The Peptide Nook

Survodutide

In plain English

Survodutide acts on two hormone receptors: GLP-1, which reduces appetite, and glucagon, which increases the energy the body burns and helps clear fat from the liver. It is taken once a week.

What it's used for

  • Weight loss
  • Fatty liver disease (MASH)
  • Blood-sugar control

Benefits

In human studies, survodutide produced up to 16.6% average weight loss over 76 weeks (vs 3.2% with placebo) in the phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-1 trial, and in phase 2 it improved fatty liver disease in most people treated.

  • Reduced appetite
  • Increased energy use
  • Less fat in the liver

How it works

In simple terms: GLP-1 eats less, glucagon burns more.

The GLP-1 side reduces appetite and slows stomach emptying. The glucagon side raises energy expenditure and pushes the liver to burn its stored fat, which is why it is studied closely for liver disease.

Development history

  • 2010s: Developed by Boehringer Ingelheim with Zealand Pharma.
  • 2024: Phase 2 results in fatty liver disease published.
  • 2026: Phase 3 SYNCHRONIZE-1 reports up to 16.6% weight loss.

Typical protocols

Educational information only, not medical advice. The information below describes how this peptide has been used in research, on prescription labels or by users. It is not a recommendation. Talk to a qualified healthcare professional before starting, stopping or changing anything.

These doses come from clinical trials.

Step Dose Frequency
Start 0.3–0.6 mg Weekly
Increase Slowly over about 16–20 weeks Weekly
Trial maintenance 3.6 mg or 6.0 mg Weekly

Cycling

Studied as a continuous treatment.

Administration options

Subcutaneous injection once a week.

Reconstitution and dosing calculator

Vials of powder are mixed with bacteriostatic water: for example, 10 mg with 2 mL gives 5 mg per mL.

1Peptide in the vial

The total amount printed on the vial label.

2Bacteriostatic water added

More water makes each dose a bigger, easier-to-measure draw. It does not change how much peptide is in the vial.

3Dose per injection

Use the dose from your protocol or your clinician. 1 mg = 1,000 mcg.

4Your syringe

All three are U-100 insulin syringes: 100 units = 1 mL. Smaller barrels make small doses easier to read.

Draw your syringe to

– units

Volume to draw
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Concentration
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Each unit holds
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Doses per vial
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Show the math

    This tool does arithmetic only. It does not choose a dose or confirm that any substance is right for you. Double-check every result against your syringe and your clinician’s instructions.

    Side effects and safety

    • Common: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, more than with GLP-1 alone, especially during the dose increase.
    • Slight rise in heart rate.
    • Rare but serious: pancreatitis, gallbladder problems and kidney strain from dehydration.
    • Not for people with a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2.
    • Avoid during pregnancy and when trying to conceive.

    Common stacks

    Usually used alone.

    Storage

    Powder: refrigerate. After mixing: refrigerate at 2–8 °C and use within about 4 weeks.

    Compare with

    • Mazdutide: also a GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonist.
    • Retatrutide: adds a third target (GIP) and has shown greater weight loss.
    • Semaglutide: GLP-1 only.

    Frequently asked questions

    Why add glucagon?

    Glucagon raises energy use and clears liver fat, adding to GLP-1’s appetite effect.

    References

    1. Sanyal AJ, et al. A phase 2 randomized trial of survodutide in MASH and fibrosis. N Engl J Med. 2024;391(4):311-319.
    2. le Roux CW, et al. Glucagon and GLP-1 receptor dual agonist survodutide for obesity: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2024;12(3):162-173.
    Educational information only. Not medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.

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