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Evidence: MediumPeptideIn Clinical TrialsGLP-1 / GIP / glucagon triple agonistThree published human trialsPhase 3 in China

UBT251

A once-weekly triple-agonist injection from China, licensed to Novo Nordisk, with two 24-week phase 2 trials behind it

UBT251 is a single peptide that activates three hormone receptors at once: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, the same combination as retatrutide. It was developed by The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin), part of China's United Laboratories, and licensed to Novo Nordisk for the world outside Greater China in March 2025. In a 24-week phase 2 trial in Chinese adults with overweight or obesity, mean weight fell 13.6% to 19.7% on weekly injections, against 2.0% on placebo. It is not approved anywhere.

Used in human trials: 2, 4 or 6 mg, Once weekly (4 mg started at 0.5 or 1 mg), Subcutaneous (Study: overweight or obesity, no diabetes (phase 2)) Details ↓

At a Glance Read Research →
Overview

What is it?

Most of the newer obesity drugs copy one or two gut hormones. Semaglutide acts on the GLP-1 receptor alone; tirzepatide adds the GIP receptor. UBT251 belongs to the third wave, single peptides that also switch on the glucagon receptor, the approach retatrutide made famous. Its makers describe it as a novel triple agonist peptide given once a week under the skin. Its amino-acid sequence and the chemistry that lets it last a week have not been published in the papers indexed so far.

The first study in people, published in 2026, ran in two parts. Participants first received single injections from 0.1 to 4.5 mg, and then adults with overweight or obesity but no diabetes took 1, 3 or 6 mg once a week for 12 weeks. Over those 12 weeks, mean weight fell by about 9 to 13.5 kg on the drug, while the placebo group gained 1.6 kg. Blood levels rose roughly in proportion to the dose between 1 and 6 mg, and fasting glucose, HbA1c and blood lipids improved. The commonest side effects were laboratory changes, less appetite and digestive complaints.

Two phase 2 trials followed in China, both 24 weeks long and both published in Cell Metabolism in October 2026. In 205 adults with overweight or obesity and no diabetes, weekly doses of 2, 4 or 6 mg lowered weight by 13.6% to 19.7% against 2.0% on placebo, with smaller waists and better blood pressure, lipids and glucose. In 211 adults with type 2 diabetes, the same doses lowered HbA1c by about 2.0 to 2.2 percentage points, against 1.8 with semaglutide 1 mg and 0.7 with placebo, and weight fell more than with either comparator. In both trials the most frequent side effects were digestive, mostly mild to moderate.

These results come with limits a reader should keep in mind. All three trials were run in China by the developer and its partners, with Novo Nordisk scientists among the authors of the two phase 2 papers. Twenty-four weeks is too short to show where weight loss levels off or how often it returns. The diabetes trial compared it with 1 mg of semaglutide, not the higher doses used for weight loss. Neither phase 2 abstract reports how many people stopped because of side effects, and no trial has measured heart, kidney or liver outcomes.

Development is now moving on two tracks. In China, phase 3 trials in type 2 diabetes (UNIGUIDE-1 against placebo and UNIGUIDE-2 against semaglutide) began recruiting in September 2026, with phase 3 trials in obesity and in sleep apnoea registered. Outside Greater China, Novo Nordisk holds the rights and is running its own phase 2 trials in obesity and in type 2 diabetes. Nothing sold online as UBT251 comes from either company, so its identity and amount are unverified.

13.6–19.7%
Mean weight loss at 24 weeks
2 to 6 mg weekly; placebo 2.0% · PMID 42843337
−2.0 to −2.2
HbA1c change, percentage points
Type 2 diabetes, 24 weeks; semaglutide 1 mg −1.8 · PMID 42933400
3
Published human trials
Phase 1a/1b and two phase 2, all in China · PMID 42712041
Structured data

At a Glance

Every value in this table is printed from the Grey Peptides dataset, the same record the compound explorer and comparison tool read, so the three can never disagree.

