Amycretin is renamed zenagamtide as Novo Nordisk presents Phase 2 diabetes data at ADA 2026
The name change means patients and doctors may see the same experimental drug called amycretin in older coverage and zenagamtide in newer material, though no Phase 2b results have been released.
Novo Nordisk's investigational GLP-1 and amylin drug, until now called amycretin, is being referred to as zenagamtide, the name the company used when it announced that Phase 2b results in type 2 diabetes would be presented at the American Diabetes Association's 2026 Scientific Sessions [2].
In the "About zenagamtide" section of its May 27, 2026 announcement, Novo Nordisk describes "zenagamtide, formerly known as amycretin" as a unimolecular long-acting GLP-1 and amylin receptor agonist in development for adults with overweight or obesity and as a treatment for type 2 diabetes [2]. The company says it is under investigation for both oral and subcutaneous administration [2]. The ADA abstract listing kept both names: "Zenagamtide (Amycretin), a Novel Unimolecular GLP-1 and Amylin Receptor Agonist: Phase 2b Results in T2D," a poster scheduled for Sunday, June 7, 2026, from 12:30 to 1:30 pm CDT [2].
Novo Nordisk said 40 abstracts would be presented at the meeting, held June 5–8, 2026, in New Orleans [2]. A second zenagamtide abstract, on feeding-related brain regions and diet composition in rats, was scheduled for June 8 [2]. The announcement did not include the Phase 2b trial's efficacy or safety numbers, and those figures have not been reported [2]. Novo Nordisk also held an R&D investor event on June 7 that was webcast [2].
CagriSema, a fixed-dose combination of the amylin analog cagrilintide and semaglutide, was featured at the same meeting. Novo Nordisk said Phase 3 REIMAGINE 1–3 results across a range of type 2 diabetes background therapies would be presented in a symposium on June 7 [2].
Separately, Novo Nordisk disclosed 68-week results from REIMAGINE 4 alongside its second-quarter figures on August 4, 2026 [1]. That open-label trial compared CagriSema with tirzepatide 15 mg in roughly 1,000 adults with type 2 diabetes inadequately controlled on metformin, with or without an SGLT2 inhibitor [1]. CagriSema produced 15.2% weight loss and a 1.9 percentage point reduction in HbA1c, both on the efficacy estimand; tirzepatide produced 15.8% and 2.2 percentage points [1]. The combination met non-inferiority on weight loss but missed it on HbA1c, and because both measures formed the dual primary endpoint, the trial did not succeed on its stated terms [1]. Management gave those figures in the quarterly financial report rather than in a standalone data release [1].
Why it matters for patients
Name changes create a practical tracking problem. Someone who read about amycretin a year ago and searches for it now may not find the newer material, and the drug can appear under both names in coverage, conference listings and trial records [2].
Zenagamtide is not approved in the United States. Novo Nordisk states that its safety and efficacy are not established and that there is no guarantee it will become commercially available for the uses under study [2]. It is one molecule that acts on both the GLP-1 and amylin receptors, while CagriSema combines two separate molecules, cagrilintide and semaglutide [2]. Because the Phase 2b numbers were not included in the announcement, there is no basis yet to compare zenagamtide's weight-loss or blood-sugar effects with approved drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy or Mounjaro, or with CagriSema [2].
The Life Science Daily News tracker lists zenagamtide among next-wave candidates alongside survodutide and pemvidutide, and notes that it is tracked under the new name rather than amycretin [1].
What happens next
CagriSema, the closest amylin-based candidate from the same company, is under FDA review for weight management after a filing in December 2025, with a decision expected in late 2026 [1]. Novo Nordisk has guided to a higher-dose CagriSema trial beginning in the second half of 2026 [1].
No Phase 3 start date, dosing schedule or result timeline for zenagamtide has been disclosed, and Novo Nordisk has not said when it plans to file the drug for approval [2].
Sources
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