Data edition of
Residue An evidence-graded reference for peptide science

Glossary

The vocabulary of the monographs, defined once.

Accelerated approval
An FDA approval based on an intermediate or surrogate endpoint, where continued approval may depend on a confirmatory trial. Elamipretide (Forzinity) was approved this way, on knee-extensor strength1FDAFORZINITY prescribing information: Indications and Usage. FDA-approved labeling via openFDA/DailyMed, version effective 2025-12-10..
Agonist
A molecule that binds a receptor and activates it. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist2FDAOZEMPIC prescribing information: Indications and Usage. FDA-approved labeling via openFDA/DailyMed, version effective 2026-07-30..
Amylin
A pancreatic hormone that induces satiety; cagrilintide is a long-acting analog of it3PubMedOnce-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lau DCW et al. Lancet. 2021..
Category 2 (FDA compounding)
FDA’s list of bulk drug substances nominated for compounding that may present significant safety risks; the same page lists nominations that were withdrawn4FDACertain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. U.S. FDA, content current as of 04/22/2026..
Cardiolipin
A phospholipid of the inner mitochondrial membrane. Barth syndrome involves abnormal cardiolipin5PubMedA phase 2/3 randomized clinical trial followed by an open-label extension to evaluate the effectiveness of elamipretide in Barth syndrome, a genetic disorder of mitochondrial cardiolipin metabolism. Reid Thompson W et al. Genet Med. 2021..
Crossover trial
A trial in which each participant receives both treatments in sequence, separated by a washout — as in part 1 of TAZPOWER5.
GHRH
Growth-hormone-releasing hormone, which stimulates the anterior pituitary to secrete growth hormone. Sermorelin is its 29-residue active fragment6PubMedSermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. Prakash A & Goa KL BioDrugs. 1999..
GH secretagogue (ghrelin) receptor
A second pituitary route to growth hormone release, targeted by ipamorelin and GHRP-67PubMedIpamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Raun K et al. Eur J Endocrinol. 1998..
Half-life
The time for the concentration of a drug in the body to halve; it sets dosing frequency. Semaglutide’s is about 7 days8PubMedPharmacokinetics and Clinical Implications of Semaglutide: A New Glucagon-Like Peptide (GLP)-1 Receptor Agonist. Hall S et al. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2018..
HbA1c
Glycated hemoglobin, a measure of average blood glucose over recent months and the usual primary endpoint in diabetes trials such as SURPASS-29PubMedTirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. Frías JP et al. N Engl J Med. 2021..
Incretin
A gut hormone, such as GLP-1 or GIP, that amplifies insulin release after eating.
MACE
Major adverse cardiovascular events: in SELECT, cardiovascular death, non-fatal myocardial infarction or non-fatal stroke10PubMedSemaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. Lincoff AM et al. N Engl J Med. 2023..
Open-label
A trial in which participants and investigators know which treatment is given. SURMOUNT-5 was open-label11PubMedTirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity. Aronne LJ et al. N Engl J Med. 2025..
Phase 1, 2, 3
Stages of clinical development: phase 1 tests safety and pharmacology, usually in small groups; phase 2 explores dose and efficacy; phase 3 confirms efficacy in large randomized trials.
Placebo-controlled
Compared against an inactive treatment so that effects of the drug can be separated from other influences.
Randomized controlled trial (RCT)
A trial that assigns participants to treatments by chance, the basis of our Grade B.
Six-minute walk test (6MWT)
Distance walked in six minutes; a functional endpoint used in elamipretide trials12PubMedEfficacy and Safety of Elamipretide in Individuals With Primary Mitochondrial Myopathy: The MMPOWER-3 Randomized Clinical Trial. Karaa A et al. Neurology. 2023..
Visceral adipose tissue
Fat around the abdominal organs, measured by imaging; the primary endpoint in tesamorelin’s phase 3 trials13PubMedEffects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data. Falutz J et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010..

References

Every source below was retrieved from its official API or page and cached on the data-edition date. Numbers match the margin notes.

  1. 1 FDA FORZINITY prescribing information: Indications and Usage. FDA-approved labeling via openFDA/DailyMed, version effective 2025-12-10.
  2. 2 FDA OZEMPIC prescribing information: Indications and Usage. FDA-approved labeling via openFDA/DailyMed, version effective 2026-07-30.
  3. 3 PubMed Lau DCW, Erichsen L, Francisco AM, et al. Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial. Lancet 2021. PMID 34798060; doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01751-7.
  4. 4 FDA Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks. U.S. FDA, content current as of 04/22/2026.
  5. 5 PubMed Reid Thompson W, Hornby B, Manuel R, et al. A phase 2/3 randomized clinical trial followed by an open-label extension to evaluate the effectiveness of elamipretide in Barth syndrome, a genetic disorder of mitochondrial cardiolipin metabolism. Genet Med 2021. PMID 33077895; doi:10.1038/s41436-020-01006-8.
  6. 6 PubMed Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs 1999. PMID 18031173; doi:10.2165/00063030-199912020-00007.
  7. 7 PubMed Raun K, Hansen BS, Johansen NL, et al. Ipamorelin, the first selective growth hormone secretagogue. Eur J Endocrinol 1998. PMID 9849822; doi:10.1530/eje.0.1390552.
  8. 8 PubMed Hall S, Isaacs D, Clements JN. Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Implications of Semaglutide: A New Glucagon-Like Peptide (GLP)-1 Receptor Agonist. Clin Pharmacokinet 2018. PMID 29915923; doi:10.1007/s40262-018-0668-z.
  9. 9 PubMed Frías JP, Davies MJ, Rosenstock J, et al. Tirzepatide versus Semaglutide Once Weekly in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2021. PMID 34170647; doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2107519.
  10. 10 PubMed Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et al. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. N Engl J Med 2023. PMID 37952131; doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2307563.
  11. 11 PubMed Aronne LJ, Horn DB, le Roux CW, et al. Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med 2025. PMID 40353578; doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2416394.
  12. 12 PubMed Karaa A, Bertini E, Carelli V, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Elamipretide in Individuals With Primary Mitochondrial Myopathy: The MMPOWER-3 Randomized Clinical Trial. Neurology 2023. PMID 37268435; doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000207402.
  13. 13 PubMed Falutz J, Mamputu JC, Potvin D, et al. Effects of tesamorelin (TH9507), a growth hormone-releasing factor analog, in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with excess abdominal fat: a pooled analysis of two multicenter, double-blind placebo-controlled phase 3 trials with safety extension data. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010. PMID 20554713; doi:10.1210/jc.2010-0490.