Oxyntomodulin (OXM)_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as OXM, glucagon 1-37, oxyntomodulin (human)
A natural gut hormone that switches on both GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, the blueprint for mazdutide and survodutide. Never developed as a medicine; the human data are a few small studies of 4 weeks or less.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Oxyntomodulin (OXM)?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
Oxyntomodulin matters because it showed that one hormone acting on both the appetite (GLP-1) and energy-use (glucagon) receptors could cut eating and weight, the idea behind several newer weight-loss drugs. In the longest study, 4 weeks of injections three times a day, overweight adults lost 2.3 kg against 0.5 kg on placebo. The evidence is a handful of small studies lasting 4 weeks or less, and the natural hormone breaks down within minutes, so it was never turned into a medicine.
Oxyntomodulin is a 37-residue gut hormone: native glucagon (residues 1 to 29) plus the C-terminal octapeptide KRNRNNIA, released from intestinal L cells together with GLP-1 after meals. It is a weak dual agonist at the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors and is inactivated within minutes by DPP-4, an enzyme that removes His1-Ser2. Native OXM was never developed as a drug, but it is the parent idea of the GLP-1 and glucagon dual agonists mazdutide, survodutide, efinopegdutide and pemvidutide.
What it's used for
A research peptide used in laboratory work and small human studies of appetite, energy use and blood sugar. It is not a medicine; mazdutide, a drug built on the same idea, is approved in China.
How does Oxyntomodulin (OXM) work?
What it does in the body, and where.Oxyntomodulin is a gut hormone that switches on two receptors at once, the ones used by GLP-1 and by glucagon.
- 01Released after mealsCells in the lower gut release it after eating, together with GLP-1, in proportion to how much was eaten. It is glucagon's 29 residues plus an 8-residue tail.
- 02Two receptors, weaklyAt GLP-1 receptors it curbs appetite and boosts insulin release when glucose rises; at glucagon receptors it raises energy use. In rat receptor tests it was about 34 times weaker than glucagon and 114 times weaker than GLP-1.
- 03Balanced but briefThe insulin boost from the GLP-1 side offsets glucagon's tendency to raise blood sugar, the idea behind mazdutide, survodutide and efinopegdutide. Native oxyntomodulin is cut by DPP-4 enzymes within minutes, so the studies needed injections three times a day.
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.
Appetite after one infusion
Early researchFour weeks of injections
Early research- Human trialWeight change -2.3 ± 0.4 kg against -0.5 ± 0.5 kg on saline (P=0.0106); intake down 170 kcal (25%) at the first and 250 kcal (35%) at the final study meal, with food palatability unchanged.
- Human trialLeptin fell and adiponectin rose.
- No data26 adults took part, matching the registered target; the same group's later G3215 protocol says 14 received oxyntomodulin, leaving 12 on saline.
Energy expenditure
Early research- Human trial15 overweight or obese adults, 4-day crossover: study-meal intake down 128 ± 29 kcal (17.3%); activity-related energy expenditure up 143 ± 109 kcal a day (26.2%) and total energy expenditure up 9.4%; resting energy expenditure unchanged; weight down 0.5 ± 0.2%.
Blood sugar
Early research- Human trialTwo single-dose placebo-controlled crossovers, one in 12 overweight or obese adults without diabetes and one in 12 obese adults with type 2 diabetes: insulin secretion rose and glucose excursions were blunted, comparably to liraglutide in type 2 diabetes.
Receptor potency
Research only- Lab studyIn rat receptor assays it was about 34 times weaker than glucagon at the glucagon receptor (11.4 against 0.34 nM) and about 114 times weaker than GLP-1 at the GLP-1 receptor (9.10 against 0.08 nM).
- Animal studySome oxyntomodulin analogs increased food intake in rats.
