Elsiglutide
Zealand Pharma's early GLP-2 analogue (ZP1846), tested in phase 2 for chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea; no later trials are known.
An early GLP-2 analogue from Zealand Pharma (ZP1846), studied in phase 2 trials for chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea; no later trials or dated discontinuation notice were found.
Mechanism of action
GLP-2 receptor agonism — same intestinotrophic mechanism class as teduglutide.
Primary uses
- Historical: chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (Phase 2)
Typical dosing
Program-level data only.
Educational information, not medical advice. The doses on this page come from approved labels, published studies and, where no study exists, amounts reported by users. None is a recommendation for you. An unapproved compound has no established safe or effective human dose, and products sold for “research use only” are not made or tested for people. Talk to a doctor before acting on anything on this site, including before you start, stop or change any medicine or dose. Full medical disclaimer.
Regulatory status
Not approved. Phase 2 trials in chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea are registered (NCT01543451, NCT02383810); we found no later trials and no dated discontinuation announcement (searched October 5, 2026). An earlier version said it was superseded by glepaglutide; that was not sourced and was removed.
Status as of this entry's last review, October 5, 2026. Approvals, compounding rules and sport rules change; the regulatory tracker is checked more often.
What we checked
Elsiglutide was a GLP-2 analogue from Zealand Pharma tested against chemotherapy diarrhoea. One paper indexed on PubMed names it in the title, and two trials are registered. This section records what can be checked.
Identity, computed
| Sequence | Not established |
Its sequence has not been published in a source we could find, so no formula or mass is given. It is described as a protease-resistant analogue of GLP-2, a 33-residue gut hormone.
Regulatory status, read October 5, 2026
Drugs@FDA: 0 records for “elsiglutide”. EMA medicines list: 0 records for “elsiglutide”. Run for semaglutide, the same queries return 6 and 5 records (and the registry search 84 trials), so a zero here is an absence, not a broken search. Not named on the WADA 2026 and 2027 Prohibited Lists. As a substance with no current approval for human therapeutic use, it falls under section S0 (non-approved substances), which is prohibited at all times; the lists were read on September 27, 2026.
What the maker or sellers claim
Claim, from Zealand Pharma's historical pipeline: elsiglutide was a once-daily treatment to prevent chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea. The programme did not reach approval and the company's later GLP-2 work moved to glepaglutide.
What the searches turned up
The one indexed paper, a 2020 rat study with the breast-cancer drug lapatinib, and the two registered human trials, a proof-of-concept study and a dose-finding study in colorectal cancer patients on 5-FU chemotherapy, are described in the study cards below. Neither human trial has published results.
What we looked for and did not find
No published results from the human trials, no published sequence, no approval anywhere.
| Source | Query | Results, October 5, 2026 | What it was |
|---|---|---|---|
| PubMed | elsiglutide | 1 | the 2020 rat lapatinib study |
| PubMed | ZP1846 | 0 | |
| ClinicalTrials.gov | elsiglutide | 2 | the proof-of-concept and dose-finding trials |
| Drugs@FDA (openFDA) | elsiglutide | 0 | |
| EMA medicines list | elsiglutide | 0 |
What the studies show
Elsiglutide (ZP1846) is a GLP-2 analogue that was tested to prevent diarrhoea caused by cancer chemotherapy. The registry shows two completed phase 2 trials and nothing later; their results are not in a paper this site has read, and PubMed's one study is in rats.
Registry · 2012
Proof of concept
Helsinn's phase 2 trial in 138 cancer patients, elsiglutide against placebo, tested prevention of chemotherapy-induced diarrhoea; completed in January 2013.
NCT01543451 · ClinicalTrials.gov record
Registry · 2015
Finding the dose
A phase 2 trial in 498 patients with colorectal cancer on 5-FU-based chemotherapy compared 10, 20 and 40 mg once daily by injection for four days with placebo; completed in February 2016.
NCT02383810 · ClinicalTrials.gov record
Animal · 2020
Lapatinib diarrhoea in rats
In rats given the breast-cancer drug lapatinib, elsiglutide reduced diarrhoea and prevented ileal damage, apparently by thickening the mucosa rather than by reducing inflammation or permeability, and it preserved gut microbial diversity.
References
- [clinicaltrials] ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01543451: "Proof-of-Concept Study in Cancer Patients to Assess Efficacy of Elsiglutide in Preventing Chemotherapy-Induced Diarrhea" Helsinn Healthcare SA. Phase 2, completed, February 2012 to January 2013 (primary completion), 138 participants. Registry record read October 2, 2026.
- [clinicaltrials] ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02383810: "Dose Finding Study in Colorectal Cancer Patients Receiving 5-FU-based Chemotherapy to Assess the Efficacy of Elsiglutide in the Prevention of Chemotherapy Induced Diarrhea (CID)" Helsinn Healthcare SA. Phase 2, completed, January 2015 to February 2016 (primary completion), 498 participants. Registry record read October 2, 2026.
- [pubmed] Mayo BJ, et al. "The GLP-2 analogue elsiglutide reduces diarrhoea caused by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor lapatinib in rats." Cancer Chemother Pharmacol, 2020;85(4):793-803. PMID: 32060615.
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This entry is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Dosing information reflects published regulatory or research data and is not a recommendation. Many compounds described here are not approved for human use in the United States. Consult a licensed medical professional before considering any peptide therapy.