From Gila monster venom to GLP-1 drugs
Published October 26, 2026. History explainer based on a Nautilus feature, cited below.
Quick take: in the early 1990s, endocrinologist John Eng isolated exendin-4 from Gila monster venom. It resembled the human hormone GLP-1 but lasted for hours instead of minutes.
The discovery
Nautilus reports that researchers had seen venom inflame the pancreas of test animals. Eng, at the Veterans Affairs Administration, went on to isolate the molecule responsible, exendin-4, which resembles human GLP-1, a hormone that prompts insulin production.
Why it mattered
| Molecule | Problem or advantage |
|---|---|
| Human GLP-1 | Disappears within minutes |
| Exendin-4 | Lasted for hours in diabetic mice |
Per the article, high doses of GLP-1 were needed to keep it going, which caused side effects. A longer lasting relative looked far more useful. Eng was later honoured with a Golden Goose Award, which began in 2013.
What this does not say
The article does not give approval dates, and I have not added any. Later drugs, including semaglutide from Novo Nordisk, belong to the same broad GLP-1 family. See the peptide drug timeline.
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Common questions
Who discovered exendin-4?
Per Nautilus, endocrinologist John Eng isolated it from Gila monster venom in the early 1990s.
Why did it matter?
It resembled GLP-1 but lasted hours, where GLP-1 lasts minutes.
Is this a peptide?
Yes, GLP-1 and exendin-4 are both peptide hormones.
Sources
- Nautilus: How the Gila monster gave the world Ozempic
- Xiao et al., Advance in peptide-based drug development, Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2025)
Summarised in my own words. Read the originals for the full detail.