A circulating half-life of 12 minutes is widely repeated, including by an assay maker and in an Imperial College thesis, but no primary human study measuring it could be traced; the patents and papers describe it only as very short. The 19.3% cut in food intake often quoted comes from a single infusion in 13 lean volunteers (Cohen 2003), not the 4-week injection study, whose figures were 25% at the first study meal and 35% at the last. The 2.3 kg weight loss from that study is often quoted without the 0.5 kg lost on placebo, a difference of about 1.8 kg over 4 weeks. It is reported to activate GLP-1 and glucagon receptors. That is true, but in rat receptor assays it was about 34 times weaker than glucagon and 114 times weaker than GLP-1. Some reference sites give C192H294N58O61S and 4422.87 g/mol, closer to the pig version; human oxyntomodulin is C192H295N61O60S, 4449.9 Da. GSRS gives CAS 62340-29-8 to both the human and pig records while lab suppliers use 159002-68-3, so UNII LV7ELH7V16 is the unambiguous identifier. "Enteroglucagon" appears as a synonym in GSRS, but the term properly means glicentin (proglucagon 1 to 69), the larger gut peptide that contains oxyntomodulin as its tail end; oxyntomodulin was first called "bioactive enteroglucagon." Efinopegdutide is often called a long-acting oxyntomodulin, but its peptide is a 30-residue glucagon-like sequence without the 8-residue tail.
The published record
Papers and trials about Oxyntomodulin (OXM)
205 papers tagged human · 104 not reviews or lab · 31 clinical trial publications
10 registered trials · 3 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Phase 1, results posted
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. 439 papers and 10 trials indexed in detail.
At a glance
Four things to know about Oxyntomodulin (OXM)
Evidence
Category
Weight loss and metabolic
Common vial
Varies
Half-life
Minutes (no exact human figure established)
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.400 nmol (about 1.8 mg) under the skin before meals, three times daily (research studies), three times daily, before meals (research). No established schedule; studies ran 4 days or 4 weeks Human study
The longest human use was 4 weeks of injections three times daily. No study has tested longer use, breaks or a maintenance schedule.
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.Minutes (no exact human figure established)No figure
Described only as very short: DPP-4 enzymes on cell surfaces cut off its first two residues (His1-Ser2), and the research studies had to inject it three times a day before meals. A figure of about 12 minutes circulates, but no primary human study measuring it could be traced.
Source: Merck and IRBM patent EP2398483; OPKO patent US9522945
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 Oxyntomodulin (OXM) 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: 30% charged residues, 27% 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 children or older adults: the injection studies enrolled adults aged 18 to 55
- Not studied in pregnancy or breastfeeding
- Not studied for longer than 4 weeks
- Not studied in kidney or liver disease; type 2 diabetes was studied only with a single infusion
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction, such as rash, swelling or trouble breathing
- Nausea or vomiting that does not settle: in the studies, nausea rose with higher blood levels and eased when an infusion was stopped
Common effects
- Mild, short-lived nausea after 3% of injections against 0.2% of placebo injections over 4 weeks
- Injection-site discomfort after 6.9% of injections against 6.6% with placebo
- No significant cardiovascular effects in the 4-week study
- One person reported nausea in the 4-day study, linked to higher blood levels; a single infusion in 13 lean volunteers caused no nausea
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Oxyntomodulin (OXM) approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. Oxyntomodulin (OXM) is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labeled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteUnder the skin or into a vein (research studies only)
- Checked19 October 2026
- DoseFrom published human studies. Not approved by a regulator for this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- SourcesFDA GSRS substance record, oxyntomodulin human (UNII LV7ELH7V16)FDA GSRS substance record, oxyntomodulin porcine (UNII V2R9I80984)Cohen MA et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2003;88:4696-4701Wynne K et al., Diabetes 2005;54:2390-2395Wynne K et al., International Journal of Obesity 2006;30:1729-1736Shankar SS et al., Diabetes 2018;67:1105-1112Price SL et al., Peptides 2015;73:95-100Imperial College G3215 phase 1 protocol (NCT02692040)ISRCTN33638415 (Wynne 2005 registration)Merck and IRBM patent EP2398483OPKO Biologics patent US9522945 (granted December 20, 2016)Innovent, NMPA approval of mazdutide (June 27, 2025)Entera Bio and OPKO, oral OPK-88006 poster (ENDO 2025)
What has happened recently
Native oxyntomodulin has never been approved anywhere, and no development program, orphan designation, fast track or breakthrough designation for the native hormone has been found; it has no INN and no sponsor. Its furthest stage is small human studies: investigator-led work at Imperial College London from 2003 to 2010 and in Copenhagen in 2015, plus Merck's single-dose mechanistic trials published in 2018. Its biology led to engineered drugs instead. Innovent describes mazdutide as an oxyntomodulin analog; China's NMPA approved it for chronic weight management (announced June 27, 2025). Imperial's 35-residue analog G3215 entered a first-in-human phase 1 (NCT02692040), and Entera Bio and OPKO's oral acylated analog OPK-88006 was preclinical in 2025, with a phase 1 planned. Efinopegdutide follows the same dual-agonist idea but is built on a 30-residue glucagon-like peptide rather than the full oxyntomodulin chain.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Oxyntomodulin (OXM)?
