Bofanglutide (GZR18)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as GZR18, GLR1033, bofanglutidum
Semaglutide with two small changes, tested as an injection every two weeks. Its China phase 3 met its main goal in 2026, the company reports; in a US phase 2 it trailed tirzepatide.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Bofanglutide (GZR18)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Most GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are weekly injections; bofanglutide is designed to be taken every two weeks, halving the number of shots. In a 340-person phase 2b in China, 48 mg every two weeks cut weight by 16.09% at 30 weeks against 1.15% on placebo, and the company reports 18.54% at 52 weeks in its 640-person phase 3. The phase 3 figure is company topline and not yet peer reviewed, and in a US phase 2 the top dose lost less weight than tirzepatide (15.18% against 16.93%).
Bofanglutide is a 31-residue GLP-1(7-37) analog and a near twin of semaglutide: the same backbone, arginine at 34 and OEG-OEG-gamma-glutamate linker on lysine 26, but with glycine at position 8 instead of Aib and a C22 fatty diacid instead of C18. It activates only the GLP-1 receptor, and albumin binding gives it a half-life of about a week (156 to 177 hours), yet it is dosed every two weeks. Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals of Beijing developed it and licensed European rights to the Menarini Group in September 2026.
What it's used for
An experimental injection given every two weeks for weight loss and type 2 diabetes, in phase 3 trials in China. It is not approved anywhere.
How does Bofanglutide (GZR18) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Bofanglutide copies the gut hormone GLP-1 and is built to last for days instead of minutes.
- 01The signalIt activates GLP-1 receptors in the brain and gut, lowering appetite and slowing how fast the stomach empties. In the pancreas it boosts insulin release when blood sugar is high and lowers glucagon. No action at GIP or glucagon receptors has been reported.
- 02Dodging the enzymeNatural GLP-1 is cut by the enzyme DPP-4 within minutes. Glycine at position 8 resists that cut; semaglutide does the same job with Aib, a modified amino acid, and dulaglutide also uses glycine.
- 03The albumin anchorA C22 fatty diacid on lysine 26 binds albumin in the blood, shielding the peptide from breakdown and loss through the kidneys. Its half-life is about a week (156 to 177 hours); the trials tested whether dosing every two weeks still works.
Acts on one receptor.
What else is it used for?
Each group carries its own evidence level.Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
Obesity, phase 2b (China)
Investigational- Human trial340 adults, 30 weeks: weight fell 9.75% to 16.09% across 12 to 48 mg every two weeks and 16.69% on 24 mg weekly, against 1.15% on placebo.
- Human trialOn 48 mg every two weeks, 82.7% lost at least 10% and 39.2% at least 20%, against 6.7% and 3.5% on placebo.
Obesity, phase 3 GRADUAL-1 (China)
Investigational- Human trial640 adults, 52 weeks: weight fell 15.12% on 24 mg and 18.54% on 48 mg every two weeks, against 1.11% on placebo; 91.8% and 98.1% lost at least 5%.
- No dataCompany topline from June 2026; the full results are not yet peer reviewed.
Against tirzepatide (US phase 2)
Investigational- Human trial326 adults without type 2 diabetes, 36 weeks: 15.18% weight loss on 48 mg every two weeks against 16.93% on tirzepatide 15 mg weekly; the trial met its primary endpoint against placebo.
- No dataCompany topline from the per-protocol set: placebo and lower-dose results have not been released, and tirzepatide was given open label.
Type 2 diabetes against semaglutide
Investigational- Human trial24 weeks, open label: HbA1c fell 1.87% to 2.32% across doses against 1.60% on semaglutide 1 mg weekly; the gap was 0.68 points on 18 mg every two weeks and 0.72 on 24 mg weekly.
- Human trialGut side effects in 81.8% to 87.3% against 51.9% on semaglutide; no severe low blood sugar.
It is often described as structurally distinct from semaglutide, but it is a near twin: the same 31-residue backbone, arginine at 34 and lysine 26 linker, with only glycine for Aib at position 8 and a C22 instead of C18 fatty diacid. It is also reported as a phase 2 drug, though the China phase 3 GRADUAL-1 met its primary endpoints in June 2026, and as an extended-duration formulation, though the long action comes from the molecule's albumin-binding chain. Its half-life is about a week (156 to 177 hours), so the every-two-weeks schedule rests on trial results, and 'the potential first bi-weekly GLP-1' is the company's own description. GRADUAL-1 was announced at 630 people; the company's results give 640 over 52 weeks. The US phase 2 was announced at 285 people and enrolled 326, and its top dose lost less weight than tirzepatide (15.18% against 16.93%). A 2026 review titled 'bofanglutide (GZR102)' mixes it up with GZR102, its combination with the weekly insulin GZR4; the oral bofanglutide tablet in phase 1 is not GZC8072, a separate oral molecule; and a 2026 paper on an every-two-weeks GLP-1 with drug-free intervals concerns CT130, a different compound.
