Claimed effect · Ecnoglutide

Does Ecnoglutide help with body weight?

B
Grade B — probable, not settled1 phase 3 RCT (n=664, 40 wk) · effect size: large
Short answerProbable, not settled. Human data exist (1 phase 3 RCT (n=664, 40 wk)) and mostly agree, showing a large effect — but too few, too small, or not yet peer-reviewed for a firm answer. Three doses against placebo across 36 Chinese centres. Loss of 9.1%, 10.9% and 13.2% at 1.2, 1.8 and 2.4 mg against 0.1% on placebo. Shorter than the 68–72-week Western trials, so not directly comparable.

What the studies show

Three doses against placebo across 36 Chinese centres. Loss of 9.1%, 10.9% and 13.2% at 1.2, 1.8 and 2.4 mg against 0.1% on placebo. Shorter than the 68–72-week Western trials, so not directly comparable.

“At week 40, the least-squares mean percentage change in bodyweight was -9·1% (SE 0·8) in the ecnoglutide 1·2 mg group, -10·9% (0·9) in the ecnoglutide 1·8 mg group, and -13·2% (0·8) in the ecnoglutide 2·4 mg group versus 0·1% (0·8) in the placebo group, and the respective estimated treatment differences compared with placebo were -9·2% (97% CI -11·0 to -7·5), -11·1% (-13·1 to -9·1), and -13·3% (-15·3 to -11·3), respectively (all p<0·0001).”

Verbatim, from the abstractJi L, et al. 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 trial. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol, 2025

Human trials exist and mostly agree, but there are too few of them, they are too small, or one big one is still reading out. Expect the grade to move.

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In context

Ecnoglutide is a once-weekly GLP-1 receptor agonist developed by Sciwind Biosciences in China, engineered to favour the cAMP signalling pathway. In a 664-person phase 3 trial published in 2025, Chinese adults with overweight or obesity lost 13.2% at 40 weeks on the top dose against 0.1% on placebo. Two phase 3 diabetes trials are also published. It is not approved in any region this site covers.

Ecnoglutide is investigational (phase 3 published). Legal status differs by country — see the regulation section or the jurisdiction pages.

Questions

Is Ecnoglutide proven to help with body weight?
Not yet settled. 1 phase 3 RCT (n=664, 40 wk) — LYO grades it B, meaning probable but liable to change as trials read out.
What studies are behind the grade?
Three doses against placebo across 36 Chinese centres. Loss of 9.1%, 10.9% and 13.2% at 1.2, 1.8 and 2.4 mg against 0.1% on placebo. Shorter than the 68–72-week Western trials, so not directly comparable.
Is Ecnoglutide approved for this?
No. Ecnoglutide is investigational (phase 3 published); it is not an approved medicine for any indication in the jurisdictions LYO covers.

Other outcomes for Ecnoglutide

Written and maintained by LYO Research — how pages are written and checked. Reviewed 23 September 2026. Grades count human evidence only; see how LYO grades. Not medical advice. Correct this page →