Chemistry:ENV-308
ENV-308, also known as ESN-O, is a synthetic hormonal agent and exercise mimetic which is under development for the treatment of obesity.[1][2][3][4] It is taken orally.[1][2]
The drug is a mimic of N-lactoylphenylalanine (Lac-Phe), a hormone discovered at Stanford University in 2022.[2][3][4][5][6] Lac-Phe is released during intense exercise and after eating and reduces appetite and obesity in animals.[2][4][5][6] This hormone itself has poor pharmacokinetic properties, for instance a short duration.[4][7] ENV-308 is an improved alternative to Lac-Phe suitable for once-daily oral administration.[4] As a mimic of Lac-Phe, ENV-308 is considered to be an exercise mimetic.[4] The drug has been found to lower leptin levels in animals and humans, with the greatest decreases in people with the highest baseline leptin levels, which is thought to be a marker of improved leptin resistance.[2][4][5] Unlike GLP-1 agonists, ENV-308 produced few gastrointestinal side effects.[2][4][5][7]
Besides metabolic effects, Lac-Phe has also been found to produce anxiolytic-like effects in rodents, which were associated with dopaminergic and serotonergic signaling, as well as reduced hippocampal cytokine expression.[8]
ENV-308 is under development by Enveda Biosciences.[1][4] As of August 2026, it has completed phase 1 clinical trials.[1][2][4] A phase 2 trial is being planned.[4] In addition, a trial of the drug for weight loss maintenance in people stopping GLP-1 agonists is being planned.[2][5] The drug was discovered via Enveda Bioscience's proprietary AI model PRISM.[4] The chemical structure of ENV-308 does not yet appear to have been disclosed.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "ENV 308". 23 December 2025. https://adisinsight.springer.com/drugs/800083384.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Enveda's exercise-simulating obesity tablet clears early clinical test". 19 August 2026. https://www.biospace.com/drug-development/envedas-exercise-simulating-obesity-tablet-clears-early-clinical-test.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "A pill that mimics exercise? Early results on drug designed to maintain both weight loss and muscle mass". 18 August 2026. https://www.statnews.com/2026/08/18/enveda-pill-mimics-exercise-phase-one-trial-leptin-weight-loss-maintenance/.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 "An 'Exercise Pill' Just Cleared Its First Human Test". 19 August 2026. https://gizmodo.com/an-exercise-pill-just-cleared-its-first-human-test-2000800380.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Could this new pill be like GLP-1s without the side effects?". 19 August 2026. https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2026/08/19/exercise-pill.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "An exercise-inducible metabolite that suppresses feeding and obesity". Nature 606 (7915): 785–790. June 2022. doi:10.1038/s41586-022-04828-5. PMID 35705806. Bibcode: 2022Natur.606..785L.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Pharmacally (18 August 2026) (in en-US), Can the Chemistry of Exercise Be Delivered in a Daily Pill? Enveda Advances ENV-308, a Lac-Phe Mimetic - Pharmacally, https://pharmacally.com/env-308-oral-pill-mimicking-lac-phe-chemical-signal-released-during-intense-exercise/, retrieved 19 August 2026
- ↑ "Lac-Phe elicits anxiolytic-like effects associated with monoaminergic signaling in mice". Translational Psychiatry 16 (1). May 2026. doi:10.1038/s41398-026-04106-2. PMID 42215433.
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