Pramlintide
The first amylin analog — native amylin with its self-aggregation edited out.
Also known as Symlin.
What disqualifies a hormone as a drug is often a single residue. Correct it, and a molecule the body already makes becomes prescribable.
Identity
- Class
- Amylin analog (synthetic 37 aa peptide)
- Source
- Synthetic analog of human amylin
- Receptor
- Amylin receptors (calcitonin receptor + RAMP)
Key properties
Evidence floorClinicalREF1CLIN1Approximate values for the native hormone; engineered analogs are often deliberately larger and far longer-acting. Each figure carries its own provenance tier, and the floor is the weakest of them - the Standard.
Mechanism
Pramlintide is a synthetic amylin analog carrying three proline substitutions — borrowed from non-aggregating rodent amylin — that prevent the fibril formation which makes native human amylin undruggable. At amylin receptors it reproduces amylin's biology: slowing gastric emptying, suppressing post-meal glucagon, and promoting satiety. It is approved as an adjunct to mealtime insulin, the two hormones' natural partnership rebuilt as a drug.
Reference notes
- The proline substitutions solve amylin's self-aggregation problem — the core engineering that made a stable amylin drug possible.
- Approved as an adjunct to mealtime insulin in type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
- Complements insulin rather than replacing it — amylin and insulin are co-secreted natively.
Common questions
- What is Pramlintide?
- The first amylin analog — native amylin with its self-aggregation edited out. Structurally it is Amylin analog (synthetic 37 aa peptide).
- How does Pramlintide work?
- Pramlintide is a synthetic amylin analog carrying three proline substitutions — borrowed from non-aggregating rodent amylin — that prevent the fibril formation which makes native human amylin undruggable. At amylin receptors it reproduces amylin's biology: slowing gastric emptying, suppressing post-meal glucagon, and promoting satiety. It is approved as an adjunct to mealtime insulin, the two hormones' natural partnership rebuilt as a drug.
- How strong is the evidence for Pramlintide?
- PeptideHormone grades Pramlintide at the "Established" evidence tier — its mechanism and core effects are settled across the peer-reviewed literature. It is catalogued as an engineered analog built on an endogenous hormone, and the tier is an editorial judgment about the public literature that can change as the science does.
- What is the half-life of Pramlintide?
- The reported circulating half-life of Pramlintide is ~48 min.
- Is Pramlintide the same as Symlin?
- Symlin is a brand name of Pramlintide — the same molecule in different approved presentations. This page is the molecule reference, not a prescribing guide.
Selected literature
Curated peer-reviewed reviews, sourced from PubMed. Selected for relevance, not exhaustive — open any entry on PubMed for the full record and its primary citations.
- 1.Pramlintide and the treatment of diabetes: a review of the data since its introduction · Expert opinion on pharmacotherapy, 2011 · PMID 21564002
- 2.Pramlintide · , 2006 · PMID 30000033
External references
Pramlintide in the public knowledge graph — the same entity resolved across the authoritative chemistry and protein databases.