Novo Nordisk says amycretin improved blood sugar and weight in type 2 diabetes trial

Novo Nordisk said on Nov. 25, 2025 that amycretin, its investigational drug for type 2 diabetes, produced statistically significant weight loss and blood sugar reductions in a phase 2 trial. It was the first time the molecule has been tested in people with type 2 diabetes ^[1].

Amycretin is a single molecule that activates both the GLP-1 and amylin receptors. It is being developed in two forms: a once-weekly injection and a once-daily pill ^[1].

What the trial measured

The trial enrolled 448 adults whose type 2 diabetes was not adequately controlled on metformin, with or without an SGLT2 inhibitor. About 40% of all participants were already taking an SGLT2 inhibitor before the trial began. Participants entered with HbA1c between 7.0% and 10.0%, and close to two-thirds were male ^[1].

The study tested six weekly injected doses from 0.4 mg to 40 mg and three daily oral doses of 6 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg against placebo, for up to 36 weeks ^[1].

For the injected form, HbA1c fell by up to 1.8 percentage points from a mean starting level of 7.8%. Up to 89.1% of participants reached an HbA1c below 7%, and up to 76.2% reached 6.5% or lower. For the oral form, HbA1c fell by up to 1.5 points from a mean starting level of 8.0%, with 77.6% reaching below 7% and 62.6% reaching 6.5% or lower. Placebo groups improved by 0.2 and 0.4 points, respectively ^[1].

Novo Nordisk reported the HbA1c figures on the assumption that every participant followed the planned dosing schedule for the full trial and did not start rescue medication ^[1].

On weight, the injected form produced loss of up to 14.5% from a mean starting weight of 99.2 kg, compared with 2.6% with placebo. The oral form produced up to 10.1% from a mean starting weight of 101.1 kg, compared with 2.5% with placebo. At the higher doses, no weight-loss plateau was seen at week 36 ^[1]. People taking the highest injected dose had been on their final maintenance dose for four weeks ^[1].

Amycretin "appeared to have a safe and well-tolerated profile consistent with other incretin and amylin-based therapies," the company said. The most common side effects were gastrointestinal, and the vast majority were mild to moderate ^[1]. How many participants stopped treatment, and the rates of individual side effects such as nausea or vomiting, have not been disclosed ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

Amycretin is not approved by any regulator, so it is not something a patient can be prescribed today ^[1]. These are mid-stage results, and whether they will be reproduced in larger phase 3 trials is not yet known ^[1]. The announcement also did not include a comparison with any approved medicine, so how amycretin would stack up against existing treatments has not been reported ^[1].

The trial tested both a weekly injection and a daily pill. That matters for people who weigh how they would take a GLP-1 medicine, but no information was given on whether the two forms performed differently beyond the numbers above ^[1].

The results apply only to adults with type 2 diabetes who were not well controlled on metformin, with or without an SGLT2 inhibitor. Effects in other groups, including people without diabetes or people using other diabetes medicines, have not been reported ^[1].

What happens next

Novo Nordisk said it is planning to start a phase 3 development program with amycretin for adults with type 2 diabetes in 2026 ^[1]. Martin Holst Lange, the company's chief scientific officer and executive vice president of research and development, said the company looks forward to "bringing amycretin into an extensive phase 3 development programme across multiple indications in 2026" ^[1].

No start dates, trial sizes or further timelines beyond 2026 were given ^[1]. The company has not said when or where the full phase 2 data will be published or presented ^[1].