Adipotide
FTP peptide
Experimental peptide that targets the blood supply of white fat; research-stage, notable risks.
Key takeaways
- Experimental peptide that destroys the blood vessels feeding white fat — no human trials exist.
- Obese monkeys lost weight and improved insulin sensitivity, but developed reversible kidney injury.
- Development was discontinued; it isn't approved and has no active clinical program.
- Plotter half-life (roughly 1 hour) and bioavailability are estimates, not measurements.
Reported dosing protocols
Protocols reported in research literature and clinic/community use — informational context, not a dosing recommendation.
| Use case | Dose | Route | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human use | None established | — | — |
Pharmacokinetic summary
- Model tier
- Simple (t½ + F, Tmax estimated)
- Half-life
- 58 min
- Bioavailability
- 50%
- Typical dose
- 1–5 mg
Frequently asked questions
Has adipotide ever been tested in humans?
No. Published data stops at rodents and rhesus monkeys. The primate study showed weight loss alongside dose-dependent kidney injury, and no human trial ever followed. Any human use today sits entirely outside clinical or regulatory oversight.
Why was adipotide abandoned?
The kidney toxicity seen in monkeys (renal tubular injury that reversed after stopping) set the risk bar too high for a weight-loss drug. Obesity compounds need wide safety margins, and a drug that injures kidneys doesn't clear that bar.
Is adipotide like other weight-loss peptides?
No. GLP-1 drugs reduce appetite; adipotide was designed to physically kill fat-tissue blood vessels. It's a fundamentally riskier mechanism with a completely different evidence base; unlike GLP-1 drugs, it has zero human data.
References
- Estimated (preclinical) — Pro-apoptotic peptide targeting adipose vasculature; experimental.
- Barnhart et al., Sci Transl Med 2011 — adipotide in obese monkeys — Weight loss and improved insulin resistance in obese rhesus monkeys; dose-dependent reversible renal toxicity.
- Kolonin et al., Nat Med 2004 — targeted ablation of adipose tissue — Original mouse study: prohibitin-targeted pro-apoptotic peptide reversed obesity.
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