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What is UBT251?
UBT251 is an experimental weight-loss and diabetes drug that acts on three hormone receptors at once, GLP-1, GIP and glucagon, the same combination targeted by Eli Lilly's retatrutide. It was developed by The United Laboratories in China and licensed to Novo Nordisk in 2025. In a 24-week phase 2 trial in China, average weight loss ranged from about 14% to 20% across dose groups, versus 2.0% with placebo. It is not approved anywhere.
3:11Video overview · 3:11
UBT251: Novo Nordisk's Triple-Agonist Weight-Loss Drug. What the Trials Show
How UBT251 works, the published 24-week phase 2 obesity trial, the diabetes results Novo Nordisk announced, side effects, and why vials sold online as "Vistrutide" are not the trial drug.
Narrated with an AI voice from this profile's sources; education only, no dosing. Watch on YouTube ↗
Read the transcript
UBT251 is an experimental weight-loss drug that hits the same three hormone receptors as retatrutide. It comes from a Chinese company, and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, licensed it in 2025. Here's what its trials actually show.
UBT251 is a weekly injection, a single peptide designed to activate three receptors: GLP-1, GIP and glucagon. It was developed by The United Laboratories in China. Novo Nordisk holds the rights outside Greater China, and it's being tested for obesity, type 2 diabetes and related conditions.
Here's the idea. GLP-1 and GIP lower appetite and help control blood sugar. Glucagon is added in the hope of burning more energy and liver fat. Retatrutide uses the same three-part approach. But how much each receptor contributes in people hasn't been shown.
The main published trial, in Cell Metabolism in 2026, followed 205 Chinese adults with overweight or obesity for 24 weeks. Average weight loss ranged from about fourteen to twenty percent across dose groups, versus two percent on placebo. Waist size, blood pressure, blood fats and blood sugar also improved.
In a second 24-week trial, in 211 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes, Novo announced that average blood sugar, measured as HbA1c, fell by up to 2.16 points, versus 1.77 with semaglutide and 0.66 with placebo. Weight fell by up to about ten percent. That trial hasn't been published in a journal yet.
The most common side effects were digestive, like nausea, mostly mild to moderate. In the first human studies, decreased appetite, digestive symptoms and changes in lab tests were most common. The trials so far are small and short, so rare or long-term harms are unknown.
UBT251 isn't approved anywhere. Phase 3 trials started in China in 2026, and Novo is running its own trials elsewhere. The data so far come from the companies developing it. And vials sold online as research UBT251, or under the label Vistrutide, are not the drug tested in these trials.
Is it better than retatrutide? Unknown: they've never been compared. Does it beat semaglutide? In one diabetes trial, on blood sugar, according to a company announcement. Is Vistrutide the same thing? Not confirmed: that's a seller label. And is it approved? No.
The bottom line: UBT251 produced up to about twenty percent weight loss in six months in a published phase 2 trial, but the trials are small, short and run by its developers, and it's years from approval. For every study and source, see the UBT251 profile on PepsRadar dot com, and subscribe for the next trial breakdown.
Biological role or research focus
Weight loss and type 2 diabetes through three hormone receptors.
One 24-week phase 2 trial of 205 people in China, run and funded by the developer. It is too short to show whether weight loss continues or is maintained, it did not compare UBT251 with approved drugs, and it cannot show effects on heart disease or long-term safety. Phase 3 trials registered in 2026 had not reported results when this page was checked.
Names you may encounter
UBT-251 · Vistrutide
Search terms can include brands, combinations, or historical names. They are not automatic product equivalents.
- Class / identity
- Once-weekly triple agonist of the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors from The United Laboratories (China), licensed to Novo Nordisk outside Greater China; not approved
- Research focus
- Weight loss and type 2 diabetes through three hormone receptors
- Featured evidence
- Human randomized phase 2 trial
- Source check
- October 15, 2026
What does the evidence show?
Evidence map
Every study featured on this page, grouped by what was actually tested. Human studies count most; animal and cell results often do not carry over to people.
| Study | Type | Population / model |
|---|---|---|
| 24-week phase 2 trial in adults with overweight or obesity in China (2026) | Human randomized phase 2 trial | 205 adults aged 18 to 61 with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes, at multiple research centers in China; 59% women. |
Selected published evidence, with the population, findings, and limits kept together. These original summaries draw on publication abstracts; they are not a systematic review.
Human randomized phase 2 trial · 2026
24-week phase 2 trial in adults with overweight or obesity in China
What did this publication test, and what did it find?
