Current peptide research in 2026: five programmes to follow

A research watchlist, not a buying guide

These five names are prominent because their developers report active late-stage programmes or recent clinical milestones. They are not a ranking of safety, effectiveness or personal suitability. A molecule in a trial, a medicine authorised by a regulator and a catalogue material are different things.

Retatrutide: a triple-receptor programme

Lilly describes retatrutide as an investigational GIP, GLP-1 and glucagon receptor agonist. The company reported additional Phase 3 results in 2026 and plans a future regulatory submission; neither a study result nor a planned application is an approval.

Cagrilintide and survodutide: separate approaches

Cagrilintide is an amylin analogue and is also discussed in relation to the separate CagriSema combination. Survodutide is a GLP-1/glucagon co-agonist in a global Phase 3 programme. Results, populations and endpoints from one programme cannot be transferred to the other.

Zenagamtide and MariTide: two different designs

Novo Nordisk describes zenagamtide, also called amycretin, as a single molecule acting at GLP-1 and amylin receptors and advancing through clinical development. Amgen describes MariTide as an antibody-peptide conjugate in the MARITIME Phase 3 programme. Their molecular designs and trial programmes are distinct.

How to keep an update current

Check the developer’s dated pipeline or clinical announcement, then compare it with a trial registry and a regulator before drawing a conclusion about approval. Do not infer a product’s identity, quality, authorisation or intended use from a molecule name alone.

Primary sources

• Lilly: retatrutide Phase 3 update, July 2026
• Novo Nordisk: zenagamtide clinical update, June 2026
• Novo Nordisk: Q2 2026 pipeline presentation
• Zealand Pharma: survodutide pipeline
• Amgen: MariTide Phase 3 programme