Bofanglutide–a new GLP-1 drug that can be given once every two weeks or even once a month–has succeeded in a phase 3 trial

The tweet blends two different studies, and the monthly claim is narrower than it sounds.

• GRADUAL-3 (the new result): announced November 4, 2026 by Gan & Lee, the drug's maker, as topline results only. It's a Phase IIIb maintenance study in Chinese adults. People who had completed 52 weeks of bofanglutide every two weeks were switched to once-monthly dosing or placebo for 24 weeks. The monthly groups kept their weight (mean change +0.41% at 24 mg and -0.12% at 48 mg), while placebo regained 8.52%. Both comparisons had p<0.0001. The full data haven't been published yet.
• GRADUAL-1 (the weight-loss result): a Phase 3 trial of 640 adults in China, dosed every two weeks. At 52 weeks, weight fell 15.12% on 24 mg and 18.54% on 48 mg, against 1.11% on placebo.

So the monthly result is about holding weight after the intensive phase, not about monthly dosing producing big losses from the start. The 15–19% losses came from the every-two-weeks dosing. A cross-trial comparison with tirzepatide (16.93% at 15 mg) is not a head-to-head test.

I found no regulatory approval anywhere. Larger global Phase 3 trials are still running, and a Korean Phase 3 has been filed. Fewer shots is a real advantage over weekly injections, but the evidence so far is one company's trials in China, mostly with topline numbers. Read the full publication when it appears.

Source: Gan & Lee's GRADUAL-3 press release (PR Newswire, Nov 4, 2026)

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- GLP-1 Drugs: What the Evidence Shows, Organ by Organ
- Fifty-Two Weeks, No Remainder