ClassA once-weekly triple agonist peptide for the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors, developed by The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin); Novo Nordisk sponsors a phase 2 trial of it.
Half-lifesupports once-weekly dosing
Studied dose2–6 mg (once weekly for 24 weeks, subcutaneous)
US statusIn Clinical Trials
Evidence levelMedium
Last reviewed2026-10-29
Science

Mechanism of Action

UBT251 is one peptide built to activate three receptors that respond to gut and pancreatic hormones: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon (PMID 42712041).

🔗

Three receptors, one molecule

Described by its developers as a triple agonist peptide at the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors (PMID 42712041).

⚖️

Body weight

Weekly doses lowered weight in the phase 1b and phase 2 obesity trials (PMIDs 42712041, 42843337).

🩸

Blood glucose

Lowered HbA1c, fasting and after-meal glucose in type 2 diabetes (PMID 42933400).

Evidence

Published Research

These are the three studies of UBT251 indexed on PubMed, read from their abstracts on October 29, 2026. All three gave UBT251 itself to people; there is no published animal or cell study yet. Trials of retatrutide and other triple agonists are on their own entries.

Human2026

Phase 2 in overweight and obesity, 24 weeks

205 Chinese adults with overweight or obesity and no type 2 diabetes (59% women, aged 18 to 61) took 2 mg, 4 mg (started at 0.5 or 1 mg) or 6 mg once a week, or placebo, for 24 weeks. Mean weight fell 13.6% to 19.7% on UBT251 against 2.0% on placebo, a placebo-adjusted difference of 11.5 to 17.7 points. Waist, BMI, blood pressure, lipids and glucose measures improved; the commonest side effects were mild to moderate digestive symptoms.

PMID: 42843337
Human2026

Phase 2 in type 2 diabetes, against semaglutide

211 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes (mean age 48) took weekly UBT251 at 2 mg, 4 mg (two starting doses) or 6 mg, semaglutide 1 mg, or placebo for 24 weeks. HbA1c fell 1.98 to 2.16 points on UBT251, 1.77 on semaglutide and 0.66 on placebo. Fasting and after-meal glucose and waist size fell more than on placebo, and weight fell significantly more than on either placebo or semaglutide. Digestive events were the commonest side effects.

PMID: 42933400
Human2026

First-in-human phase 1a/1b study

Single injections of 0.1 to 4.5 mg were followed by 12 weeks of weekly 1, 3 or 6 mg in adults with overweight or obesity and no diabetes. Mean weight fell 8.96 to 13.48 kg on the drug while the placebo group gained 1.57 kg. Exposure rose roughly in line with dose from 1 to 6 mg, fasting glucose, HbA1c and lipids fell, and the commonest adverse effects were laboratory changes, reduced appetite and digestive events.

PMID: 42712041
Dosing

Dosing Data

UBT251 is not approved anywhere, so there is no label. These are the weekly doses given in the trials carded above.

UBT251 is available only in clinical trials. These are study amounts, not recommendations.
ProtocolDoseFrequencyDurationRoute
Study: overweight or obesity, no diabetes (phase 2) Human studyPMID 428433372, 4 or 6 mgOnce weekly (4 mg started at 0.5 or 1 mg)24 weeksSubcutaneous
Study: type 2 diabetes (phase 2) Human studyPMID 429334002, 4 or 6 mgOnce weekly (4 mg started at 0.5 or 1 mg)24 weeksSubcutaneous
Study: overweight or obesity (phase 1b) Human studyPMID 427120411, 3 or 6 mgOnce weekly12 weeksSubcutaneous

Educational information, not medical advice. Each dose above is tagged with its source: an approved label, a published human study, animal data, or 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.

Safety

Side Effects & Contraindications

Reported Side Effects

From the three trial abstracts; none gives rates for each side effect or for stopping treatment.

