Pemvidutide 10 mg

POPULAR 2026 | RESEARCH LIBRARY

Pemvidutide

An evidence-based, plain-language research page covering its GLP-1/glucagon design, obesity and liver-disease research, current evidence, safety and regulatory status.

Contents

What pemvidutide is

Important information and disclaimer

Researched for

Potential future uses

How it works

What research has found

Latest 2026 evidence

How it compares

Current status

Risks and uncertainties

Dosing and measurement uncertainty

Common questions

Join for updates

Sources

Important information and disclaimer

This page is for general education and discussion of published research. It does not advertise, offer, prescribe or recommend pemvidutide; it does not replace advice from a qualified healthcare professional and does not provide personal dosing, reconstitution or injection instructions.

Pemvidutide remains investigational. A vial sold online as ‘pemvidutide’ or ‘ALT-801’ is not thereby proven to contain the pharmaceutical substance used in regulated trials. Identity, purity, strength, sterility, stability, formulation and storage history may be unknown.

If someone has used an unknown product and becomes unwell, professional medical assistance is appropriate. Persistent vomiting, inability to keep fluids down, severe abdominal pain, confusion, collapse, breathing difficulty, jaundice or severe weakness requires urgent assessment.

What is pemvidutide?

Pemvidutide is a laboratory-designed, long-acting peptide developed by Altimmune. It is a single molecule intended to activate both the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor and the glucagon receptor, with the sponsor describing balanced 1:1 receptor activity. It is being developed primarily for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), with research programmes in obesity and alcohol-related conditions.

Pemvidutide is not semaglutide, tirzepatide, survodutide or retatrutide

What is pemvidutide being researched for?

The programme is testing whether combined GLP-1 and glucagon receptor activity can reduce liver fat, improve MASH and fibrosis-related measures, reduce body weight and improve cardiometabolic risk factors with acceptable safety and tolerability.

MASH with moderate or advanced fibrosis

Obesity and overweight without diabetes

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)

Alcohol use disorder (AUD)

Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD)

These are research questions, not approved indications. Changes in weight, liver fat, enzymes, biomarkers or biopsy endpoints do not automatically prove prevention of cirrhosis, liver failure, cardiovascular events, relapse or death.

Other potential uses—if future research confirms them

Future studies may clarify whether pemvidutide benefits selected people with earlier MASLD, high visceral-fat burden or combined metabolic and alcohol-related liver risk. Evidence would need to define the population, stage of disease, duration, monitoring and long-term outcomes.

Research in AUD is scientifically distinct from obesity treatment. Early findings concerning craving, alcohol consumption or reward pathways require confirmation in larger and longer trials and do not make pemvidutide an approved addiction treatment.

How might pemvidutide work?

GLP-1 receptor activity

GLP-1 signalling can reduce appetite, slow gastric emptying and support glucose-dependent insulin secretion. These effects may reduce energy intake and improve some metabolic measures; GLP-1 pathways may also influence reward and craving.

Glucagon receptor activity

Glucagon signalling acts strongly in the liver and may increase fatty-acid oxidation, affect lipogenesis and increase energy expenditure. It can also increase hepatic glucose output, making the engineered balance with GLP-1 important.

Balanced dual activity

Pemvidutide is designed so both activities occur in one molecule and uses a half-life-extension domain for weekly investigational administration. It should not be described as simply ‘semaglutide plus glucagon’; receptor potency, exposure and formulation are product-specific.

What has research found so far?

MOMENTUM Phase 2 obesity trial

In a 48-week randomised trial of 391 adults with overweight or obesity without diabetes, the sponsor reported mean weight reductions of 10.3%, 11.2% and 15.6% across pemvidutide dose groups versus 2.2% with placebo. Gastrointestinal adverse effects were common, and treatment discontinuation was higher at the two upper doses. These were Phase 2 findings, not proof of approval or superiority.

MASLD liver-fat trial

A randomised 12-week study in 94 adults with MASLD reported large relative reductions in MRI-measured liver fat across pemvidutide groups compared with placebo, alongside reductions in weight and selected liver measures. Short-term imaging improvement does not establish fibrosis reversal or long-term clinical benefit.

IMPACT Phase 2b MASH trial

The 212-participant IMPACT study enrolled adults with biopsy-confirmed MASH and F2-F3 fibrosis. Peer-reviewed results reported improvement in MASH-resolution endpoints and non-invasive liver measures. Sponsor-reported 48-week analyses also described improvements in weight, waist circumference, lipids and blood pressure. Interpretation must distinguish biopsy endpoints, biomarkers and clinical outcomes.

2026 expansion into MASH Phase 3 and alcohol-related research

The PERFORMA Phase 3 MASH trial began enrolment in August 2026. The sponsor also reported Phase 2 RECLAIM findings in AUD, while the RESTORE Phase 2 ALD study remains an ongoing research programme. Results from one population should not be extrapolated to another.

