Mazdutide: research, legal status and who sells it

What it is

Mazdutide is a dual agonist of the GLP-1 and glucagon receptors [8]. Innovent Biologics develops it in China under an exclusive license from Eli Lilly [9].

Research status

In the phase 3 GLORY-1 trial of 610 Chinese adults with overweight or obesity, average weight change at 48 weeks was −11.0% and −14.0% on the two doses tested, compared with +0.3% on placebo [8]. Gastrointestinal effects were the most common adverse events, and no more than 1.5% of any group stopped treatment because of an adverse event [8]. In GLORY-2, published in 2026, a higher dose produced 16.65% average weight loss at 60 weeks versus 1.50% on placebo in adults with a body-mass index of 30 or more [10]. In the mazdutide group, 53% had vomiting, 47% nausea and 39% diarrhea, compared with 1.3%, 3.2% and 6.5% on placebo [10]. Both trials enrolled Chinese adults, so results in other populations are less certain.

Regulatory status

China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) approved mazdutide for chronic weight management in June 2025 [9]. It is not approved in the US, the UK, the EU or Canada [1][2][3][5], and it is not named in Australia’s Poisons Standard [6] or on WADA’s 2026 Prohibited List [7].

Quality and testing considerations

In the US, the UK, the EU and Canada, any mazdutide on sale is an unapproved product [1][2][3][5]. The FDA warns that unapproved GLP-1 drugs have not been reviewed for safety, effectiveness or quality [11], and its warning letters treat “research use only” products marketed for human use as unapproved new drugs [12]. Buyers have no way to compare a research vial with the approved Chinese product, so independent identity and purity testing is the only check available.

Where it’s sold

Mazdutide is a prescription medicine in China; the tables below track unapproved “research” listings elsewhere.