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Bofanglutide (GZR18): The Once-Monthly GLP-1 Shot Explained

November 4, 2026 · 6 min read · By the Sharpy team
The short answer

Bofanglutide (GZR18) is an experimental GLP-1 injection from China's Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals that is given once every two weeks, and possibly once a month for maintenance. In the Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 trial, people lost 15.12% (24 mg) and 18.54% (48 mg) of their body weight in 52 weeks, versus 1.11% on placebo. On November 4, 2026, the GRADUAL-3 trial showed that switching to a monthly shot kept the weight off for 24 more weeks, while people moved to placebo regained weight. It is not approved anywhere yet. Whatever GLP-1 you use, Sharpy helps you keep muscle with one protein target, one 20-minute workout and one Shape Score a day.

What is bofanglutide, and does a once-a-month GLP-1 shot really work? Bofanglutide (GZR18) is an experimental GLP-1 weight-loss injection from Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals in China, tested every two weeks and, for maintenance, once a month. On November 4, 2026, the company said its GRADUAL-3 trial met its main goal: people who switched to a monthly shot after a year of treatment kept their weight steady for 24 weeks, while people switched to placebo regained. It is not approved anywhere yet.

Gan & Lee is best known for insulin. Bofanglutide is its first big bet on obesity, and it already has partners lined up in Europe and India. Here is what the trials show, how it compares with Wegovy and Zepbound, and what it means for you.

Bofanglutide at a glance

Question Answer
Names Bofanglutide, GZR18 (no brand name yet)
Maker Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals (Beijing, China)
Drug type GLP-1 receptor agonist (one receptor, like semaglutide)
Form Injection under the skin
Dosing in trials Every 2 weeks; once monthly for maintenance in GRADUAL-3
Doses tested 12 mg to 48 mg
Best Phase 3 result 18.54% weight loss at 52 weeks (48 mg)
Partners Menarini (Europe, Sept 2026), Lupin (India, Dec 2025)
Approved? No, not in the US, Europe or China

Bofanglutide weight loss: the trial results

All of these numbers come from Gan & Lee's own announcements. Full papers have not been published yet, so treat them as topline results.

Trial Who Length Result
Phase 2b (China) 286 adults 30 weeks Placebo-adjusted loss of 10.2% (12 mg) to 16.3% (48 mg) every 2 weeks
GRADUAL-1, Phase 3 (China) 640 adults, mean weight 93.7 kg, mean BMI 33.3 52 weeks 15.12% (24 mg) and 18.54% (48 mg) vs 1.11% placebo
US Phase 2 326 adults without diabetes 36 weeks 15.18% (48 mg) vs 16.93% for open-label tirzepatide 15 mg
GRADUAL-3, Phase 3b (China) GRADUAL-1 finishers 24 more weeks Monthly shot: 0.41% (24 mg) and -0.12% (48 mg) vs 8.52% on placebo

In GRADUAL-1, 91.8% of people on 24 mg and 98.1% on 48 mg lost at least 5% of their weight. In the US trial, the company says the 48 mg group had not hit a plateau by week 36, which suggests more loss with longer use. That still needs to be proven.

What GRADUAL-3 found about once-monthly dosing

GRADUAL-3 asked a question many people on GLP-1s care about: can you take less medicine once the weight is off?

People who finished 52 weeks of every-two-week bofanglutide in GRADUAL-1 were split up. Based on their last dose (24 mg or 48 mg), they got either a monthly bofanglutide shot or a monthly placebo for 24 weeks. The monthly shot held weight about flat. The placebo group gained back an average of 8.52% of body weight. Waist size, blood pressure and blood fats also stayed improved on the monthly shot.

This matches what we already know from other drugs. In STEP 4, people who switched from semaglutide to placebo regained 6.9% of their weight. In SURMOUNT-4, people who switched from tirzepatide to placebo regained 14%. Our GLP-1 rebound research guide explains why. GRADUAL-3 is one of the first trials to test a lower-frequency shot as the answer, instead of the same dose forever.

Bofanglutide vs semaglutide and tirzepatide

Bofanglutide Wegovy (semaglutide) Zepbound (tirzepatide)
Receptors GLP-1 GLP-1 GLP-1 and GIP
Shot schedule Every 2 weeks, monthly maintenance (trials) Weekly Weekly
Key trial loss 18.54% at 52 weeks (GRADUAL-1, 48 mg) 14.9% at 68 weeks (STEP 1) 20.9% at 72 weeks (SURMOUNT-1, 15 mg)
Status Investigational FDA approved FDA approved

Be careful with this table. The trials had different people, lengths and countries, so the numbers cannot be compared head to head. The fairest current look is the US Phase 2 trial, where bofanglutide 48 mg came within about 2 points of tirzepatide 15 mg. A true head-to-head, GRADUAL-2, is testing bofanglutide against semaglutide 2.4 mg in about 471 Chinese adults. For the drugs you can get today, see our semaglutide vs tirzepatide guide.