Latest 2026 evidence update

How pemvidutide compares with related medicines

Pemvidutide is differentiated by its balanced dual GLP-1/glucagon design and strong emphasis on liver disease. This does not establish superiority over authorised obesity medicines, other incretin candidates or approved MASH treatments. Direct comparative and long-term outcome evidence is required.

Current development and regulatory status

Status on 7 September 2026: investigational. Pemvidutide is in Phase 3 development for MASH and does not have routine marketing authorisation. FDA Fast Track or Breakthrough Therapy designations can support development and review but are not product approval.

This review found no basis to present pemvidutide as a SAHPRA-registered medicine. US or European regulatory milestones would not automatically grant South African registration. SAHPRA databases and official notices should be rechecked immediately before publication and after any major milestone.

South African law distinguishes neutral health education from manufacturing, importing, advertising, prescribing or distributing an unregistered medicine. This page is designed for the educational side of that boundary and should not be paired with purchase prompts or implied treatment promises.

Known risks, uncertainties and evidence gaps

The most frequently reported adverse effects have been gastrointestinal, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation. Persistent symptoms can contribute to dehydration, nutritional inadequacy and treatment discontinuation.

Glucagon-receptor activity adds glucose, heart-rate and liver-metabolism questions that cannot be inferred from GLP-1 medicines alone.

Gallbladder disease, pancreatitis signals and severe gastrointestinal events require continued product-specific evaluation.

Rapid weight loss raises questions about lean mass, strength, nutrition and bone health, particularly in older or frail adults.

Advanced liver disease and ongoing alcohol exposure create risks that require specialist care; findings in compensated disease should not be extrapolated to decompensated cirrhosis.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, childhood use and combinations with insulin or other metabolic medicines require specific evidence and clinical supervision.

Trial safety data describe screened participants using controlled investigational material. They cannot predict the risk of an unidentified online vial, where incorrect identity, strength, impurities, degradation or non-sterility may create different hazards.

Dosing: why this page does not provide instructions

This page does not provide a dose, titration schedule, cycle, reconstitution volume or syringe-unit conversion. Trial regimens were research protocols using controlled formulations, eligibility criteria, monitoring and stopping rules.

Online discussion can confuse milligrams, millilitres and syringe ‘units’. A syringe marking represents volume, not peptide mass. No calculator can correct for an incorrectly identified, impure or unverified substance.

Common questions

Is pemvidutide the same as survodutide?

No. Both target GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, but they are different molecules developed by different sponsors and have different trial programmes.

Is it approved because it is in Phase 3?

No. Phase 3 is late-stage research. Regulators must still review efficacy, safety, manufacturing and proposed labelling.

Does reduced liver fat mean fibrosis is cured?

No. Steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis are related but distinct. Imaging, biomarkers, biopsy findings and clinical outcomes are not interchangeable.

Is pemvidutide an approved treatment for alcohol use disorder?

No. AUD findings remain investigational and require confirmation and regulatory review.

Does research grade mean pharmaceutical grade?

No. The term does not prove identity, purity, potency, sterility, stability or suitability for human administration.

When will it be available in South Africa?

There is no confirmed date. Global trials, regulatory submissions, approval, SAHPRA registration and commercial launch are separate steps.

Join for research updates

Join the future research bulletin for major trial publications, regulatory decisions, safety communications, terminology corrections and South African status changes. Subscription does not provide medical advice, product access or dosing instructions.

Consent wording for the future form: “I agree to receive evidence and regulatory updates by email. This service does not provide medical advice, personal dosing instructions or product supply.”

Sources and further reading

ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT05989711: IMPACT Phase 2b MASH trial. Reviewed 7 September 2026.

Noureddin M, et al. The dual GLP-1-glucagon agonist pemvidutide in MASH: a Phase 2b trial. 2025. PMID 41352959.

Harrison SA, et al. Effect of pemvidutide on MASLD: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Journal of Hepatology. 2025;82(1):7-17. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2024.07.006.

Altimmune. MOMENTUM 48-week Phase 2 obesity topline results, 30 November 2023. Sponsor communication.

Altimmune. IMPACT 48-week metabolic analyses presented at EASL, 28 May 2026. Sponsor communication.

Altimmune. Initiation of PERFORMA Phase 3 MASH trial, 3 August 2026. Sponsor communication.

ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT06987513: RECLAIM Phase 2 AUD study. Reviewed 7 September 2026.

ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT07009860: RESTORE Phase 2 ALD study. Reviewed 7 September 2026.

SAHPRA. Registered-health-products databases and notice concerning unlawful manufacture of unregistered GLP-1/GIP medicines; reviewed 7 September 2026.

Editorial method: trial registries, peer-reviewed reports, regulators and sponsor disclosures were prioritised over commercial pages. Sponsor-reported results are labelled as such. Review after any Phase 3 publication, regulatory filing or decision, and no later than March 2027.