Exenatide is a 39-amino-acid peptide with the sequence of exendin-4, a hormone first isolated from the venom of the Gila monster.
Amounts reported for Exenatide are listed under Reported protocols, each with its source and study kind. No amount ladder is inferred from them. This is educational source context, not a protocol or recommendation.
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Human study rows are described per source under Reported protocols; they belong to their trial populations and are not a general amount.
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What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 3 clinical, 1 preclinical and 1 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
| Context | Dose | Frequency | Route | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical3 rows | |||||
| FDA label (Byetta): type 2 diabetesAdults with type 2 diabetes, as an adjunct to diet and exercise | 5 mcg per dose to start; 10 mcg per dose after 1 month based on response | Twice daily, within 60 minutes before the morning and evening meals (or the two main meals, at least 6 hours apart) | Subcutaneous injection in the thigh, abdomen or upper arm from a 250 mcg/mL prefilled pen | Open-endedNone described; a missed dose is skipped, not doubled | DailyMed, National Library of Medicine (AstraZeneca label)2025 |
| The label stresses that the drug is never given after a meal and that the step from 5 to 10 mcg waits a month to limit nausea. Its warnings cover pancreatitis, hypoglycemia when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas, kidney injury from dehydration, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia and antibody formation that can blunt the effect. | |||||
| Pivotal 30-week placebo-controlled trial on top of metformin336 adults with type 2 diabetes not controlled on maximal metformin (mean age 53, BMI 34.2, HbA1c 8.2%) | 5 mcg for 4 weeks, then 5 or 10 mcg | Twice daily | Subcutaneous | 30 weeksNot applicable | Diabetes Care (PubMed)2005 |
| HbA1c fell 0.78 points on 10 mcg and 0.40 on 5 mcg versus a 0.08 rise on placebo, with dose-dependent weight loss of 2.8 kg and 1.6 kg. Gastrointestinal effects were the most common adverse events and hypoglycemia was mild and no more frequent than placebo. This is the trial behind the 5-then-10 mcg schedule on the label. | |||||
| DURATION-1: once-weekly versus twice-daily exenatide295 patients with type 2 diabetes (HbA1c 8.3%, weight 102 kg) on diet or oral agents | 2 mg extended-release once weekly, or 10 mcg twice daily | Once weekly versus twice daily | Subcutaneous | 30 weeksNot applicable | The Lancet (PubMed)2008 |
| The weekly formulation lowered HbA1c by 1.9 points against 1.5 for the twice-daily pen, with more patients reaching 7% or below (77% versus 61%), similar weight loss and no extra hypoglycemia. The extended-release product requires reconstitution of a microsphere powder immediately before injection, a different kind of mixing step from a lyophilized research vial. | |||||
| Preclinical1 row | |||||
| Intranasal brain-uptake study in miceAdult male and female CD-1 mice and APP/PS1 Alzheimer-model mice | Radiolabeled tracer amounts (10 mcg of peptide was iodinated to make the tracer stock; the amount reaching each mouse is tracer-level, not a pharmacological dose) | Single intranasal administration | Intranasal | Single exposureNot applicable | Alzheimer's Research and Therapy (PubMed)2024 |
| Of five incretin agonists tested, exenatide, dulaglutide and DA4-JC spread through the brain after intranasal delivery, while semaglutide did not; the authors were interested in bypassing the blood-brain barrier for Alzheimer's research, not in glucose control. A tracer study in mice says nothing about what dose a nasal spray would need to deliver in a person. | |||||
| Community-reported1 row | |||||
| Intranasal aerosol (research-vendor format) | 50 mcg per spray; 100 mcg per described serving; 10 mL bottle giving about 100 sprays | Not stated beyond the per-serving figure | Pre-mixed nasal spray, sold for laboratory research only | Not statedNot stated | Community resource2026 |
| This is a vendor claim about a product format, not a protocol. A 100 mcg nasal serving is ten times the 10 mcg injected dose, which is consistent with nasal peptides being poorly absorbed, but no published human study measures how much intranasal exenatide actually reaches the blood. The product was listed as out of stock when checked. | |||||
The label starts at 5 mcg twice daily, injected in the hour before the two main meals, and holds there for a month so that nausea settles before any increase.
Based on response, the dose rises to 10 mcg twice daily and continues open-ended. In the pivotal trial the 10 mcg arm lost more weight and lowered HbA1c further than the 5 mcg arm over 30 weeks.