Others in GLP-1 agonists, side by side.If you're weighing Oxyntomodulin (OXM), it's worth reading Pemvidutide, Ribupatide, and VK2735 in the same class.
A natural gut hormone that switches on both GLP-1 and glucagon receptors, the blueprint for mazdutide and survodutide. Never developed as a medicine; the human data are a few small studies of 4 weeks or less.
- Dose
- 400 nmol (about 1.8 mg) under the skin before meals, three times daily (research studies)
- How often
- Three times daily, before meals (research)
An experimental weekly shot for weight loss and fatty liver.
- Dose
- 1.2 up to 2.4 mg per week (trial doses)
- How often
- Weekly
An experimental weekly GLP-1/GIP shot from China, now in a 4,900-person phase 3 program.
- Dose
- 2 up to 10 mg per week (trial doses)
- How often
- Weekly
An experimental weight-loss compound in the tirzepatide family, as a shot or pill.
- Dose
- 2.5 up to 15 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, oxyntomodulin human (UNII LV7ELH7V16)(2026)37-residue sequence with no modifications; CAS 62340-29-8; synonyms enteroglucagon and glucagon 1-37; no INN.
- FDA GSRS substance record, oxyntomodulin porcine (UNII V2R9I80984)(2026)Lysine in place of arginine at position 33; GSRS gives it the same CAS number as the human record.
- Cohen MA et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 2003;88:4696-4701(2003)13 lean volunteers, single IV infusion: buffet intake down 19.3% and 12-hour intake down 11.3%; ghrelin suppressed by 44%; no nausea.
- Wynne K et al., Diabetes 2005;54:2390-2395(2005)4 weeks of injections three times daily: weight change -2.3 against -0.5 kg (P=0.0106); intake down 25% at the first and 35% at the last study meal.
- Wynne K et al., International Journal of Obesity 2006;30:1729-1736(2006)15 adults, 4-day crossover: intake down 17.3%; activity-related energy expenditure up 26.2% and total energy expenditure up 9.4%.
- Shankar SS et al., Diabetes 2018;67:1105-1112(2018)Merck single-dose crossovers in 12 overweight or obese adults without diabetes and 12 obese adults with type 2 diabetes: raised insulin secretion and blunted glucose excursions, comparable to liraglutide in type 2 diabetes.
- Price SL et al., Peptides 2015;73:95-100(2015)Rat receptor cAMP potency: 11.4 nM at the glucagon receptor (glucagon 0.34 nM) and 9.10 nM at the GLP-1 receptor (GLP-1 0.08 nM); some analogs increased food intake in rats.
- Imperial College G3215 phase 1 protocol (NCT02692040)(2018)400 nmol three times daily in the Wynne studies; nausea 3% against 0.2% of injections; nausea linked to peak levels; a 12-volunteer infusion study without significant intake reductions.
- ISRCTN33638415 (Wynne 2005 registration)(2005)Target of 26 adults aged 18 to 55 with BMI 25 to 40; study ran January 2 to August 31, 2004 and was registered on July 22, 2005.
- Merck and IRBM patent EP2398483(2011)Very short half-life and rapid inactivation by DPP-IV; nanomolar potency at both receptors; three-times-daily dosing needed.
- OPKO Biologics patent US9522945 (granted December 20, 2016)(2016)Relatively very short half-life, so repeated daily supraphysiological doses are required.
- Innovent, NMPA approval of mazdutide (June 27, 2025)(2025)Described as a mammalian oxyntomodulin analog; GLORY-1 weight change about -12.0% (4 mg) and -14.8% (6 mg) against -0.5% on placebo at 48 weeks (efficacy estimand).
- Entera Bio and OPKO, oral OPK-88006 poster (ENDO 2025)(2025)Preclinical oral acylated analog; the native hormone's short half-life limits its therapeutic potential.
Beyond these, 449 records are indexed. Browse the records