ABBV-295 is AbbVie's experimental weight-loss shot, and monthly dosing is still an early possibility. It copies amylin, a chemical messenger released after meals that helps signal fullness. Today's phase 1 update comes from small, early testing in people. It adds details about side effects and how long the drug stays in the blood.
It doesn't make the shot a treatment available now.
The distinction matters: the highest reported weight loss came from a weekly group. The group that moved to monthly injections had a different result.
What AbbVie announced about ABBV-295
As of September 30, 2026, the day this article was written, AbbVie's release dated September 30 describes detailed findings for EASD. That's the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting.
This study focused mainly on safety and how people handled the drug. The phases of clinical trials guide explains what the later stages add.
The update covers 60 adults: 45 received ABBV-295 and 15 received placebo, an inactive injection. They were treated for 12 or 13 weeks. Their average age was 41.5, and 88% were men. Average body mass index (BMI), a measure of weight relative to height, was 29.3.
Researchers gradually increased doses across five groups. Weekly groups reached 4, 6 or 14 mg; another reached 14 mg every other week. The monthly group reached 8 mg. These are study schedules, rather than personal dosing plans.
What this means for a semaglutide prescription
The news adds a possible future option. It doesn't establish a replacement for semaglutide, which copies GLP-1, a gut hormone involved in fullness.
Through Promise, semaglutide and tirzepatide are dispensed as compounded medications, prepared by a pharmacy for a prescription. They are different from an FDA-approved product: the formulations offered here are not FDA-approved.
As of September 30, 2026, the day this article was written, the FDA's compounding explanation describes how these preparations differ. The page carries “Content current as of: 06/22/2026.” The FDA doesn't review compounded preparations before marketing for safety, effectiveness or quality.
A licensed provider may still prescribe a compounded formulation where appropriate; that decision is between you and your doctor.
ABBV-295 results: the monthly group was different
The weight figures aren't a new September result. As of September 30, 2026, the day this article was written, AbbVie's March 9 report supplies the original figures and an important detail: monthly dosing began after week 5.
Each cohort is a study group.
| Study schedule | Measurement | Average weight change |
|---|---|---|
| Weekly, cohort 3 | Week 12 | −7.75% |
| Weekly, cohort 4 | Week 12 | −8.70% |
| Weekly, cohort 5a | Week 12 | −9.79% |
| Every other week | Week 13 | −9.73% |
| Monthly after week 5 | Week 13 | −7.86% |
| Placebo | Week 12 / week 13 | −0.26% / −0.25% |
These figures are least-squares means, or statistically adjusted group averages. AbbVie used a model based on repeated weight measurements.
People who couldn't continue treatment were withdrawn, with no further weight data collected. That leaves less information about what happens when someone can't stay on the drug.
Side effects and the monthly-dosing claim
About one in three people receiving ABBV-295 reported nausea. Today's release gives these figures across all active groups combined:
| Reported problem | ABBV-295 | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Nausea | 33.3% | 20.0% |
| Diarrhea | 20.0% | 0.0% |
| Stopped because of gut symptoms | 4.4% | 0.0% |
AbbVie reported no serious events after treatment began and no severe gut events. Most gut symptoms were mild and occurred in the first six weeks.
Its half-life—the time it takes the level in the blood to fall by half—averaged 10.7 to 12.3 days. That supports studying longer gaps between injections. It doesn't establish that monthly treatment works for a year.
Nor do these figures show fewer side effects than tirzepatide, which acts on GLP-1 and GIP, another gut hormone. ABBV-295 wasn't tested against it.
What the early findings cannot show
This is a reason to keep testing, rather than a forecast for one person's weight. A short trial in mostly men leaves questions about women, longer treatment and uncommon problems.
For scale, STEP 1 followed 1,961 adults for 68 weeks with semaglutide or placebo (Wilding and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2021). SURMOUNT-1 followed 2,539 adults for 72 weeks with tirzepatide or placebo (Jastreboff and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, 2022). Both enrolled people with obesity, or overweight plus a related condition, without diabetes.
Those larger studies show how much more evidence is needed. Different participants, durations and ways of counting results prevent a fair ranking against ABBV-295's early percentage.
The findings also concern the specific study drug. They don't establish results for a pharmacy preparation or a vial sold online under the same name. A name on a label doesn't connect that vial to this trial.
Where it fits in the amylin race
ABBV-295 joins several efforts to make amylin's fullness signal last longer. The differences between the drugs matter more than a shared family name.
Petrelintide is another amylin candidate, developed by Zealand Pharma and Roche.
Eloralintide is Lilly's candidate, also being studied alongside tirzepatide.
Cagrilintide is the amylin half of Novo Nordisk's CagriSema pairing with semaglutide.
Semaglutide being part of that pairing doesn't make a semaglutide prescription equivalent to CagriSema. Each combination needs its own evidence, including what happens when the ingredients are given together.
What to watch next: phase 2 is already recruiting
Phase 2 is longer testing to compare doses and their effects.
As of September 30, 2026, the day this article was written, the phase 2 registry record, updated September 29, lists ABBV-295 as recruiting. It records an actual start of August 4, 2026, and plans to enroll 360 adults.
The study compares doses with placebo in adults with obesity, or overweight plus a related condition, without diabetes. Its main weight measurement is at week 32, with treatment and safety tracking through week 52. The estimated finish for its main measurements is March 2028. That is a study estimate, rather than a launch date.
The useful next answers are whether the weight change lasts, how many people stop, and how different schedules compare over longer treatment. AbbVie says ABBV-295 remains investigational, meaning it is still being tested, and has not been approved anywhere.
At Promise, a licensed provider reviews every request and prescribes only when treatment is appropriate. Not everyone qualifies.