The extended-release product replaces the twice-daily schedule with 2 mg once a week from the start, with no titration, and matched or beat the twice-daily pen on HbA1c over 30 weeks.
Plus 1 community resource (a dosing guide, forum thread or vendor write-up), reported above but not linked.
Exenatide is a 39-amino-acid peptide with the sequence of exendin-4, a hormone first isolated from the venom of the Gila monster, that activates the GLP-1 receptor to raise meal-time insulin release, slow gastric emptying and reduce appetite. It became the first GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes in 2005 as Byetta, injected twice daily before meals, followed by the once-weekly extended-release form Bydureon, and it remains a prescription medicine rather than a research chemical. Research vendors now sell it as a pre-mixed nasal aerosol; intranasal delivery has been studied in mice for brain uptake, but no peer-reviewed human study of a nasal spray was found.
These themes describe recurring questions in published research. They are not claims of effectiveness or recommendations for use.
Energy balance, body composition and incretin signaling.
The label stresses that the drug is never given after a meal and that the step from 5 to 10 mcg waits a month to limit nausea. Its warnings cover pancreatitis, hypoglycemia when combined with insulin or sulfonylureas.
HbA1c fell 0.78 points on 10 mcg and 0.40 on 5 mcg versus a 0.08 rise on placebo, with dose-dependent weight loss of 2.8 kg and 1.6 kg. Gastrointestinal effects were the most common adverse events and hypoglycemia was.
The weekly formulation lowered HbA1c by 1.9 points against 1.5 for the twice-daily pen, with more patients reaching 7% or below (77% versus 61%), similar weight loss and no extra hypoglycemia. The extended-release.
Of five incretin agonists tested, exenatide, dulaglutide and DA4-JC spread through the brain after intranasal delivery, while semaglutide did not; the authors were interested in bypassing the blood-brain barrier for.
This is a vendor claim about a product format, not a protocol. A 100 mcg nasal serving is ten times the 10 mcg injected dose, which is consistent with nasal peptides being poorly absorbed, but no published human study.
Study models remain visible so laboratory and animal findings are not mistaken for established human outcomes.
3 protocol rows on this page come from human trials, trial registrations, regulator labels or reviews of human data. Approval status and populations are stated per row.
1 protocol row describe animal, cell or toxicology work. Amounts from these rows do not translate to people.
1 row record what blogs, vendor write-ups or forums describe for Exenatide. None has been verified against primary literature.
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
His-Gly-Glu-Gly-Thr-Phe-Thr-Ser-Asp-Leu-Ser-Lys-Gln-Met-Glu-Glu-Glu-Ala-Val-Arg-Leu-Phe-Ile-Glu-Trp-Leu-Lys-Asn-Gly-Gly-Pro-Ser-Ser-Gly-Ala-Pro-Pro-Pro-Ser-NH2
Byetta, Bydureon, Exendin-4, AC2993, LY2148568, PT302, UNII 9P1872D4OL, CHEBI:64073
HTQBXNHDCUEHJF-XWLPCZSASA-N
(4S)-5-[[2-[[(2S,3R)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S,3R)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-6-amino-1-[[(2S)-5-amino-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S,3S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-6-amino-1-[[(2S)-4-amino-1-[[2-[[2-[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[2-[[(2S)-1-[(2S)-2-[(2S)-2-[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-1-amino-3-hydroxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]carbamoyl]pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl]pyrrolidine-1-carbonyl]pyrrolidin-1-yl]-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-2-oxoethyl]amino]-3-hydroxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-3-hydroxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]carbamoyl]pyrrolidin-1-yl]-2-oxoethyl]amino]-2-oxoethyl]amino]-1,4-dioxobutan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxohexan-2-yl]amino]-4-methyl-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-4-carboxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-3-methyl-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]amino]-4-methyl-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-5-carbamimidamido-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-4-carboxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-4-carboxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-4-carboxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-4-methylsulfanyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-1,5-dioxopentan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxohexan-2-yl]amino]-3-hydroxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-4-methyl-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-3-carboxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-3-hydroxy-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-3-hydroxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]amino]-3-hydroxy-1-oxobutan-2-yl]amino]-2-oxoethyl]amino]-4-[[2-[[(2S)-2-amino-3-(1H-imidazol-4-yl)propanoyl]amino]acetyl]amino]-5-oxopentanoic acid
5 curated references, each with its journal, year and study model, plus 1 community resource reported but not linked.