GLP-1s & incretins · Metabolic & endocrine
Pemvidutide
An investigational GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist now developed primarily for serious liver disease, not weight loss.
- How settled this rating is:
- low confidence in the current evidence rating
- Routes studied:
- Subcutaneous injection
- Also known as:
- ALT-801, GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist
- Last reviewed:
- 2026-09-06
Jump to section
Evidence passport
Pemvidutide
A one-screen evidence identity for this compound. These fields describe research maturity, confidence and legal status. They are not a safety guarantee, efficacy percentage or recommendation.
- Evidence level
- L3Early human studies
- Confidence
- Low confidence in rating
- Regulatory status
- In clinical trials
- Development status
- In clinical development
Evidence strength
Higher = more and better-quality human evidence. It does not mean the effect is bigger or that the compound works for you.
Higher = more mature, better-documented human safety data. It does not mean the compound is safer than one with a lower number.
The 0-100 values rate the strength and maturity of evidence, not how effective or safe the compound is.
- Evidence base
- Includes human studies
- Furthest established stage
- Phase III
- Human research maturity
- Phase 2b reported; Phase 3 MASH trial initiated August 2026
- Source curation
- Sources fully curated
Routes recorded
Overview
Higher = more and better-quality human evidence. It does not mean the effect is bigger or that the compound works for you.
Higher = more animal, tissue or cell research. Preclinical results are a starting point, not proof of a human benefit.
Higher = more mature, better-documented human safety data. It does not mean the compound is safer than one with a lower number.
How to read these scores
Every number here rates the evidence, not the compound. They are editorial 0-100 strength ratings, not percentages, and not a rating out of five stars.
- Human efficacy evidence strength — Higher = more and better-quality human evidence. It does not mean the effect is bigger or that the compound works for you.
- Preclinical evidence strength — Higher = more animal, tissue or cell research. Preclinical results are a starting point, not proof of a human benefit.
- Human safety evidence strength — Higher = more mature, better-documented human safety data. It does not mean the compound is safer than one with a lower number. A score of 80 does not mean “80% safe”.
- Evidence level (L0-L5) — the strongest type of study behind the compound, from anecdote (L0) to large replicated human trials (L5). It is a description of the study evidence, not a quality, safety or recommendation rating.
- Confidence — how likely we think it is that this rating changes as new research lands. Low confidence means the picture is unsettled, not that the compound is bad.
None of these ratings is medical advice, a safety guarantee, or a recommendation to use anything. How we grade evidence.
How far human research has progressed: Phase 2b reported; Phase 3 MASH trial initiated August 2026
Routes & formulations
Studied / approved routes
Route availability is not evidence of efficacy, and evidence from one route does not transfer to another. The Registry never provides dosing or sourcing information.
Peptide lifecycle
Discovery
Preclinical
Phase I
Phase II
Phase III
Furthest established stage
Approved
Active development, with the current focus on metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) rather than obesity as a standalone indication.
Last documented development: 2026 — Phase 3 PERFORMA MASH trial initiated
What it is
A dual GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist. The glucagon arm drives hepatic fat mobilisation, which is why development has concentrated on liver disease.
What people claim
- Liver fat and fibrosis improvement in MASH
- Weight loss with preserved lean mass
What the evidence actually says
The credible story here is liver disease, and it is still a Phase 3 question. Phase 2b data were strong enough for FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation in MASH, which reflects unmet need and early promise rather than proven benefit. Marketing that frames this as an obesity drug misreads the programme.
Related evidence
Useful next reads based on this compound — not recommendations.
- Related compound
Mazdutide evidence profile
A GLP-1/glucagon dual agonist developed largely in Chinese trial populations.
- Compare
Compare Pemvidutide vs Mazdutide evidence
Same questions, same fields, side by side — including how much human evidence exists.
- Context
GLP-1 Centre
How the incretin medicines compare on trial evidence and where they are actually licensed.
- Context
Safety Centre
What approved, investigational and unapproved actually mean for documented human safety.
Human evidence
- Randomised Phase 2b data in MASH supporting FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation.
- Global Phase 3 PERFORMA trial in MASH initiated August 2026.
Preclinical evidence
- Dual GLP-1/glucagon pharmacology and hepatic lipid handling in preclinical models.
Animal and cell findings are Level 1–2 evidence.
Mechanism and pathways
- Glucagon receptor agonism increases energy expenditure and hepatic fat mobilisation.
- GLP-1 receptor agonism reduces appetite and supports glycaemic control.
Safety and unknowns
- Class-typical gastrointestinal effects; glucagon-related metabolic monitoring required.
- Long-term safety and liver outcome data are not established.
Cancer relevance
This section covers questions raised by how the compound works in the body, plus anything regulators and trial teams keep an eye on. It is not a statement that this compound causes cancer — for most compounds here, no human data exist in either direction.
No established human signal
Regulatory status
Regulatory decisions apply to specific jurisdictions, products, formulations and indications. An approval elsewhere is not automatically an approval in your country.
Check the regulatory note and linked primary sources for jurisdiction-specific details.
Not approved anywhere. A global Phase 3 trial (PERFORMA) in MASH was initiated in August 2026, and the compound holds FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for MASH based on Phase 2b data. Breakthrough designation speeds up review; it is not approval and not evidence of benefit.
Evidence grade
Preliminary human outcome research, including small or observational studies. Descriptive exposure studies alone do not demonstrate therapeutic benefit.
What would change our rating?
- Phase 3 histological outcomes in MASH.
- A regulatory decision in any major region.
References and sources
Source transparency
A provenance snapshot of this profile. Counts show what kinds of sources are cited, not how much scientific weight each source deserves.
- Last editorial review
- 2026-09-06
- Recently reviewed · 45 days ago
- Linked curated sources
- 1
- Sources still pending
- 0
- External specialist reviews
- 0
- None recorded for this profile
Review provenance
Registry editorial review: Colin Jackson-White, creator and editor, who is not a doctor or clinician. External specialist review is credited only when a named reviewer has completed a review of this exact profile.
Current linked evidence is sponsor-only. Treat findings as provisional until independent or peer-reviewed documentation is available.
Literature-discovery and AI tools may help locate or challenge candidate evidence, but they are not counted as evidence sources here. Registry judgements are tied to the underlying papers, trial records, regulator documents and official study records.
- Sponsor / officialAltimmune — Q2 2026 financial results and corporate update (Phase 3 PERFORMA initiation)
Source hierarchy: regulatory documents and trial registries first, peer-reviewed work next, sponsor material flagged as non-independent. We never use supplier or clinic marketing as evidence, and where a verified source has not yet been curated we say so rather than inventing one.
Evidence change history
These entries record changes to our assessment of the published evidence — not changes to the compound itself.
No recorded changes yet. Baseline position set on 2026-09-06.