Enveda's exercise-mimicking weight-loss pill clears Phase 1 trials

Biotechnology company Enveda has announced that its experimental oral drug, ENV-308, successfully cleared a Phase 1 clinical trial involving 88 healthy adults. The drug is designed to mimic the biochemical effects of physical activity by targeting N-lactoyl-phenylalanine, or Lac-Phe.

Lac-Phe is a molecule discovered by Stanford University researchers in 2022 that is naturally produced when lactate from active muscles combines with the amino acid phenylalanine. Once in the bloodstream, Lac-Phe signals the brain to reduce appetite. Because naturally occurring Lac-Phe clears the body too quickly to be an effective treatment, Enveda used an artificial intelligence platform to engineer ENV-308 as an orally bioavailable analog for daily dosing.

The Phase 1 trial focused on safety rather than weight loss efficacy. Researchers reported that participants tolerated the drug across all tested dose strengths, noting an “exceptional gastrointestinal safety profile.” The company intends to move toward Phase 2 trials to test the drug's potential for weight maintenance following GLP-1 therapy.