PeptideCompareEfinopegdutide — EU research guide.
Efinopegdutide (MK-6024) is Merck's investigational dual GLP-1/glucagon receptor agonist, developed primarily for metabolic liver disease (MASH) rather than weight loss alone.
What is Efinopegdutide?
By co-activating glucagon receptors alongside GLP-1, efinopegdutide is designed to burn hepatic fat directly, not just reduce appetite — a mechanism shared with survodutide and pemvidutide.
What does the research show?
In a Phase 2a NAFLD trial, once-weekly efinopegdutide cut liver fat by 72.7% over 24 weeks, versus 42.3% for semaglutide — a notably larger effect. Merck holds FDA Fast Track designation for NASH/MASH, with the Phase 2b trial in precirrhotic MASH listed by Merck as completed (December 2025) and a trial in compensated cirrhosis active but no longer recruiting; no results have been published yet.
EU legal status
Not approved anywhere. Efinopegdutide is an investigational pharmaceutical developed by Merck under licence from Hanmi Pharmaceutical; it has no legitimate research-peptide supply route.
Molecular information
Pharmacokinetics
Potency retained over time
Each line is one storage condition: it starts at 100% and falls as potency is lost. Above the dashed 80% line the material is considered reliable — hover for exact values.
⚠ Modelled per compound from molecular structure — chain length, cyclisation, oxidation- and deamidation-prone residues and light sensitivity. Indicative only, not lab-measured per batch.
Dual-agonist compounds across EU suppliers
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References
- Peer-reviewed phase 2a trial (145 adults, 24 weeks, active comparator). It shows a large fall in liver fat, which is a surrogate measure, and higher gastrointestinal adverse events. It does not show effects on liver inflammation, scarring or clinical outcomes. Romero-Gómez M, Lawitz E, Shankar RR, Chaudhri E, Liu J, Lam RLH, Kaufman KD, Engel SS; MK-6024 P001 Study Group. A phase IIa active-comparator-controlled study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of efinopegdutide in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. J Hepatol. 2023;79(4):888-897. DOIPubMed 37355043
- Sponsor press release announcing the phase 2a presentation, FDA Fast Track designation for NASH and the plan to start phase 2b. It also names Hanmi Pharmaceutical as licensor. A company statement, not evidence of efficacy. Merck. Merck to present data for efinopegdutide (MK-6024), an investigational GLP-1/glucagon receptor co-agonist, in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) at EASL 2023. Press release; 12 June 2023. Source
- Sponsor registry entry for the precirrhotic MASH phase 2b trial: status completed (start June 2023, end December 2025), with the primary objective. It lists no results. Merck Sharp & Dohme. A Clinical Study of Efinopegdutide in Participants With Precirrhotic Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) (MK-6024-013; NCT05877547). Merck Clinical Trials registry entry, accessed September 2026. Source
- Ethics summary for the same phase 2b trial: randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, about 300 planned participants, up to 52 weeks of treatment, with a semaglutide reference arm. It describes the design only. Health Research Authority (UK). Phase 2b Study of Efinopegdutide (MK-6024) in Adults with Precirrhotic Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis. Research summary; REC reference 23/LO/0391. Source
- Sponsor registry entry for the compensated cirrhosis trial (about 80 participants, 28 weeks of treatment): status active, not recruiting. No results are listed. Merck Sharp & Dohme. A Clinical Study of Efinopegdutide in People With Compensated Cirrhosis Due to Steatohepatitis (NCT06465186). Merck Clinical Trials registry entry, accessed September 2026. Source
- Merck's public pipeline document listing efinopegdutide for MASH at phase 2 (to 30 April 2026). It confirms the programme is still investigational; it gives no efficacy data. Research vials sold online are not a licensed medicine. Merck. Public pipeline 2Q2026, reflecting the pipeline to 30 April 2026. Source