Teduglutide (Gattex): Uses, Evidence, and Side Effects

Living with short bowel syndrome often means relying on parenteral nutrition just to meet daily needs. Teduglutide is a lab-made version of a gut hormone designed to help reduce that dependence.

Key takeaways

• Teduglutide is a GLP-2 analog sold under the brand name Gattex.
• It is approved for adults and children 1 year and older with short bowel syndrome who depend on parenteral support.
• More than 50 trials have registered teduglutide, including completed phase 3 work in short bowel syndrome.
• The most reported issues involve weight changes, gastrointestinal symptoms, and vascular device infections.
• FAERS counts reflect submitted reports, not confirmed rates of occurrence.

What Teduglutide Is

Teduglutide is a synthetic analog of glucagon-like peptide-2 (GLP-2), a hormone normally released by cells in the lower intestine. Natural GLP-2 helps regulate blood flow to the gut and limits stomach acid production. Teduglutide works by binding to GLP-2 receptors found on cells throughout the intestinal lining and surrounding tissue, including enteroendocrine cells, myofibroblasts, and enteric neurons. Activating these receptors supports the intestine's ability to absorb nutrients and fluids.

What Teduglutide Is Approved For

Teduglutide, marketed as Gattex, is approved to treat short bowel syndrome in adults and pediatric patients age 1 and older. It is specifically indicated for those who still need parenteral support to sustain adequate nutrition and hydration. The label does not carry a boxed warning.

What the Evidence Shows

Teduglutide has been studied across more than 50 registered clinical trials. A completed phase 3 trial followed subjects with short bowel syndrome who had finished an earlier teduglutide protocol, evaluating longer-term safety and efficacy. Separately, a completed phase 1 study examined how teduglutide behaves pharmacokinetically in people with moderately impaired liver function compared with healthy participants.

Reported Side Effects

Reports submitted to FAERS for teduglutide most often involve changes in body weight, with both weight decreased and weight increased appearing among the top reactions. Gastrointestinal symptoms are also common, including nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea, each with over a thousand reports. Vascular device infection and dehydration were reported frequently as well, along with issues related to missed doses. These figures represent counts of submitted reports, not confirmed rates or proof that teduglutide caused the reaction.