Bofanglutide side effects

Gan & Lee says the side effects looked like other GLP-1 drugs. The most common were gastrointestinal: nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Most were mild to moderate and went away, and the company reported no new safety signals. It has not released exact rates or how many people quit because of side effects. Until the full data are out, nobody can say if fewer shots mean fewer or more stomach problems.

When will bofanglutide be available?

No approval date has been announced. Here is where it stands:

  • China: Three Phase 3 trials (GRADUAL-1, -2, -3). Two have reported. No filing with China's regulator has been announced.
  • United States: One Phase 2 trial finished. No Phase 3 in the US yet, so FDA approval is likely years away.
  • Europe: Menarini signed an exclusive license in September 2026 for 39 countries, including the EU and UK. Gan & Lee plans a global Phase 3 program to support filings.
  • India: Lupin holds the rights to sell it in India under a December 2025 deal.

There is no price, because it is not sold anywhere. Anything sold online as "bofanglutide" or "GZR18" today is not an approved medicine.

Bofanglutide is not the only long-acting shot in testing: Amgen's MariTide is in Phase 3 with monthly, every-8-week and every-3-month doses.

Fewer shots still means losing muscle along with fat

A monthly shot could make GLP-1 treatment easier to live with. It does not change the basic trade-off: when you lose a lot of weight fast, some of it is muscle. Strong muscles also help you keep weight off when doses drop. The habits that protect muscle are the same on any drug:

  • Eat protein at every meal. Many experts suggest about 1.2 to 1.6 grams per kilogram of goal body weight a day. Ask your care team what fits you.
  • Do strength training two to three times a week.
  • Watch your waist and strength, not only the scale.

Sharpy turns that into one protein target, one 20-minute workout and one Shape Score a day, so you can see if you are losing fat or muscle. Our guide to stopping a GLP-1 without rebound covers the maintenance side.

The bottom line

Bofanglutide is a promising new GLP-1 shot from Gan & Lee: 18.54% weight loss at 52 weeks on the top dose in China, and the first Phase 3 data showing a once-monthly shot can hold that loss. It is still investigational, and its numbers come from company releases, not journals. If you want to see other drugs in the pipeline, read our guides to retatrutide, amycretin (zenagamtide) and CT-G32. On the medicine you take today, Sharpy helps you make sure the weight you lose is fat, not muscle.

Sources

Questions people ask

What is bofanglutide?

Bofanglutide, research code GZR18, is an investigational GLP-1 receptor agonist injection developed by Gan & Lee Pharmaceuticals in China. It works on the same receptor as semaglutide (Wegovy), but it is built to last longer in the body, so it is tested once every two weeks and, for maintenance, once a month. It is being studied for weight management and type 2 diabetes.

How much weight do you lose on bofanglutide?

In the 52-week Phase 3 GRADUAL-1 trial in 640 Chinese adults, average weight loss was 15.12% on 24 mg and 18.54% on 48 mg every two weeks, compared with 1.11% on placebo. In a 36-week US Phase 2 trial, the 48 mg dose produced 15.18% average weight loss. These are company-reported topline results that have not yet been published in a journal.

Is bofanglutide once a month?

Partly. The main trials give it once every two weeks. GRADUAL-3 tested a once-monthly shot after a year of every-two-week dosing. On the monthly shot, weight changed by 0.41% (24 mg) and -0.12% (48 mg) over 24 weeks, so it stayed about flat, while the placebo group went up by 8.52%.

Is bofanglutide better than semaglutide or tirzepatide?

There is no finished head-to-head answer yet. Gan & Lee is running GRADUAL-2, a Phase 3 trial against semaglutide 2.4 mg in China. In the US Phase 2 trial, bofanglutide 48 mg (15.18%) came close to open-label tirzepatide 15 mg (16.93%) at 36 weeks, but that trial was not designed to prove one is better.

Is bofanglutide FDA approved?

No. Bofanglutide is not approved by the FDA, the EMA or China's regulator as of November 4, 2026. It has finished one Phase 2 trial in the US. Menarini holds the rights for Europe and Lupin for India, but no approval date or brand name has been announced.

What are the side effects of bofanglutide?

Gan & Lee says the most common side effects were stomach and gut effects, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, mostly mild to moderate and short-lived, with no new safety signals. Exact rates have not been released yet. That pattern matches other GLP-1 drugs.

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