The published record
Papers and trials about Bofanglutide (GZR18)
33 papers tagged human · 7 not reviews or lab · 6 clinical trial publications
26 registered trials · none with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Phase 3, under way
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count.
At a glance
Four things to know about Bofanglutide (GZR18)
Evidence
Investigational
Category
Weight loss and metabolic
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
About 6.5 to 7.4 days (156 to 177 hours)
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.24 or 48 mg every two weeks, after a step-up from 3 mg (phase 3 trials), every two weeks. Continuous in the trials Trial dose
Given every two weeks for 30 to 52 weeks after a step-up at the start, with no planned breaks. A phase 3 of once-monthly dosing to maintain weight loss (GRADUAL-3) has been announced but has no results.
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.About 6.5 to 7.4 days (156 to 177 hours)Human study
Mean half-life ranged from 156.2 to 176.7 hours across dose groups, about one week. It is dosed every two weeks because trial results supported that schedule, not because its half-life is unusually long. Steady-state peak levels were about 1,237 to 4,446 ng/mL across the 12 to 48 mg two-weekly doses.
Source: Ji L et al., Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 2026 (phase 2b)
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized Bofanglutide (GZR18) keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Solubility, computed: 29% charged residues, 35% hydrophobic. Water usually sufficient.
A first-pass rule from peptide manufacturers' guidance. It does not account for disulfide bridges, salt form or how the powder was dried, and it predicts what should be easy rather than what will happen in your vial.
Who should avoid it
- Not studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Not studied in children or in adults over 75
- Not studied in people with a known allergy to GLP-1 drugs or their ingredients, past pancreatitis, or a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer or MEN2 (all excluded from the US phase 2)
- Use outside a clinical trial: it is not approved anywhere
Stop and get help
- Severe, lasting stomach pain: the trials monitor for pancreatitis and gallbladder problems (no pancreatitis occurred in the phase 2b)
- Shaking, sweating or confusion from low blood sugar (judged drug-related in 2.9% in the phase 2b, all mild)
- Vomiting or diarrhea that stops you keeping fluids down
Common effects
- Gut side effects in 78.8% to 90.6% across doses against 33.3% on placebo, mostly mild to moderate and during dose increases (phase 2b, 30 weeks)
- Injection-site reactions in 48.2% against 33.3% on placebo
- Stopping for side effects in 1.9% to 15.6% depending on dose, highest on 48 mg every two weeks, against 4.5% on placebo
- Drug-related low blood sugar in 2.9% against 1.5%, all mild; anti-drug antibodies in 32.7% to 52.8%, none neutralizing
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Bofanglutide (GZR18) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. Bofanglutide (GZR18) is not approved anywhere and is currently in company-run clinical trials. There is no legal route to obtain it outside a trial.
- Approval statusInvestigational
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- Checked16 October 2026
- DoseFrom published clinical trials. Not approved by a regulator for this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesFDA GSRS substance record, bofanglutide (UNII X9RLV48FDH)FDA GSRS names entry, bofanglutideJi L et al., Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 2026;11:73ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06256562Liu M et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 2026;179:1107-1116Liu M et al., Cell Reports Medicine 2026;7:102874BioPharm International, GRADUAL-1 and US phase 2 toplines (June 12, 2026)ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06737042Gan & Lee, first participant dosed in the US phase 2 (March 10, 2025)Gan & Lee and Menarini, European license (PR Newswire, September 3, 2026)Indian Pharma Post, GRADUAL phase 3 program (2025)ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07150975Gan & Lee, ADA 84th Scientific Sessions data (2024)Gan & Lee, GZC8072 phase 1 release (September 9, 2026)
What has happened recently
Not approved anywhere; the Menarini license announcement states it has no authorization from the EMA or any other regulator. Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals developed it in China as a Class 1 innovative drug. In June 2026 the company reported that GRADUAL-1, a 640-person obesity phase 3 in China, met its primary endpoints; two type 2 diabetes phase 3 trials (NCT06777238, NCT06778967) are active, a phase 3 against Wegovy (GRADUAL-2, NCT07150975) started recruiting in September 2025, and a once-monthly maintenance phase 3, GRADUAL-3, was announced in November 2025. In the US, after a phase 1 (NCT06548997), a 36-week phase 2 against tirzepatide (NCT06737042) ran from February 24, 2025 to February 27, 2026, and Gan & Lee plans a global phase 3 program. On September 3, 2026, Gan & Lee licensed exclusive rights in 39 European countries, including the EU, UK, Switzerland and Norway, to the Menarini Group for EUR 62 million upfront and up to EUR 664 million in milestones, plus double-digit royalties. No FDA designations have been reported. Bofanglutide is both its INN and its USAN.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Bofanglutide (GZR18)?