- Population / model
- 205 adults aged 18 to 61 with overweight or obesity and without type 2 diabetes, at multiple research centers in China; 59% women.
- Study design
- Multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial sponsored by the developer, with Novo Nordisk employees among the authors. Participants were randomly assigned to once-weekly injections of placebo or one of several UBT251 dose groups, some of which started lower and stepped up, for 24 weeks. The main outcome was percent change in body weight.
- Main finding
- Average weight change at 24 weeks ranged from about -13.6% to -19.7% across UBT251 dose groups, versus -2.0% with placebo; after subtracting the placebo result, the differences were about 11.5 to 17.7 percentage points. Waist size, BMI, blood pressure, blood fats and blood sugar measures also improved. The most frequent side effects were mild to moderate digestive symptoms.
- Limits & context
- One 24-week phase 2 trial of 205 people in China, run and funded by the developer. It is too short to show whether weight loss continues or is maintained, it did not compare UBT251 with approved drugs, and it cannot show effects on heart disease or long-term safety. Phase 3 trials registered in 2026 had not reported results when this page was checked.
Read the original paper for methods, adverse events, funding, and conflicts of interest. Publisher access may require a subscription.
Registered human trials
No study naming UBT251 as an intervention was found on ClinicalTrials.gov when we last checked (October 15, 2026). That means no registered human trial, not proof that none has ever been done elsewhere.
Search additional PubMed records ↗Risks & interactions
UBT251 is an investigational GLP-1/GIP/glucagon drug, not approved anywhere. Trials report mostly mild to moderate digestive side effects; rare and long-term risks are unknown.
Safety data come from first-in-human phase 1 studies and a 24-week phase 2 obesity trial of 205 adults in China, sponsored by the developer. They are too small and short to rule out rare or long-term harms; phase 3 trials are under way.
Warnings for approved drugs in the same class (semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide, dulaglutide), which may apply here too: Diabetes or blood-sugar medicinesCancer, now or in the pastPregnancy or breastfeedingKidney problemsBlood thinners or bleeding problemsHeart or blood pressure problems
It isn't approved, so there is no official list of who should avoid it, and its human studies are too small to show who is most at risk. These tags come only from the studies and warnings summarized below. If a condition applies to you, talk to a doctor or pharmacist first. Each tag opens every profile that mentions it.
Who should not use it
There is no official list, because it has never been approved as a medicine. That is not a sign it is safe for anyone: its risks have not been studied enough to know who is most at risk.
Side effects reported in studies
- digestive symptoms
- decreased appetite
- changes in laboratory tests
Summarized from published studies with AI assistance; not reviewed by a clinician. Not a complete list, and not medical advice: talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own situation. Checked 2026-10-10. Sources: UBT251 phase 2 trial in overweight or obesity (Cell Metab, 2026) ↗ · UBT251 first-in-human phase 1a/1b study (Diabetes Obes Metab, 2026) ↗
Safety & what remains unknown
In the phase 2 obesity trial, digestive symptoms were the most frequent side effects and were mostly mild to moderate. In the first-in-human phase 1 studies, decreased appetite, digestive side effects and changes in laboratory tests were most common. Trials so far are small and short, so rare or long-term harms are unknown.
Evidence boundaries
One 24-week phase 2 trial of 205 people in China, run and funded by the developer. It is too short to show whether weight loss continues or is maintained, it did not compare UBT251 with approved drugs, and it cannot show effects on heart disease or long-term safety. Phase 3 trials registered in 2026 had not reported results when this page was checked.
Regulatory status
- U.S. FDA approval
- Not approved
No FDA-approved drug containing this substance found in Drugs@FDA (openFDA, checked October 15, 2026). It is an investigational drug in phase 2 and phase 3 trials. source - FDA compounding (503A bulk list)
- Not on FDA’s compounding lists
Not found on FDA's 503A category 1, 2 or 3 lists (updated May 14, 2026) or the category 2 safety-risk page (checked October 15, 2026). source - World Anti-Doping Agency (2026)
- Likely prohibited under a class rule · S0 Non-approved substances
Not named. S0 prohibits (at all times) any pharmacological substance not covered by another section and with no current approval by any government health authority for human therapeutic use; no such approval was found, so it is likely covered. source
Other notes
- Licensed by The United Laboratories to Novo Nordisk in March 2025; Novo Nordisk holds rights outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. source
- Phase 3 trials in obesity, type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea sponsored by the Chinese developer, and phase 2 trials sponsored by Novo Nordisk, were registered on ClinicalTrials.gov when checked (October 15, 2026). source
Checked October 8, 2026. Rules change; follow the source links for the current status. Regulatory tracker.