● Digestive symptoms, mostly mild to moderate, were the commonest adverse events in both phase 2 trials (PMIDs 42843337, 42933400)
● Reduced appetite and laboratory changes were among the commonest effects in the phase 1 study (PMID 42712041)
● No trial longer than 24 weeks has been published, so longer-term effects are unknown

Contraindications & Cautions

There is no label. These cautions follow from the trials and the drug's status.

● Not an approved medicine anywhere; it is available only inside clinical trials
● Anything sold online as UBT251 is not from the developer or its licensee, so its identity and amount are unverified
● Not studied in pregnancy, in children, or with other weight-loss drugs
● Tested athletes: see the sport row in the legal table below
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

?What is UBT251?

A once-weekly injectable peptide that activates the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors, developed in China by The United Bio-Technology (Hengqin) and licensed to Novo Nordisk outside Greater China.

?How much weight did people lose?

In the 24-week phase 2 obesity trial, mean weight fell 13.6% to 19.7% on 2 to 6 mg a week, against 2.0% on placebo. In the 12-week phase 1b study it fell about 9 to 13.5 kg.

?How does it compare with retatrutide?

They act on the same three receptors. No trial has compared them directly, and retatrutide has longer and larger trials behind it, so the published numbers cannot be lined up fairly.

?Is there a dose to use?

No. The trial doses were 2, 4 and 6 mg once a week under medical supervision, reached in some groups from a lower starting dose. They are study amounts, not recommendations, and no product outside the trials is made by the developer.

?Is it approved anywhere?

No. Phase 3 trials are under way in China, and Novo Nordisk's trials elsewhere are phase 1 and phase 2.

Bibliography

References

  1. [clinical-trial] Zhou Z, et al. "UBT251, a novel triple GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptor agonist, in adults with overweight or obesity: A multicenter, randomized phase 2 trial." Cell Metab, 2026. PMID: 42843337.
  2. [clinical-trial] Zhou Z, et al. "UBT251, a novel triple GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptor agonist, in adults with type 2 diabetes: A multicenter, randomized phase 2 trial." Cell Metab, 2026. PMID: 42933400.
  3. [clinical-trial] Yang GP, et al. "Safety, Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of the GLP-1/GIP/GCG Receptor Agonist UBT251 Injection: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Phase 1a/1b Study." Diabetes Obes Metab, 2026. PMID: 42712041.
  4. [registry] ClinicalTrials.gov API v2, search 'UBT251', read October 29, 2026 (14 records): phase 2 NCT07177469 (obesity, 205 participants, completed) and NCT07163624 (type 2 diabetes, 211, completed); phase 2 NCT07134335 (chronic kidney disease) and NCT07145151 (MASH), recruiting; Novo Nordisk phase 2 NCT07395687 (obesity) and NCT07668388 (type 2 diabetes), recruiting; phase 3 NCT07659574 (UNIGUIDE-1) and NCT07653477 (UNIGUIDE-2, against semaglutide), recruiting since September 2026; phase 3 NCT07648225 (obesity), NCT07767942 and NCT07806851 (sleep apnoea), not yet recruiting; phase 1 interaction studies NCT07785934, NCT07710768 and NCT07710729.
  5. [manufacturer] The United Laboratories and Novo Nordisk. Joint press release, March 24, 2025: exclusive licence for UBT251 (Novo Nordisk takes worldwide rights outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan; USD 200 million upfront and up to USD 1.8 billion in milestones). https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/the-united-laboratories-and-novo-nordisk-announce-exclusive-license-agreement-for-ubt251-a-glp-1-gip-glucagon-triple-receptor-agonist

Sources & Citations

Every study on this page was read from its PubMed record on October 29, 2026. Trial registrations come from ClinicalTrials.gov and the licence terms from the companies' joint release of March 24, 2025. Grey Peptides sells nothing and links to no vendor.

Medical Disclaimer: This content is for educational and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is an instruction to obtain or use any compound. Consult a licensed healthcare provider before making health decisions.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-29