm is of particular interest for hepatic fat.
No — it is investigational and not FDA-approved. This page is a research and educational reference.
Long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist for glycemic control and weight management.
ViewThe once-daily GLP-1 agonist that preceded semaglutide — FDA-approved for diabetes (Victoza) and obesity (Saxenda).
ViewDual GIP / GLP-1 receptor agonist with industry-leading weight-loss endpoints.
ViewDosing protocols, mechanism, comparisons, and the latest trials — citation-backed answers grounded in PubMed, PubChem, and ClinicalTrials.gov.