Oral ribupatide posts 12.1% weight loss at 26 weeks in Chinese Phase 2

Hengrui Pharma and Kailera Therapeutics reported on February 10, 2026, that a once-daily tablet form of ribupatide, an experimental GLP-1/GIP dual agonist, produced up to 12.1% mean weight loss at 26 weeks in a Phase 2 trial conducted in China ^[1]. The companies say the results show no plateau in weight loss and support moving the pill into a Chinese Phase 3 trial and a global Phase 2 study planned for later this year ^[1].

The trial, called HRS9531-T-201, enrolled 166 adults with obesity in China who did not have type 2 diabetes ^[1]. Participants were randomly assigned to once-daily oral ribupatide at 10 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg, or to placebo, with doses increased gradually until reaching the target dose by week 4 or week 8 ^[1]. Using the trial's primary efficacy measure, average weight loss at 26 weeks was 6.9% at 10 mg, 12.1% at 25 mg, and 12.1% at 50 mg, compared with 2.3% for placebo ^[1]. A separate calculation that counts people who stopped treatment early or used other weight-loss drugs showed slightly lower numbers: 6.7%, 11.9%, and 11.4% for the three doses, versus 2.1% for placebo ^[1].

At the 25 mg dose, 59.1% of participants lost at least 10% of their body weight and 38.6% lost at least 15% by week 26 ^[1]. At the 50 mg dose, 52.5% lost at least 10% and 37.5% lost at least 15% ^[1]. The companies described most side effects as mild to moderate and related to the digestive system ^[1]. Vomiting was reported in 2.4% of people on the 10 mg dose, 11.4% on the 25 mg dose, and 7.5% on the 50 mg dose, while nausea occurred in 11.9%, 22.7%, and 20.0% of participants at those same doses ^[1]. No one permanently stopped treatment or had their dose reduced because of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation, according to the release ^[1].

Ribupatide is also being tested as a once-weekly injection. In an earlier Chinese trial of the 8 mg injectable dose, participants lost an average of 23.6% of their body weight at 36 weeks, compared with 1.8% for placebo, with no plateau observed ^[1]. That injectable form is currently in the global KaiNETIC Phase 3 program, which Kailera is running outside Greater China under a 2024 licensing deal with Hengrui ^[1].

Why it matters for patients

An oral GLP-1/GIP drug could offer an alternative for people who want the effects of injectable obesity treatments like Wegovy or Zepbound without needles. Rybelsus, the oral form of semaglutide, is already on the market, but this new tablet is a dual GLP-1/GIP agonist, a mechanism similar to Zepbound's, rather than a single-target GLP-1 drug. The 12.1% weight loss reported here at 26 weeks is smaller than the 23.6% seen with injectable ribupatide at 36 weeks in an earlier trial, which is consistent with the general pattern that injections currently produce larger average weight loss than oral GLP-1-based drugs ^[1].

The safety data so far look broadly similar to other GLP-1-based drugs already used in the United States, with nausea and vomiting as the most common complaints. It is not yet known how this oral tablet would perform in a US population, since this trial was conducted only in China. It is also not yet known when, or whether, oral ribupatide would reach the US market, since it has not yet started the global Phase 2 trial referenced by Kailera ^[1].

What happens next

Hengrui plans to move oral ribupatide into a Phase 3 trial in China ^[1]. Kailera, which holds rights to develop and sell ribupatide outside Greater China, says it plans to start a global Phase 2 trial of the oral tablet sometime in 2026 ^[1]. Hengrui also said it will present the full Phase 2 results at a future scientific conference ^[1]. No specific date for US regulatory review or approval has been announced.