---
title: "Plecanatide"
canonical_url: https://peptidelibrary.app/library/plecanatide
description: "Orally administered uroguanylin analog approved for chronic idiopathic constipation and for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Like linaclotide it acts locally on intestinal epithelium with minimal systemic exposure."
updated: 2026-11-07
publisher: Peptide Library
notice: "Research and educational use only. Not medical advice."
---

# Plecanatide

Plecanatide is an FDA-approved guanylate cyclase-C agonist. Plecanatide is a 16-amino-acid analog of the endogenous peptide uroguanylin and, unlike linaclotide, retains uroguanylin’s pH-sensitive binding: its activity at guanylate cyclase-C is greatest in the slightly acidic environment of the proximal small intestine.

Orally administered uroguanylin analog approved for chronic idiopathic constipation and for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Like linaclotide it acts locally on intestinal epithelium with minimal systemic exposure.

## Classification

- Type: FDA-approved guanylate cyclase-C agonist
- Mechanism class: Guanylate Cyclase-C Agonist
- Development stage: Approved product
- Regulatory class: FDA-approved medicine

## Mechanism

Plecanatide is a 16-amino-acid analog of the endogenous peptide uroguanylin and, unlike linaclotide, retains uroguanylin’s pH-sensitive binding: its activity at guanylate cyclase-C is greatest in the slightly acidic environment of the proximal small intestine. Receptor activation raises cyclic GMP, driving chloride and bicarbonate secretion into the lumen and increasing intestinal fluid and transit.

## Properties

- Molecular formula: C65H104N18O26S4
- Molecular weight: 1,681.9 g/mol
- CAS number: 467426-54-6
- Studied routes: Oral

## Evidence

- Evidence level: FDA Approved
- Highest documented: Regulatory review (FDA label)
- Human trials: 0
- Controlled human trials: 0
- Preclinical sources: 0

Each step shows whether the sources Peptide Library has reviewed include that kind of research. Counts are reviewed sources, not every study ever published. Reviews and programme summaries that describe human use are shown as "reported", not as trials, and registered trials without published results are listed but not counted. A higher step means research has progressed further; it does not mean a compound works better or is safer. Compounds whose evidence has not been reviewed yet show "Not reviewed" instead of a guess.

### Studies

1. TRULANCE (plecanatide) tablets — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed. Regulatory label (FDA), human. Population: Adults with chronic idiopathic constipation. Treatment of chronic idiopathic constipation [Source](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=fe2895bf-71a6-493a-b0ca-e06b2dfefc82)
2. TRULANCE (plecanatide) tablets — FDA prescribing information, DailyMed. Regulatory label (FDA), human. Population: Adults with IBS with constipation. Treatment of IBS with constipation [Source](https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=fe2895bf-71a6-493a-b0ca-e06b2dfefc82)

## Safety

Human safety basis: FDA prescribing information

## Regulatory status

Plecanatide is an FDA-approved product for specific labelled indications. Approval does not extend to the research contexts described on this page, and approved products are prescription medicines.

- FDA status: Approved
- Availability: Prescription-Only

## Frequently asked questions

### What is Plecanatide?

Orally administered uroguanylin analog approved for chronic idiopathic constipation and for irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. Like linaclotide it acts locally on intestinal epithelium with minimal systemic exposure.

### How does Plecanatide work?

Plecanatide is a 16-amino-acid analog of the endogenous peptide uroguanylin and, unlike linaclotide, retains uroguanylin’s pH-sensitive binding: its activity at guanylate cyclase-C is greatest in the slightly acidic environment of the proximal small intestine. Receptor activation raises cyclic GMP, driving chloride and bicarbonate secretion into the lumen and increasing intestinal fluid and transit.

### Is Plecanatide FDA approved?

Yes. Plecanatide is approved by the FDA, and approved products are prescription medicines. Approval is always for specific indications studied in clinical trials, so an approved status does not mean the compound is approved for every use it is discussed for. Research-chemical material sold under the same name is not the approved product.

### What peptides are similar to Plecanatide?

Compounds most often compared with Plecanatide include Teduglutide, Linaclotide, Larazotide and Secretin. They are grouped by shared mechanism or research area rather than by equivalence, and their regulatory status and evidence base differ.

## References

- [Efficacy and Safety of Plecanatide in Chinese Patients with Functional Constipation: A Phase III Multicenter, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial — Drugs, 2025](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40571893/)
- [Plecanatide for the treatment of constipation-predominant irritable bowel syndrome — Expert Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2020](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31985305/)
- [Efficacy of drugs in chronic idiopathic constipation: a systematic review and network meta-analysis — Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol, 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31474542/)
- [Plecanatide for Treatment of Chronic Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome — Am J Med, 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30550753/)
- [Efficacy and safety of plecanatide in treating constipation predominant irritable bowel syndrome — Expert Opin Pharmacother, 2018](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29376436/)