This is not a complete list of contraindications, interactions, or adverse effects. Medicine labels apply to specific products and indications; research-use listings are not interchangeable with approved medicines.
Research context & identity
UBT251 is an investigational medicine for obesity, type 2 diabetes and related conditions. Its Chinese developer registered phase 3 trials in 2026 in obesity, type 2 diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea, some already recruiting, and phase 2 trials are under way in chronic kidney disease and MASH (fatty liver disease with inflammation). Novo Nordisk, which holds the rights outside mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, is running its own phase 2 trials in obesity and type 2 diabetes. It is not approved anywhere, and products sold online as "research" UBT251 are not the drug tested in these trials. PepsRadar does not link to sellers from this page.
In a separate 24-week phase 2 trial in 211 Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes, Novo Nordisk reported in a March 25, 2026 press release that HbA1c (a measure of average blood sugar) fell by up to 2.16 percentage points with UBT251, versus 1.77 with semaglutide and 0.66 with placebo, and that body weight fell by up to 9.8%, versus 4.8% and 1.4%. These figures come from a company announcement; no peer-reviewed publication of this trial was found in PubMed when this page was checked.
Some online sellers label vials "Vistrutide." PepsRadar could not confirm that this is an official international nonproprietary name (INN) for UBT251 when this page was checked on October 15, 2026, so it is listed here only as a seller label. Vials sold under either name are not the drug tested in these trials.
Source: Novo Nordisk · UBT251 phase 2 results in type 2 diabetes · March 25, 2026 ↗
Source: Novo Nordisk · Exclusive license agreement for UBT251 · March 24, 2025 ↗
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · UBT251 studies · checked October 15, 2026 ↗
New editorial updates
New source discoveries
Links appear automatically. Unreviewed discoveries are not verified medical findings.
Sources & supplier listings
PepsRadar does not list, compare or link GLP-1-class products, even though some sellers we track elsewhere on the site also sell them. This drug is still investigational and is not approved for sale. The FDA warns that versions sold online as "research" products are unapproved and of unknown quality (FDA).
Biology & proposed mechanism
GLP-1 and GIP are gut hormones released after meals; drugs that activate their receptors increase insulin release when blood sugar is high, slow stomach emptying and reduce appetite. Glucagon is a pancreatic hormone that also acts on energy use and fat handling in the liver; triple agonists add it to GLP-1 and GIP activity in the hope of greater weight loss. UBT251 is a single peptide designed to activate all three receptors. How much each receptor contributes to its effects in people has not been shown.
What are people discussing?
No editorial transcript note has been reviewed for this profile yet. Below are the matching video records available for exploration; title and caption matches are not verified claims.
Questions worth asking
- Is UBT251 the same as retatrutide?
- What material, population, and route were actually studied?
- One 24-week phase 2 trial of 205 people in China, run and funded by the developer. It is too short to show whether weight loss continues or is maintained, it did not compare UBT251 with approved drugs, and it cannot show effects on heart disease or long-term safety. Phase 3 trials registered in 2026 had not reported results when this page was checked.
- What adverse effects, uncertainty, and conflicts of interest does the original source report?
Watch the source discussions
0 matching video records · 0 with captions indexed.
Across the full library, 29 caption files are indexed from 18,167 inventoried videos. Most transcripts remain unreviewed. Select a thumbnail or timestamp to watch inside PepsRadar. Thumbnail images load from YouTube.
No matching video has been identified in the current snapshot.
Frequently asked questions
Is UBT251 the same as retatrutide?
No. Both activate the GLP-1, GIP and glucagon receptors, but they are different molecules from different companies. Results from retatrutide trials do not automatically apply to UBT251, and the two have not been compared directly.
Does the publication verify a supplier’s product?
No. The tested material and a commercial listing need separate identity and batch checks. A research-use disclaimer does not establish clinical suitability.
References & editorial record
- PubMed · PMID 42843337 ↗
- Novo Nordisk · UBT251 phase 2 results in type 2 diabetes · March 25, 2026 ↗
- Novo Nordisk · Exclusive license agreement for UBT251 · March 24, 2025 ↗
- ClinicalTrials.gov · UBT251 studies · checked October 15, 2026 ↗
Source notes checked 2026-10-15. Original PepsRadar summaries. Not reviewed by a medical professional. Topic grouping is editorial navigation, not a treatment recommendation. Video notes specify which excerpts were reviewed; no full transcripts are published.