Library / Weight and metabolic

Pramlintide

Also known as Symlin, SymlinPen

Approved medicine

Synthetic analogue of the pancreatic hormone amylin that slows stomach emptying and reduces glucagon after meals. Approved only as an add-on to insulin in diabetes.

Not approved in Australia. Pramlintide is not on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods and is no longer marketed in the United States. Only a prescriber can decide whether a medicine suits you and at what dose. This page is information, not a recommendation.

Background

Pramlintide is a synthetic version of amylin, a hormone released with insulin from the pancreas. Three amino acids were changed to stop it clumping. It was developed by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and approved by the FDA in 2005 as Symlin.

How it is thought to work

Injected at mealtimes, it slows stomach emptying, blunts the rise in glucagon after meals and increases fullness, which lowers after meal blood sugar spikes and reduces food intake.

What is claimed, and the evidence

Claim	Evidence	Notes
Add on to mealtime insulin in type 1 or type 2 diabetes when glucose is not controlled	Approved use	FDA approved indication (Symlin).
Lower HbA1c and modest weight loss in diabetes	Human trials	Shown in randomised trials reviewed in 2011.
Weight loss in people without diabetes	Human trials	Studied alone and with metreleptin in trials; never approved for this.
Appetite control for general weight loss	No published evidence	Popular claim; the drug is only approved with insulin.

Side effects

Effect	How often	Notes
Nausea	Common	48 per cent versus 17 per cent with placebo in type 1 diabetes trials.
Loss of appetite (anorexia)	Common	17 per cent versus 2 per cent in type 1 diabetes trials.
Vomiting	Common	11 per cent versus 7 per cent in type 1 diabetes trials.
Headache	Common	Listed as a most common adverse reaction.
Fatigue, dizziness, joint pain	Common	5 to 7 per cent in type 1 diabetes trials.
Severe hypoglycaemia Serious	Common	Boxed warning: increased risk with insulin, especially in type 1 diabetes, usually within 3 hours of injection.

Warnings

Boxed warning: severe low blood sugar when used with insulin, especially in type 1 diabetes; the label calls for cutting mealtime insulin by 50 per cent when starting.
Slows stomach emptying, which can delay absorption of oral medicines.
Not found on the ARTG; the US pen product is listed as discontinued.

Regulatory status

Australia: Not found on the ARTG. Not specifically listed in the Poisons Standard (June 2026).
United States: FDA approved (Symlin, 2005) as an add-on to mealtime insulin in type 1 and type 2 diabetes; Drugs@FDA lists the SymlinPen product as discontinued.

Sources

Also in Weight and metabolic

From the VialOwl library, reviewed 26 September 2026. For education and general information. It is not medical advice and not a recommendation to use Pramlintide.