Survodutide
Survodutide (GLP-1 / Glucagon Dual Agonist)
Also called BI 456906, survodutide, glucagon/GLP-1 dual agonist
An investigational GLP-1 and glucagon drug studied for liver fat
Survodutide is an investigational weekly injection from Boehringer Ingelheim that acts on two hormones: it turns down appetite as Ozempic does, and separately raises energy use through glucagon. In its phase 2 trial people lost around 19% of their body weight. It is still in testing and not approved.
Most weight-loss drugs work on one thing: they make you less hungry. Survodutide does that, and then does something else as well. Alongside the appetite signal it borrows a hormone called glucagon, which tells the body to burn through its own fuel and acts directly on the liver. That second half is why it is being studied for fatty liver as well as weight. In its phase 2 trial people were down around 19% after 46 weeks. It is still in testing and not approved anywhere.
- Half-life
- About a week
- Route studied
- Subcutaneous injection (trials)
- Status
- Investigational; not approved
Human trials published, with more underway
What Survodutide has been studied for
The reasons people look it up, roughly in order of how often, and what research exists for each. Interest in a use is not evidence that it works; the evidence is stated under each one.
- Weight loss
- In the phase 2 trial (Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024), the highest-dose group lost around 19% of body weight over 46 weeks. Phase 3 trials are running.
- Fatty liver
- Glucagon acts directly on the liver, and in a phase 2 trial in people with MASH (fatty liver with inflammation), survodutide improved liver fat and scarring measures. Not approved for this.
Mechanism of Action
How Survodutide works
Two hormones, two jobs.
- The appetite half. It copies GLP-1, the hormone the gut releases when food arrives. That slows the stomach and turns hunger down in the brain. This is the same lever Ozempic pulls.
- The energy half. It also copies glucagon, which most people only know as the emergency sugar hormone. Given steadily, glucagon nudges the body to spend more energy rather than store it.
- Why the liver keeps coming up. Glucagon receptors are concentrated in the liver, so this drug acts there more directly than a pure appetite drug. In its phase 2 MASH trial it reduced liver fat and improved scarring measures.
- The trade-off. Raising energy use is not free. It is the likely reason heart rate rose slightly in the trial.
Survodutide side effects: what studies reported
The usual stomach complaints, plus one effect specific to this class: because glucagon raises energy use, resting heart rate rose slightly in the trial.
Most commonly reported
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhoea
- Constipation
- Sharply reduced appetite
Worth keeping an eye on
- A resting heart rate a few beats higher than normal
- Feeling unusually warm, which fits with the metabolic-rate effect
- Tiredness
Dose-related findings. In the phase 2 trial, most gastrointestinal effects occurred during dose escalation and were more frequent at higher doses.
Source: Phase 2 dose-finding trial, Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2024. This is a summary of published findings, not a complete safety profile and not medical advice. Questions about Survodutide belong with a licensed clinician who knows your history.
Your Genetics & Survodutide
The genes involved in how Survodutide works
Survodutide works through the receptors these genes build, and the genes vary from person to person. Researchers have linked some of that variation to differences in how people respond. A DNA report tells you which versions you carry.
The glucagon half is what makes survodutide different, and GCGR builds the receptor it acts on. The Gly40Ser variant has been associated with differences in glucagon-receptor function in laboratory and population studies. No study has tested whether it changes response to survodutide.
IRS1 · ••
IRS1 variants have been associated with insulin resistance and fat distribution in population studies. That describes a metabolic background, not a response to survodutide.
FTO · ••
FTO risk alleles are associated with higher body weight and appetite in population studies. No study has tested whether FTO genotype changes response to survodutide.
TCF7L2 · ••
The common variant most strongly linked to type 2 diabetes risk; T-allele carriers tend to release less insulin after meals. Not studied as a modifier of survodutide response.
The dots after each gene are where your own result goes. Your report fills them in with the two letters you carry at that position.
Which of these variants do you carry?
Your report reads the DNA file you already have against this research.
Access
Access and legal status
Survodutide: Investigational; not approved. Decisions about any prescription medicine belong to a prescriber. We don't link to any seller, and nothing on this page is a recommendation to obtain or use it.
Your DNA and Survodutide: see which of the variants studied alongside it you carry, and what that research does and does not show. Read my DNA, $99 →
Educational information only, not medical advice. Most peptides are not FDA-approved. Do not start, stop or change any medication or peptide because of this page; talk to a licensed clinician.
Worth knowing about Survodutide
Interactions and situations where there is a specific reason to be careful. Where the honest answer is that nobody has studied something, it says so and says what that leaves open.
- Investigational, with no lawful consumer source
- Still in trials and not approved, so there is no prescription route. Anything sold under this name online is not the trial compound.
- Side effects clustered in the step-up
- In the phase 2 trial the dose was escalated over months, and nausea and vomiting were most common during that period.
- Same rebound as the rest of the class
- Stop it and appetite comes back, and so does the weight. Nothing about the glucagon half changes that.
Last updated
Frequently Asked Questions
What is survodutide being studied for?
Weight loss and fatty liver disease (MASH). It works on appetite as Ozempic does, and separately uses glucagon to raise energy use. Glucagon acts strongly on the liver, which is why its liver results in phase 2 drew attention. It is not approved for any use.
How is it different from retatrutide?
Both use glucagon. Retatrutide adds a third hormone on top (GIP), while survodutide sticks to two dual with no GIP. Survodutide's clearest distinction is its liver-fat and MASH-resolution data.
Is survodutide approved?
No. It is still in its final round of trials and has not been approved anywhere. It is not an available prescription.
Watch
What clinicians and researchers say about Survodutide
Your DNA and Survodutide
What the research says about your variants.
The report
Which Survodutide variants do you carry?
Your report reads the DNA file you already have against the published research on 31 peptides, marker by marker, and says what that research does and does not show.
Read my DNA, $99