Others in GLP-1 agonists, side by side.If you're weighing Bofanglutide (GZR18), it's worth reading CT-388, Danuglipron, and Dulaglutide (Trulicity) in the same class.
Semaglutide with two small changes, tested as an injection every two weeks. Its China phase 3 met its main goal in 2026, the company reports; in a US phase 2 it trailed tirzepatide.
- Dose
- 24 or 48 mg every two weeks, after a step-up from 3 mg (phase 3 trials)
- How often
- Every two weeks
An experimental weekly weight-loss shot in the tirzepatide family.
- Dose
- 4 up to 24 mg per week (trial doses)
- How often
- Weekly
An experimental weight-loss pill whose development was stopped over a liver-injury signal.
- Dose
- 40 up to 200 mg per dose
- How often
- Daily
A weekly GLP-1 shot for diabetes, with far less weight loss than the famous ones.
- Dose
- 0.75 up to 4.5 mg per week (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Weekly
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
- FDA GSRS substance record, bofanglutide (UNII X9RLV48FDH)(2026)31-residue GLP-1(7-37) analog; CAS 2668298-70-0; INN 12911 and USAN; codes GZR18 and GLR1033.
- FDA GSRS names entry, bofanglutide(2026)Glycine at 8, arginine at 34, and lysine 26 carrying two OEG units, gamma-glutamate and a C22 fatty diacid.
- Ji L et al., Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy 2026;11:73(2026)340 adults in China, 30 weeks: weight change 9.75% to 16.69% against 1.15% on placebo; gut side effects 83.9% against 33.3%; half-life 156.2 to 176.7 hours.
- ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06256562(2024)Obesity phase 2 in China, 340 enrolled, primary endpoint at week 30; adults 18 to 75; pregnancy excluded.
- Liu M et al., Annals of Internal Medicine 2026;179:1107-1116(2026)Type 2 diabetes, 24 weeks: HbA1c down 1.87% to 2.32% against 1.60% on semaglutide 1 mg weekly.
- Liu M et al., Cell Reports Medicine 2026;7:102874(2026)Type 2 diabetes phase 1b/2a, 72 enrolled, weekly dosing: HbA1c down 1.32% and 1.81% in its two parts, against 0.86% and 0.12% on placebo.
- BioPharm International, GRADUAL-1 and US phase 2 toplines (June 12, 2026)(2026)GRADUAL-1, 640 adults: 15.12% and 18.54% against 1.11% at 52 weeks; US phase 2, 326 adults: 15.18% on 48 mg against 16.93% on tirzepatide 15 mg.
- ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT06737042(2026)US phase 2 against tirzepatide and placebo, 36 weeks; 326 enrolled; completed February 27, 2026.
- Gan & Lee, first participant dosed in the US phase 2 (March 10, 2025)(2025)285 planned; 24, 36 or 48 mg every two weeks against tirzepatide 15 mg weekly and placebo; called the potential first bi-weekly GLP-1 in the world.
- Gan & Lee and Menarini, European license (PR Newswire, September 3, 2026)(2026)Exclusive rights in 39 European countries; EUR 62 million upfront and up to EUR 664 million in milestones; not authorized by any regulator.
- Indian Pharma Post, GRADUAL phase 3 program (2025)(2025)Designs of GRADUAL-1, GRADUAL-2 against semaglutide 2.4 mg, and GRADUAL-3 with once-monthly maintenance dosing.
- ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT07150975(2026)Phase 3 against Wegovy 2.4 mg, recruiting, 420 estimated.
- Gan & Lee, ADA 84th Scientific Sessions data (2024)(2024)Phase 1b/2a in 36 people in China: placebo-adjusted weight loss of 18.6% weekly and 13.5% every two weeks at 35 weeks.
- Gan & Lee, GZC8072 phase 1 release (September 9, 2026)(2026)Lists the every-two-weeks injectable bofanglutide (GZR18) as a pipeline item separate from the oral GZC8072.
Beyond these, 36 records are indexed. Browse the records