What it is
Teduglutide is a peptide made of 33 amino acids. It is made in a lab. It copies GLP-2, a hormone the gut releases after eating. GLP-2 tells the lining of the small intestine to grow. Natural GLP-2 lasts about 7 minutes in the blood because an enzyme called DPP-4 cuts it apart. Teduglutide has one amino acid swapped at position 2, from alanine to glycine. That swap blocks DPP-4, so it lasts about 2 hours. GLP-2 is not the same as GLP-1. GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide act on blood sugar and hunger. GLP-2 acts on the gut lining. The FDA approved teduglutide in 2012 as Gattex for short bowel syndrome. Other names: Gattex, Revestive, GLP-2 analog.
What researchers study it for
- Short bowel syndrome, where too much intestine has been removed to absorb enough food
- Cutting down on IV nutrition, called parenteral nutrition
- Growth of the intestine lining
- Short bowel syndrome in children
What the studies found
1. More patients cut their IV nutrition by at least 20 percent.
The 2012 STEPS trial enrolled 86 adults with short bowel syndrome who needed IV nutrition. They got teduglutide or a placebo every day for 24 weeks. 63 percent on teduglutide cut their IV nutrition by at least 20 percent, compared to 30 percent on placebo. IV nutrition dropped by 4.4 liters per week with teduglutide and 2.3 liters with placebo. This trial led to FDA approval. Human data.
2. The drop in IV nutrition held at one year.
Patients from the STEPS trial kept taking teduglutide in an open follow-up study through 52 weeks. Their IV nutrition needs stayed lower or dropped further. A few patients stopped needing IV nutrition completely. No new safety problems showed up. There was no placebo group in this part. Human data.
3. The results held at two years.
The STEPS-2 study followed patients for about 2 years on teduglutide. IV nutrition needs kept going down over time. The safety results matched the earlier trials. There was no placebo group. Human data.
4. About half of children cut IV nutrition by at least 20 percent.
A 2020 trial gave teduglutide to children ages 1 to 17 with short bowel syndrome for 24 weeks. 54 percent cut their IV nutrition by at least 20 percent. This trial supported approval for children. Human data.
How much research exists
Several human trials and long follow-up studies. It is an approved drug in the United States, Europe, and other countries. Most data comes from people with short bowel syndrome.
Facts
- Formula: C164H252N44O55S
- Weight: 3752.0 g/mol
- CAS number: 197922-42-2
- Sequence: His-Gly-Asp-Gly-Ser-Phe-Ser-Asp-Glu-Met-Asn-Thr-Ile-Leu-Asp-Asn-Leu-Ala-Ala-Arg-Asp-Phe-Ile-Asn-Trp-Leu-Ile-Gln-Thr-Lys-Ile-Thr-Asp
- Time in the blood: about 2 hours
- Storage: keep the dry powder in the fridge. Mixed solution breaks down within hours.
Legal status
Approved by the FDA in 2012 as Gattex for short bowel syndrome in adults, and later for children age 1 and older. Approved in Europe as Revestive. Research-grade teduglutide is not the approved product and is not approved for human use.
For research use only. Not for human use. Nothing here is medical advice.