What is Ecnoglutide?

A once-weekly cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist from Sciwind Biosciences, approved in China in 2026 for type 2 diabetes and weight management.

Ecnoglutide in the library · Metabolic & Weight Peptides · Human Trials · What are peptides?

16 registered trials · 6 indexed papers · 4 human / 0 animal studies

From the PeptideWhiz library entry. "As described" sections summarize claims made in the sources; they are not PeptideWhiz endorsements.

What it is

Ecnoglutide is described as a long-acting GLP-1 analog engineered to favor cAMP signaling over beta-arrestin recruitment at the GLP-1 receptor (Guo et al., 2023).

Research vendors outside China list it, but that material is not the approved product, and its identity cannot be assumed.

Mechanism (as described)

  • It activates the GLP-1 receptor; the biased signaling is described as aiming to reduce receptor internalization and keep the response going.

Evidence (as described)

  • A phase 3 trial in Chinese adults with overweight or obesity (SLIMMER) reported significantly more weight loss than placebo (Ji et al., 2025). A phase 3 trial in type 2 diabetes compared it with dulaglutide (He et al., 2025).
  • A 2026 BMJ network meta-analysis included it among obesity drugs (Nong et al., 2026).

Status

Approved in China only (NMPA, 2026). Not FDA- or EMA-approved.

Registered human trials (16)

TrialPhaseStatusYearEnrolled
A Study of XW003 in Obese Participants With Obstructive Sleep Apnea But Not Receive Positive Airway Pressure TherapyPhase 3recruiting2026140
A Study of XW003 in Obese Participants With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Receiving Positive Airway Pressure TherapyPhase 3recruiting2026140
A Study of Weekly Oral Dose of Ecnoglutide (VRB-101) for Weight Maintenance in Participants Who Have Obesity or Overweight With Weight-Related ComorbiditiesPhase 2terminated20268
A Trial of Oral VRB-103 Alone or in Combination With Oral Ecnoglutide (VRB-101) in Participants With Obesity or OverweightPhase 1recruiting2026332
A Study of Econoglutide Injection in Obese Participants With Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA)Phase 3recruiting2026360
A Study of Ecnoglutide Injection in Overweight or Obese Chinese AdolescentsPhase 3not yet recruiting2026192
A Study to Compare XW003 Injection and Semaglutide Injection in Chinese Adults With Obesity (SLIMMER-UP-SWITCH)Phase 2active not recruiting2025163
A Study of XW003 Injection in Chinese Adolescents With ObesityPhase 1completed202548
A Phase Ib/IIa Study to Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Oral Ecnoglutide Tablets in Chinese Participants With Overweight or ObesityPhase 1/Phase 2recruiting2025126
A Study of Weekly Oral Ecnoglutide (VRB-101) in Participants Who Have Obesity or Overweight With Weight-Related ComorbiditiesPhase 2completed2025206
A Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of XW003 Compared With Dulaglutide in Participants With T2DMPhase 3completed2023623
A Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of XW003 in Adults With Overweight or ObesityPhase 3completed2023664
A Drug-Drug Interaction Study Between XW003 and Metformin, Warfarin, Rosuvastatin or DigoxinPhase 1completed202357
XW004 To Evaluate the Safety, Tolerability, PK, and PD of Oral Ecnoglutide Tablet in Healthy AdultsPhase 1completed202287
A Phase 3 Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of XW003 Compared With Placebo in T2DM PatientsPhase 3completed2022211
Effects of XW003 Versus Liraglutide on Body Weight of Adult Participants With ObesityPhase 2completed2021206

Peer-reviewed studies (6)

PaperAuthorsJournalYearType
Effect of a Novel GLP-1 Analogue Ecnoglutide on the Pharmacokinetics of Rosuvastatin and Digoxin in Healthy ParticipantsLi F et al.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism2026Clinical Trial, Phase I
Efficacy and safety of cAMP signalling-biased GLP-1 analogue ecnoglutide monotherapy versus placebo in patients with type 2 diabetes (EECOH-1): a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trialZhu D et al.Nature communications2026Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist ecnoglutide versus dulaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes and elevated glucose concentrations on metformin monotherapy (EECOH-2): a 52-week, multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority, randomised, phase 3 trialHe Y et al.The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology2025Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of a biased GLP-1 receptor agonist ecnoglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trialJi L et al.The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology2025Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of GLP-1 analog ecnoglutide in adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trialZhu D et al.Nature communications2024Randomized Controlled Trial
Discovery of ecnoglutide - A novel, long-acting, cAMP-biased glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogGuo W et al.Molecular metabolism2023Randomized Controlled Trial

More cited research

Conditions researched

Related compounds

FAQ

What is Ecnoglutide?

A once-weekly cAMP-biased GLP-1 receptor agonist from Sciwind Biosciences, approved in China in 2026 for type 2 diabetes and weight management.

How many registered human trials study Ecnoglutide?

The PeptideWhiz trial index lists 16 registered trials for Ecnoglutide, the most recent from 2026.

How much published research exists on Ecnoglutide?

The PeptideWhiz paper index links 6 PubMed papers to Ecnoglutide; by study type, 4 human and 0 animal studies.

Which conditions is Ecnoglutide researched for?

Atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease & high blood pressure, Fat loss, obesity & body recomposition, Insulin resistance, prediabetes & type 2 diabetes, Osteoarthritis, cartilage loss & avoiding joint replacement, Sleep apnea (obstructive), Sleep problems (incl. insomnia on peptides).

Research and education only. Not medical advice. No dosing guidance. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov registry and PubMed via the PeptideWhiz index (204,289 studies).